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Would you fly in the morning after a night-shift/24h shift?

This is a really interesting topic.

I work in an industry where we generally do 12hr shifts – but for my role this in reality means 13+hrs a day with the “off-shift” time really being “on call”, for a set number of weeks followed by time off. Sometimes days, sometimes nights, sometimes 12-12, sometimes a change mid-hitch.
These are my general observations:
Changing shifts is always harder than staying on a shift permanently for a longer period. Being physically active for an entire shift is the easiest way to change from one shift to another – if in a monitoring or “I have nothing to do but need to be here” role it is much, much harder. I notice that at work I dont ever really “switch off” though I sleep “normally”, but when I come home I will sleep for 10hrs minimum that first night home and subsequently every night for up to a week straight. I have noticed that with certain clients/locations the stress levels are much higher or the “hitch” at work is longer than others and that these jobs are the ones I return home from and sleep soundly for a week…

Regards, SD..

Yes; varying shifts bugger up the body clock.

However, long term night shift work causes Vit D deprivation which is also not good. That’s why I like taking my A&P/IA to Mali Losinj (he fixes airliners)

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

A friend of a friend worked in the Eurostar engineering department, where maintenance was done in three shifts. The interesting part is that the rate of mistakes was highest not on the night shift, but in the workers who had rotating shifts: essentially, disrupted routine is worse than working at night.

I used to fly after work quite regularly, and sometimes if stressed I would worry I wouldn’t be safe. Flying was actually beneficial, as working through the checklist would force me to slow down and concentrate my attention on one thing, and then the short flight would be relaxing. I remember doing circuits one autumn evening with woodsmoke hanging in the valleys and watching the crimson sun disappear into the horizon haze in 5 minute increments. It sorted all my problems

EGHO-LFQF-KCLW, United Kingdom

LeSving wrote:

If someone does something stupid, then fortune turns against him, this is the proof that acting stupid is stupid. If he doesn’t do something stupid and fortune still turns against him, then this is proof that the activity is risky, which again makes it even more obvious how important it is not to act stupid.

Saved. This would make for a nice placard on the panel.

always learning
LO__, Austria

Malibuflyer wrote:

The same thing we might call “sane” when seeing it we are more likely to call stupid after an accident happened.

Perhaps, but I don’t think so. The same concept is used almost everywhere. All kinds of activities, be it hiking in the mountains, sailing, skiing, diving, even driving cars. If someone does something stupid, then fortune turns against him, this is the proof that acting stupid is stupid. If he don’t do something stupid and fortune still turns against him, then this is proof that the activity is risky, which again makes it even more obvious how important it is not to act stupid.

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

LeSving wrote:

erms like “sane” and “stupid” makes more sense.

I like the concept – the only practical challenge is that sometimes we fall into the trap to judge a behavior too much from the results. The same thing we might call “sane” when seeing it we are more likely to call stupid after an accident happened.

Germany

I think maybe the focus on “safety” as an over ruling aspect of flying is wrong in many circumstances. Terms like “sane” and “stupid” makes more sense. Just think about it for a minute. The opposite of safe is unsafe, but what does that even mean, unsafe? Putting “sane” and “stupid” along the axis makes more sense.

MedEwok’s early morning flights after a 24 h shift. Are they safe? Are they unsafe? No one really knows. There are so many other factors involved (his actual physical/psychical condition, what kind of flight, what kind of aircraft, other traffic and so on). Now think in terms of sane/stupid. I think most of us have a tendency to think they are a bit on the stupid side, all things considered. Not entirely and utterly bananas, but slightly out there We are also left with a small question of “why”

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

Very interesting thread. While I don’t have to do this anymore, there used to be situations in my work where I had to push on into ridiculously long hours. What I found was that while at work, I remained highly focused. However, after the job was done, that ‘high’ lasted for a little longer, but was followed by a rapid slide in concentration, awareness, general wellbeing. Would it have been a good idea to go flying after one of those nights ? Prob90 not.

@Vref: congrats, good call!

MedEwok wrote:

Often, we look at each other as a team, even voice out aloud that what we are going to do next is dangerous – only to then do it anyway

But do you have a choice?

@vref
Thank you for sharing this. From the sound of it, you made the right decision!

Low-hours pilot
EDVM Hildesheim, Germany

Congrats!

Germany
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