Bathroom Breaks

But he's never taken off from (or landed upon) a treadmill...therefore I urge a *no* vote on the nomination!
 
Clark1961 said:
But he's never taken off from (or landed upon) a treadmill...therefore I urge a *no* vote on the nomination!
Click to expand...

I most certainly have! It was moving underneath me at about 1100mph.
 
EdFred said:
How out of shape are some of you that you can't go a couple hours without drinking. I've gone 36 hours w/o food or drink, with zero issues. Sure I might be a bit tired, but you are not going to die of severe dehydration by not drinking anything for 8-12 hours.
Click to expand...
It's not about physical fitness, it's about the subtle ways that dehydration can effect your brain. Given that this is an activity that requires a fair amount of brain cells, it just doesn't make sense to dehydrate yourself to avoid having to pee in a bottle, or stop and land every few hours.

On a side note, I really can't stand this macho attitude that some pilots display with water, oxygen, sleep, or food. Can you survive on the ground with limited amounts of each? Of course. Does doing so when operating an aircraft moving at two to three miles a minute make sense? Hell no.
People die in this business from dumb mistakes all of the time. Probably a good amount of that stupidity comes from the residual effects of lack of sleep, lack of oxygen, or lack of water. Its a basic medical fact that your mental abilities begin to suffer from lack of water, sleep, or O2 long before you feel lousy.

You wouldn't fly drunk, so why do we make a big deal and humiliate the people that wish to preserve their intelligence by supplying the body with basic things it needs?

Posts like these really tick me off. By turning basic needs into a p1ssing contest over who is tougher, we do a huge disservice to people who want to be as safe as possible.
 
infotango said:
It's not about physical fitness, it's about the subtle ways that dehydration can effect your brain. Given that this is an activity that requires a fair amount of brain cells, it just doesn't make sense to dehydrate yourself to avoid having to pee in a bottle, or stop and land every few hours.

On a side note, I really can't stand this macho attitude that some pilots display with water, oxygen, sleep, or food. Can you survive on the ground with limited amounts of each? Of course. Does doing so when operating an aircraft moving at two to three miles a minute make sense? Hell no.
People die in this business from dumb mistakes all of the time. Probably a good amount of that stupidity comes from the residual effects of lack of sleep, lack of oxygen, or lack of water. Its a basic medical fact that your mental abilities begin to suffer from lack of water, sleep, or O2 long before you feel lousy.

You wouldn't fly drunk, so why do we make a big deal and humiliate the people that wish to preserve their intelligence by supplying the body with basic things it needs?

Posts like these really tick me off. By turning basic needs into a p1ssing contest over who is tougher, we do a huge disservice to people who want to be as safe as possible.
Click to expand...

Meh, my last two martial arts tests were each done at the end of a 36 hour fast. The second of those tests lasted an hour, and that was after I had to be uke for all the lower ranks. I had to use a hell of a lot more mental acuity to make it through that, that to plod along in an airplane without having had something to drink in the previous 6 hours. I get tired of hearing "I can't" from people over and over and over. You do not need to drink water every 3 hours to live or even stay on top of your game when you're dawdling along in a seated position.
 
EdFred said:
Meh, my last two martial arts tests were each done at the end of a 36 hour fast.
Click to expand...
...While flying an aircraft into a dogfight. He is the most interesting pilot in the world. Stay current my friends.
 
Last edited:
infotango said:
It's not about physical fitness, it's about the subtle ways that dehydration can effect your brain. Given that this is an activity that requires a fair amount of brain cells, it just doesn't make sense to dehydrate yourself to avoid having to pee in a bottle, or stop and land every few hours.

On a side note, I really can't stand this macho attitude that some pilots display with water, oxygen, sleep, or food. Can you survive on the ground with limited amounts of each? Of course. Does doing so when operating an aircraft moving at two to three miles a minute make sense? Hell no.
People die in this business from dumb mistakes all of the time. Probably a good amount of that stupidity comes from the residual effects of lack of sleep, lack of oxygen, or lack of water. Its a basic medical fact that your mental abilities begin to suffer from lack of water, sleep, or O2 long before you feel lousy.

You wouldn't fly drunk, so why do we make a big deal and humiliate the people that wish to preserve their intelligence by supplying the body with basic things it needs?

