boscomantico wrote:
Totally common in Italy as well.
Confirmed from experience. But of course it is part of a way of living – an Italian meal is not complete without wine. Myself will make do with a single glass of wine, but I’ll never forget the scene at Cremona Migliaro, one sunny Sunday noon in late spring, when the apron was full of SEPs and ultralights, and the terrace equally full with pilots. They all introduced themselves with their name and a handshake – very nice, I found that – and all had plenty of frizzante with lunch, plus grappa in their coffee plus a digestivo after that. And I saw none crash on flying out.
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
And I saw none crash on flying out.
So it is probably perfectly safe, then. 
Well, I know at least one pilot, and suspect a good few more, who would definitely be more dangerous when NOT given a sip every six hours or so… A matter of habit.
There have been suggestions as to installing breath analyzers in each moving vehicle and requiring the driver to blow into the tube every time he/she/it tries to start the car.
Even more progressive law enforcement have suggested to install a Sim card in each moving vehicle so it can sms any violations to the police directly. Speeding, alcohol, e.t.c. To make sure, why not stick a credit card into a slot to have the fines booked automatically?
Did I mention I am opposed to implants instead of ID cards and drivers licenses? And no, I don’t care that most dogs and cats do just fine with them.
They’ve done it once at Son Bonet some time ago. At 10:00 AM..
lenthamen wrote: legal alcohol limit is just 0.2 promille so there is a serious risk that you’re above that limit after a heavy night ;-)
I usually pass out before midnight, so at least 8 hours from bottle to throttle..
The reason for the check at that time can either be:
1. catching pilots who just came from breakfast that includes a ‘starting up cognac’
2. policemen doing their duty but really don’t want the hassle of catching anyone.
Votes?
Down here, the police speed traps are hugely more likely to be out on a sunny Sunday morning, at the bottom of a downhill stretch of road. By lunchtime they will have caught enough people to make any quota.
In aviation, I have been checked quite a few times at my base. Once they said because a bomb had gone off at San Sebastian (where I flew in from) so hey ho I must have set it off. Another time they checked us in rain, for no apparent reason other than one of the passengers was Irish so hey ho must have been IRA. At no time was the plane itself checked there (or anywhere else) and at no time did anyone indicate they knew anything about licenses, ratings, CofA, etc.
Most professions recruit on a fairly narrow character profile and the police are no exception, so it’s not hard to make jokes 
That said, people carrying drugs seem to get busted after just a few flights, which is not surprising.
At no time was the plane itself checked there (or anywhere else) and at no time did anyone indicate they knew anything about licenses, ratings, CofA,
At least here in Austria, this isn’t the task of Police. They only care about immigration and/or customs, everything else is up to the ramp inspection teams of the CAA.
Never heard about alcohol tests of (GA) pilots in my part of the world BTW.
Was at Calais about 20 years ago, 2 professional (French) pilots were having lunch which included 2 beers, a bottle of red wine and then a cognac, after which they got in a Citation and then departed…probably did it most days?
An ex DC10 captain who 30 years ago flew for a charter airline which occasionally wet-leased their airplanes to Air France among other airlines, told me that before landing the Air France cabin attendant entered the cockpit to offer him, his copilot and flight engineer a coffee with cognac prior to landing.
So I guess that drinking and flying was pretty widespread in certain counties at one point in time.
Don’t recall ever reading a GA accident report from northern Europe with any mention of alcohol in the pilot. And I have never seen any indulgence in the GA community. Undoubtedly it happens occasionally, but it cannot be much of a problem. Don’t know anyone who’ve been tested, either.
