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I mean this has also been a problem for fighter pilots as well. The "piddle packs" for F-16 pilots are implicared at least one crash due to the complexity of us

• scarier 7mo ago
  To be fair they're pretty easy to use as long as you don't have to fly an airplane at the same time... [1] (NSFW lyrics!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd9_RffdmBA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd9_RffdmBA
• ozim 7mo ago
  F16 pilot on radio with airliner. Doing barrel roll, twist and speed up - radio to airliner „see buddy can you do that?” Airliner „wait a moment” - some time passes nothing happens - airliner „hey buddy you seen that?” - f16 „what? Nothing happened” - airliner „I went to toilet on the back, took dump, made myself a coffee and strolled back to cockpit”.
• the_af 7mo ago
  Forget about pee, I always wondered about fighter pilots in one of those long, multi-hour flights, what happens if they really need to go number 2? I suppose they self-select as people without this kind of problems, but it can happen to anyone really. I suppose in an emergency they just shit their pants, but I wonder what the ground crew says when they touch down.
  • scarier 7mo ago
    Honestly this isn't something people select for at all--by the time you've made it through that many rounds of selection you aren't going to let GI issues keep you from the finish. I've heard of some creative solutions to the problem involving safing the ejection seat and getting out of your gear, but I don't really believe any of them. If you think it's a significant risk, you basically have two options: talk to the squadron flight surgeon and get medically grounded, or wear a diaper. Almost everyone is too proud to do either of those things, so a number of pilots have call signs related to shitting themselves in flight. Yes, everyone will make fun of you after the fact--if you're a decent person, you'll at least clean out the cockpit yourself.
    • WalterBright 7mo ago
      I suppose you could avoid eating hours before a mission, and not eat gassy foods.
      • the_af 7mo ago
        I wonder if hunger can affect your focus and reflexes though.
        • WalterBright 7mo ago
          If missing a meal causes that, I suspect we would have died out as a species long ago.
          • the_af 7mo ago
            The context is piloting a fighter aircraft in a multi-hour combat mission though. I think missing meal might matter for mission critical, uh, missions. I'm not talking doing menial work while skipping lunch.
            • WalterBright 7mo ago
              A full gut makes you sleepy and lethargic, as the blood moves to your gut to help digest. There's a reason many societies have a siesta after lunch. A full belly can causes problem if you get wounded. Besides, I doubt our ancestors went on the hunt with full bellies. I go jogging, but never after a meal. If I'm busy, I also do not notice being hungry, even if I haven't eaten in 16+ hours. One more thing. I hitched a ride with autocross racer. While I was strapped in tight, when he'd make a hard turn my guts would slosh over to the side, which was rather painful. The fix was to bear down hard on my abdominal muscles. I expect it would be much worse with a full belly, and a fighter pilot is going to be pulling lots of g's.
              • the_af 7mo ago
                Oh, believe me, I know about the need for siestas. But surely there's a middle ground between "heavy lunch" and "skipping lunch entirely" for a multi hour combat sortie? Many people cannot focus (especially over long periods of time) on an empty stomach. > If I'm busy, I also do not notice being hungry, even if I haven't eaten in 16+ hours. Combat sorties are hours of boredom where you have to keep attention just in case, followed by an explosion of frantic action. Unless you're a combat pilot I'd say your experience doesn't apply here?
• deleted 7mo ago
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• asdff 7mo ago
  Surprised they don't just let them piss on the seat like the bike leg in triathlon