Posts like these really tick me off. By turning basic needs into a p1ssing contest over who is tougher, we do a huge disservice to people who want to be as safe as possible.
Click to expand...


THANK YOU. I was wondering when someone would say it. Seems like some people want to show off what they can supposedly endure to get just one person to say "omg, you're really amazing. I can't do that and neither can anyone else in the world. You must be superhuman." Not gonna happen. Period.
fwiw, in many cases when you're lacking some necessity, you won't notice it at first, and you will feel just fine. It may hit you all of the sudden later, or slowly eat up your mental faculties until you've made fast friends with the ground.

Also, is anyone else picking up symptoms of mania in what Ed is describing?


BACK ON TOPIC,
for female pilots, there are other options besides that GoGirl thing. Look up "stp" devices (stand to pee), though not all of them may work correctly if you're at an angle... they're made for standing... though in the event of landing at a strip with no facilities, there you go.
Someone else had a good point about the jar and the cups doctors give you. Mason jars, with a proper lid, seal very well. So do french canning jars, but those are a little too expensive to be taking a **** in, imo.
 
EdFred said:
Meh, my last two martial arts tests were each done at the end of a 36 hour fast. The second of those tests lasted an hour, and that was after I had to be uke for all the lower ranks. I had to use a hell of a lot more mental acuity to make it through that, that to plod along in an airplane without having had something to drink in the previous 6 hours. I get tired of hearing "I can't" from people over and over and over. You do not need to drink water every 3 hours to live or even stay on top of your game when you're dawdling along in a seated position.
Click to expand...
I still don't understand why you need to make this a macho thing.
I don't understand what martial arts has to do with flying here. Great you did something stupid with a martial arts instructor. I run, weight-train, and swim and, like martial arts, that has nothing to do with this discussion.

Martial arts isn't flying. A lot less people (when adjusted for participation and maybe even overall) die in MA accidents than in plane crashes. The number of pilot-error caused plane crashes illustrates that people clearly aren't at the level of mental acuity that they need to be at when operating aircraft. Obviously we wouldn't have such a safety problem if more people said "I can't".

Belittling people who don't choose to fly dehydrated doesn't help anything.
 
I think what's being said is that 3-4 hrs is no threat to your safety or aquity. To each his own, but 3day fasts are part of my lifestyle. I'm also thankful that I've done it during training to understand it's effects on me while flying. Hint: I did it again.
 
Ed Fred is entitled to his opinion.

I'm just going to agree to disagree. NASA hydrates its folks, before during and after missions. They wear diapers if they need to, rather than avoid hydrating.

I've seen construction workers in the Texas heat go all day without whizzing and wonder why they feel like crap at the end of the day or pass out... and they havent been drinking fluids like they should have.

I've taken care of folks who have been stuck/down/unable to get help and they are in pretty bad shape after 12-24 hours (what the media terms "being treated for exposure") and their labs reflect kidney problems and muscle breakdown... Thats extreme for the question at hand, but one possible end point.

My assertion will always be, if you are a healthy person and you aren't ****ing clear to light straw colored urine, preferably every 3-4 hours while awake, you very likely are dehydrated. The stronger/yellower/concentrated your urine, the more so you are dried out. 7 Hour fuel tanks dont mean you should try to have a 7 hour bladder.
 
infotango said:
I still don't understand why you need to make this a macho thing.
I don't understand what martial arts has to do with flying here. Great you did something stupid with a martial arts instructor. I run, weight-train, and swim and, like martial arts, that has nothing to do with this discussion.

Martial arts isn't flying. A lot less people (when adjusted for participation and maybe even overall) die in MA accidents than in plane crashes. The number of pilot-error caused plane crashes illustrates that people clearly aren't at the level of mental acuity that they need to be at when operating aircraft. Obviously we wouldn't have such a safety problem if more people said "I can't".

Belittling people who don't choose to fly dehydrated doesn't help anything.
Click to expand...

This isn't a macho thing, and flying without drinking for 6 hours is not flying dehydrated. I've been dehydrated. You are completely missing the point. But you have now shown me the light. I am going to get an FAA approved IV and catheter system installed because of all the NTSB reports I have seen where the probable cause is: PILOT DIDN'T HAVE A DRINK OF WATER EVERY 15 MINUTES, AND NOT DOING SO CAUSED HIM TO DIE!!!!!

