A pilot has revealed the surprising truth behind whether pilots fall asleep while they are flying the plane.
The TikTiok high flyer opened up to his followers about not one but two types of sleep pilots are allowed to have while they work.
He was responding to a previous post claiming ‘about 46 per cent of pilots admit to falling asleep while flying.’
The man going by ‘pilot_geeza‘ on the platform explained: ‘We do fall asleep whilst we fly the plane.
‘There’s two types of rest we can take whilst we’re sat in the pilot seat.’
The TikToker revealed that there are two types of sleep which pilots can have – ‘controlled napping’ and ‘controlled rest’
The high flyer was responding to a previous clip claiming that ’46 per cent of pilots admit to falling asleep while flying’
He went on to say that the two varieties were ‘controlled napping’ and ‘controlled rest.’
Both only take place during periods of low work load, and when the co-pilot is feeling up to the task of taking on the flight by themselves.
He continued, on the clip now viewed over 4 million times: ‘Controlled napping – that’s only limited to 30 minutes.
‘After that 30 minutes, if I feel alright, we’ll crack on with normal operations.
‘Controlled rest – that’s limited to 45 minutes.
‘Then after that 45 minutes, I need a 20-minute period to make sure I’m not groggy.’
He added that this tends to consist of a cup of tea, and some food, as well as a trip to the toilet, before ‘cracking on.’
Commenters were not to alarmed by the revelation, with one saying: ‘I’d rather have a rested pilot than one that’s fighting to keep awake.’
Others turned their attention to different questions such as whether the same pilot and co-pilot always fly together, and if they eat the same food as their passengers.
In response to the latter, he confirmed that pilots do indeed eat different meals to passengers, although added that their food can still be ‘hit and miss.’
The solution given to that is to always back a bag of crisps and a pork pie.