Long Flight Love: How To Stay Awake

by Chris Owen on

So maybe catching up on sleep during a long flight from New York to London is your idea of a big win in the air. Perhaps you would rather not hear the crying baby, see the questionable cuisine in coach or smell the odd aromas that might linger around the aircraft cabin. For you, there are plenty of tips, suggestions and methods for falling asleep on a long flight.

However, those of us who actually like to fly, can’t get enough time in the air and look forward to the flying experience, instead seek great ways to stay awake and enjoy every blissful minute of flight. Here are a few great tips for staying awake on a long flight.

Sleep as much as you can the night before- Banking a little sleep several days or a week before the long flight will help. “Recent sleep research indicates that ‘banking sleep’ beforehand can improve performance after subsequent sleep restriction or total deprivation,” says Zeo, a leading sleep management company in the U.S.

Do things that you like to do- Watch action movies with engaging plots or play favorite video games. Better yet, deny yourself video game playtime for a few days before flying, just so you will rabidly appreciate every single minute of play. Note: Mile High Club activities, while perhaps energizing, are not recommended.

Engage in scintillating conversation- There’s nothing like a good talk between new friends met on the plane. Plus, if that flight takes you to Ireland, you’ll be all set to grab a pint and “meet up with kinfolk and townsfolk alike to engage in lively conversation after a few rounds,” says NetPlaces.Consider flying a social occasion- Like boarding a cruise ship in the olden days, friends should come to see us off at the airport. Waving goodbye from the jetway perks up emotions and there is nothing wrong with a little jealousy on their part, or pride on our part. Once on the plane, make a point of being pleasant to your neighbors. Though some may follow the advice of Wanderfly‘s “Ways To Keep Your Neighbor From Talking Your Ear Off,” which promotes wearing headphones and pretending to be deaf or crazy, others will find that engaging in exciting conversation will keep sleep far away.

Get the names of friendly crew members- Sure, their main reason for living is to keep us safe in the air, but they can do it nicely. Write down their names and send an email or tweet off to their land-based bosses. Note: Do not use this tip when flying Skymark Airlines, the Japanese low-cost airline that, according to Asia Sentinel, specifically says passengers should not expect flight attendants to help with luggage, listen to complaints or even be minimally polite.

Just Say Yes to coffee and caffeinated drinks- Coffee and soda are a good start. Two to four cups of coffee a day get us 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine, which should be fine for most people, says the Mayo Clinic. Caffeine-rich products like Upshot are better with 80 milligrams, in addition to Red Fin Energy Shot‘s 100-milligram drink. 357 Magnum Energy Shot brings a hefty 125 milligrams, and 5150 Juice reigns supreme with 500 milligrams of caffeine. “While we don’t condone over-the-top caffeine use, we are big proponents of smart spending,” warns MainStreet, offering a look at 20 drinks with the highest caffeine content per ounce.

Not recommended: Going outside to stretch your legs or putting on a bunch of clothes that make you look fat, then doing belly slams or laughing incessantly, as suggested by WikiHow in “25 Tips On How To Stay Awake At A Sleepover.”




[Flickr photo by S.H. Photography]

Dead pilot? No problem. How to safely land a plane

by Jamie Rhein on

Tom’s recap of the recent passenger-lands-a-plane-after-the-pilot-dies story is another reminder to brush up on how to land a plane in an emergency. It’s helpful to remember that principles of physics can be your friend, and planes are designed to fly–and land.

In this article “How to Land a Plane in an Emergency” at wikiHow, landing a plane is explained in seven multiple-part steps.

Remembering Stryker, the character played by Robert Hays in “Airplane” might help. The autopilot, however, isn’t a blow-up doll, there isn’t a button on the control panel that flashes “a little hot,” and the folks in the air traffic control tower who will give you directions on how to land once you contact them, won’t be popping pills or sniffing glue–one would hope.

Here are a few items to keep in mind. Consider these as prereading to help you remember what to do if you ever find yourself winging your way through the sky with only your wits and the help of people below to get you safely to the ground and that stiff drink you might be craving.

  1. There’s a handy gadget called an altitude attitude indicator that will let you know if the plane is flying steady. See photo. It’s that round control with the blue in it.
  2. The stick is called the yoke. Pushing it, pulling it and turning it will help you keep the plane flying steady.
  3. The autopilot will also help fly the plane steady if you turn it on.
  4. There’s a button on the pilot’s headset or on a handheld microphone that you press and keep pressing so someone can hear you say “Mayday” three times in a row.
  5. Saying Mayday three times in a row will let someone know you need help. Plus, it sounds cool. Just like the movies.
  6. To hear someone talk, you need to release the button. When you want to talk again, press the button and hold it down.
  7. The plane has a call signal somewhere on the control panel. The call signal starts with the letter N and is followed by a series of numbers. The call signal will let the people who are helping you land know what kind of plane you are flying.
  8. There is an airspeed indicator that will tell you how fast you are flying. Maintaining the right speed is important.
  9. There are other indicators that may flash on red if there’s a problem. Let the control person know of any indicators that might be red so he or she can tell you how to fix the problem.
  10. There is a small wheel called a trim wheel that can help you keep the plane steady while you are landing.
  11. Some planes have a gear handle for letting the landing wheels down. On some planes the landing wheels are always down.
  12. You use the throttle to reduce power.
  13. You use the rudder to slow the plane down.
  14. Oh, yeah. Make sure the conked out, and hopefully not dead, pilot is out of the way and not leaning on the controls. Otherwise, things could get more dicey than you need.

Make sure you read the wikiHow article for way more detail. I like the fact that remembering to breathe is given as a step. Breathing is a good thing.

If you want to toss in a few lines from Airplane, maybe you can use these.

  • “Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?”
  • “I’m doing everything I can…and don’t call me Shirley.”
  • “Roger, Roger. Where’s our vector, Victor?”
  • “All right, get me Hamm on five. Hold the Mayo.”