Seriously, if you can't go 6 hours without drinking water while sitting on your ass, maybe you have bigger medical problems. And I'm not talking 6 hour legs. I'm saying, it's when you don't drink anything for a couple hours before the flight, and then a 4 hour XC. There is no f-ing way that not having a drink for 6 hours is going to drain your mental acuity that much. And if your performance drops off that much because of it, stay the hell out of the sky.
 
Doggtyred said:
Ed Fred is entitled to his opinion.

I'm just going to agree to disagree. NASA hydrates its folks, before during and after missions. They wear diapers if they need to, rather than avoid hydrating.

I've seen construction workers in the Texas heat go all day without whizzing and wonder why they feel like crap at the end of the day or pass out... and they havent been drinking fluids like they should have.

I've taken care of folks who have been stuck/down/unable to get help and they are in pretty bad shape after 12-24 hours (what the media terms "being treated for exposure") and their labs reflect kidney problems and muscle breakdown... Thats extreme for the question at hand, but one possible end point.

My assertion will always be, if you are a healthy person and you aren't ****ing clear to light straw colored urine, preferably every 3-4 hours while awake, you very likely are dehydrated. The stronger/yellower/concentrated your urine, the more so you are dried out. 7 Hour fuel tanks dont mean you should try to have a 7 hour bladder.
Click to expand...

Working construction in the 100º Texas heat for 12 hours is the same as flying along at 4 hours with a cabin temp of 75º ?
 
Personally, I get the most air sick when it's hot, bumpy, and thirsty. I've felt like throwing up only twice and both times were under these conditions. YMMV.
 
Doggtyred said:
My assertion will always be, if you are a healthy person and you aren't ****ing clear to light straw colored urine, preferably every 3-4 hours while awake, you very likely are dehydrated. The stronger/yellower/concentrated your urine, the more so you are dried out. 7 Hour fuel tanks dont mean you should try to have a 7 hour bladder.
Click to expand...

Respectfully Sir, It has been found that urine color is not the best indicator of hydration levels as we all have been taught.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I bought this device:

http://www.powderpuffpilot.com/products/gear/gogirl.aspx

But now I realize since it is in my flight bag I will need a container. Duh. Haven't found a container yet. Doubt I'll ever need this but wanted a fully stocked flight bag......


Kimberly
Click to expand...

I have two of those. One stays in my Aerostich suit for when we're out on the bikes and one stays in my purse.

I suggest you open it and practice using it in the shower BEFORE you attempt using it 'in the field'. Mine are carried in a quart sized ZipLock freezer bag with some wipies. I tossed the cute little container the day I got it, as ummm...getting it back into the container after using it is kinda not so nice. :)

I don't think I would use it while in flight. I have a couple of two gallon sized Ziplocks for that. The Lady J adapter thing for the Little John doesn't work so well.

And I recently picked up a 6 pack of Travel Johns.
 
Last edited:
Jaybird180 said:
Respectfully Sir, It has been found that urine color is not the best indicator of hydration levels as we all have been taught.
Click to expand...

Nope. It's not. But in a HEALTHY person it's one of the few that a layperson can use reliably. Quantity and odor help too.
 
DeeG said:
I have two of those. One stays in my Aerostich suit for when we're out on the bikes and one stays in my purse.

I suggest you open it and practice using it in the shower BEFORE you attempt using it 'in the field'. Mine are carried in a quart sized ZipLock freezer bag with some wipies. I tossed the cute little container the day I got it, as ummm...getting it back into the container after using it is kinda not so nice. :)

I don't think I would use it while in flight. I have a couple of two gallon sized Ziplocks for that. The Lady J adapter thing for the Little John doesn't work so well.

And I recently picked up a 6 pack of Travel Johns.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. Everyone keeps saying "practice" so I guess I should. Just didn't want to take it out of that cute little pink case since, as you said, it is hard to put back in.

