Could Letting Pilots Nap Make Flying Safer?
MINNEAPOLIS Charles Lindbergh famously fell asleep while crossing the Atlantic on his historic 1927 solo flight, and despite strict federal rules against it, experienced airline pilots say it’s not uncommon to sneak a nap inside the cockpit. The Northwest pilots who blew 150 miles past Minneapolis this past week insist a clandestine snooze isn’t to blame for their goof at 37,000 feet. “Nobody fell asleep in the cockpit,” first officer Richard I. Cole told The Associated Press. Aviation safety experts and fellow pilots don’t buy it, arguing the most likely explanation for missing more than an hour of radio, cell phone and data messages is a drowsy flight crew. The prospect alone could renew focus on pilot fatigue and research that suggests controlled catnaps might actually make flying safer. “If you really need a nap, you’re far better off taking a nap than ignoring your body and being tired during takeoff and landing,” said Kit Darby, a pilot who said he took the occasional mid-flight
