We've been doing a bit of due diligence around a story that's going viral about two pilots on Batick Air that fell asleep simultaneously while they're flying one hundred and fifty eight people, which seems inconceivable, like you have one job, probably to stay awake and fly the plane. But it made me wonder how common is this? So we thought who better to ask than our very own bachelor Australia, Jimmy Nicholson. He's a pilot, he's on the line. I think he's overseas flying around somewhere now.
Jimmy, Hello, guys, how are you going?
We're good, but also I need to know have you ever Oh you're not going to be able to answer this honestly though, So there's a there's a study that says fifty six percent of pilots have admitted to falling asleep whilst flying a plane, but not sleep. Yes, you're going to say no.
I can't confirm or deny whether this story was me, but I do have a story that might shine some light on this can fill a topic. So there was a there may have may not have been a first off. So two pilots flying together one day and one of them looked over and realized that the other one was asleep.
There's a few scenarios on board aeroplanes that will get your attention if you're a pilot, and the main one is any fire, any violated thing is it'll wake you up because it's the worst thing that can happen on aeroplane. And in fact, I've been training in Abu Dhabi for the last month, learning to fly in new aeroplane and I put a little thing on my Instagram of an in flight fire and people were like, what the hell is this? What does that sound?
And everything.
So it's basically the fire alarm of either a cargo fire or the man engine fire. So in this scenario, one of the parts knows the other bloke was asleep, and so they decided to we can do a test on the fire system in flight, which you don't normally do, but you can do it. And maybe that did in flight test the fire system, which scared living day the other person who was a sleep So yes, it does happen.
There's actually a thing called controlled rest which is completely legal and normal, where one pilot will be asleep in the flight deck, which seems really weird, but it's done all around the world where you can actually it's controlled rest so you tell the cabin crew you're going to be sleeping one of you, not both of you, and you can sleep in the flight deck. It's completely it's completely legal. Not many people know about it, and most passages would probably be scared to hear that, but.
It happens, so true. So so this is possible. They fell asleep, both pilots fell asleep for over thirty minutes, and the plane veered off course. So is that we did auto pilot turn off for what would have happened? Jimmy, that's not great.
Premise of.
Controlled rests that you say to the other first you're flying with hey, are you feeling all right? I just controlled rests, and then you can do it. But in that scenario, no, not great.
We all know what it's like on a long car trip though, when like the person in the passenger seat, well no, of course, when the passenger falls asleep and then you're really bored and you're just trying to keep awake. And even when you're doing that, like you're constantly having to think when you're driving. But if you're a pilot, is there enough of it being like on literal autopilot that you don't have to be doing things every second, So it might get boring up there in the sky.
How they're playing Candy Crash.
How auto is autopilot?
It totally does, and Laurie hit the nail the head. It gets very boring when you're in the cruise. There isn't much to do the most like, when you're taking off and landing in a cruise, you're quite literally I mean, unless there's weather around or whatever. But on a nice day, nice night, you just sort of sit there and stare out the window.
So that's why, God, that's what.
We do the controlled rest, but you're supposed to do on the premise to the other person's feeling, right. I mean I flew Britain Ben back from a holiday destination recently and that was the back of the clock flight, and I mean, what would you rather, brit Would you rather one of us sleeping at some stage so that we both feel alert or was you rather both there staring out the window with our eyes hang out of her head?
I would ei on the price, to be honest, I just want someone away find awake, Like as long as one person is awake.
On that note, Thank you, Jimmy God, that's so insightful. What a genius think you Go and enjoy your because where are you in the moment you're flying to Sri Lanka?
Glenka, I mean I'm in Sri Lanka. No, I've finished my flying duties. I'm having a holiday over my wife.
Well, I enjoy the holiday.
Officially debunked. Everyone. Now, on that note, let's get some controlled rest ourselves and let's go home. Good night, see tomorrow, goodbye.
Yes,