Pilot explains how they can fall asleep while they are flying the plane

If you've gone on a summer holiday this year, you may have boarded a plane to jet off somewhere for a week or more in the sun.

And while we are all too familiar with the goings on in between the aisles, with the countless plane etiquette stories flooding the internet this summer, we are certainly less in the know about what is going on inside the cockpit.

To find out more about what goes on in the most crucial part of an aircraft, the one group of people we really want to be asking is pilots, of course.

Well, one pilot went viral on TikTok last year after responding to a statistic that said that 46 percent of pilots admit to falling asleep while flying.

The pilot, who goes by the name of @pilot_geeza on TikTok (some name, eh), surprised many followers after revealing the truth behind whether pilots fall asleep while they are in the air.

TikTok/@pilot_geeza

In a video upload in 2022, the TikToker revealed not one but two types of sleep pilots are allowed to have while they are at work.

He said: "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; we've got controlled napping and controlled rest."

The pilot went on to explain these often taking place during periods of 'low workload', while the other pilot must be feeling 'top dollar'.

Explaining 'controlled napping', the high flyer TikToker said: "Controlled napping - that's only limited to 30 minutes.

"After that 30 minutes, if I feel alright, we'll crack on with normal operations."

Meanwhile, 'controlled rest' is limited to the slightly longer time of 45 minutes, with the pilot adding: "Then after that 45 minutes, I need a 20-minute period to make sure I'm not groggy."

Pexels

The pilot said this typically involves grabbing a cup of tea, some grub, and nipping to the toilet before heading back to the job.

Since the TikTok was uploaded, many have flocked to the comment section to provide their thoughts.

One TikTok user asked the question: "Bruh they can't stay awake for only 5 hours???"

Which led to the pilot replying: "Most of our flights are around 8-10 hours. With a report time of 0100 you will be tired!"

Surprisingly, many were not too alarmed with the fact pilots sleep while in the air, with one person penning: "I’d rather have a rested pilot than one that’s fighting to keep awake."