Now this is getting technical. I do not know what a Lady J adapter or a Little John or Travel John is. I was thinking about getting a second GoGirl for my car but not my purse - I don't go around peeing in strange places that often! I can't even think of a time within the last year that there wasn't a bathroom when I needed it (exception: hikes and camping). Then again, I was born and raised in San Francisco for 20 years so it is not like I ever get to go anywhere there are no buildings / facilities / etc.

Also, this is the longest discussion about pee I have ever been involved in. Very interesting.
 
Just eat and drink normally. The problem comes when we either underdo or overdo what we would normally do. And everyone has one of those days.
If you're going to carry a freezer bag, make sure it doesn't have holes.
 
Sac Arrow said:
There is a certain female population in San Francisco that do not require this device.
Click to expand...


Hey now do not attack my hometown. There are lots of women all over the USA who can pee standing up without this device; I think in SF however they don't feel as afraid to have a parade about it.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Hey now do not attack my hometown. There are lots of women all over the USA who can pee standing up without this device; I think in SF however they don't feel as afraid to have a parade about it.
Click to expand...


Yeah but... Only in SF are the drag queens better looking than the girls....:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Henning said:
LOL, a P***ing match in a P***ing thread...
Click to expand...

WIN!!

On other notes add me to the limit water club. I don't cut it out entirely but do reduce it for extended legs. I do be sure to drink some when on O2 for extended periods, otherwise I can get a headache.
 
Skylane81E said:
WIN!!

On other notes add me to the limit water club. I don't cut it out entirely but do reduce it for extended legs. I do be sure to drink some when on O2 for extended periods, otherwise I can get a headache.
Click to expand...


I don't really get the big deal, if you can't figure out how to pee in an airplane.... WTF, it's peeing. BTW, if you need to practice, practice in the car, after you have that down, the plane is easy.

I drink when I want to drink, I eat when I want to eat, why would I deprive myself of either just because I'll have to evacuate the material down the way. If you don't feel like going in the plane, fine, stop off at an airport. There's a crapload load of them in the lower 48. Heck most of the time you can make several within 10 minutes. Anybody who works at an airport is quite familiar with the quick stop biological break, and I have never been charged for a quick turn around potty stop even at the nice jet centers, YMMV on the charges though.
 
If you have passengers, it is a good idea to have something on board. I like the travel johns and little johns. People are different. Me, I can be like a camel. Wife, however, on our first trip, just after fueling up, we both went into the pilots lounge and did our business. A few minutes later, just as I was completing the run-up, the wife says "I got to pee!" Oh well, I said, we took off, and she used the travel john about 10 minutes later, and then again in another 30 minutes. Fortunately, that was it for the 2 hour flight.
 
Henning said:
I don't really get the big deal, if you can't figure out how to pee in an airplane.... WTF, it's peeing. BTW, if you need to practice, practice in the car, after you have that down, the plane is easy.

I drink when I want to drink, I eat when I want to eat, why would I deprive myself of either just because I'll have to evacuate the material down the way. If you don't feel like going in the plane, fine, stop off at an airport. There's a crapload load of them in the lower 48. Heck most of the time you can make several within 10 minutes. Anybody who works at an airport is quite familiar with the quick stop biological break, and I have never been charged for a quick turn around potty stop even at the nice jet centers, YMMV on the charges though.
Click to expand...

Agreed, it is not a big deal, and practicing this new skill is not exactly number one on my to do list. Also, I will not be reporting my findings on this thread if and when I test drive various devices in my car / house / whatever.

Kimberly
 
Although I appreciate the practical aspect, this thread has too many unfortunate mental images.
 
Henning said:
I don't really get the big deal, if you can't figure out how to pee in an airplane.... WTF, it's peeing.
Click to expand...


Consider the number of folks who have difficulty with certain activities as demonstrated by evidence in public restrooms the world over. Face it, some people are challenged by micturition and other elimination activities including expectoration and defecation.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Agreed, it is not a big deal, and practicing this new skill is not exactly number one on my to do list. Also, I will not be reporting my findings on this thread if and when I test drive various devices in my car / house / whatever.

Kimberly
Click to expand...

:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Agreed, it is not a big deal, and practicing this new skill is not exactly number one on my to do list. Also, I will not be reporting my findings on this thread if and when I test drive various devices in my car / house / whatever.

Kimberly
Click to expand...


Just email video to me personally....:D;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top