A Pint of Beer

[Flying Trucker]

Goodly afternoon all...

Here is something to think about...

I always have carried a Pint of Beer in my Flight Bag.

[patchz]

[color=#000000]Funny as it sounds Doug, that is brilliant. Just be sure you don't bank enough to pour it out.

[Steve M]

Might work a bit better with 6 beers..
Always good to have some back up "instruments"!

[patchz]

All joking aside, you can accomplish the same thing with a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from the roof/windshield, except for the calming effect of course.

[BigTruck]

Now this is my kind of advice Doug!!  However, it might work better (as stated above) with a six pack, just in case one or two break, you have back up for your back up.

[machineman9]

Might work a bit better with 6 beers..
Always good to have some back up "instruments"!

Are these the sort of instruments you are referring to? 

If I was 'going down with the ship' I would want a lot more than a beer; I would much rather have a bottle of Absolut... That will inebriate you quickly enough 

[Flying Trucker]

Goodly morning all...

Did you know:

That Allied Pilots "Royal Air Force" etc. were given an alcoholic beverage prior to going up during the Battle of Britain.

To fly and fight against the odds they did would have taken nerves of steel and a quick mind.

But someone in their wisdom thought that an alcoholic beverage like a beer I suppose would give them courage.

Courage they did not need, that they had, what they needed was more Spitfires....

Vertigo:  "A reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about   
              to fall"

Depending on weight, physical and mental conditions drinking too much alcohol will induce Vertigo even after several hours sleep.
Many aviators have flown into the ground because they did not trust their eye's and instruments.  The aircraft was in level flight but they felt it was banking or climbing etc and flew the aircraft into the ground even though Air Traffic Controllers told them to let go of the controls and let the aircraft come back to level flight.  They had Vertigo for one reason or another and there are many and the problem is you do not realize you have Vertigo.


Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[Hagar]

Goodly morning all...

Did you know:

That Allied Pilots "Royal Air Force" etc. were given an alcoholic beverage prior to going up during the Battle of Britain.

To fly and fight against the odds they did would have taken nerves of steel and a quick mind.

But someone in their wisdom thought that an alcoholic beverage like a beer I suppose would give them courage.

Courage they did not need, that they had, what they needed was more Spitfires....

I've never heard that one before Doug. In all the accounts I've read on the BoB the pilots usually had hangovers from the night before so wouldn't need any more alcohol. The usual cure for that was a quick whiff of oxygen before taking off.

PS. I'm not convinced your idea would work as fluids are influenced by G-forces. For confirmation watch Bob Hoover pour a glass of iced tea (not beer) while performing a perfect barrel roll. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp2Uc9XvmjY

[TacitBlue]

I ben trying to tesst ths alll day in the flite slim. It dont work an Im outta beeer.

[Flying Trucker]

Goodly morning all...

Hi Doug...got that information from two family members who flew Dunkirk Air Cover and the Battle of Britain...

But having now typed that and thinking....
I come from a family who flew for the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy "RNAS"/"FAA", Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy.

Sitting around the family kitchen table with my grandparents and parents my grandfather's and father would tell stories too my several uncles who were (and I hate to print this) but the other services...you know...Army and Navy....

I think the stories got better each time they were told....

Also all my grandparents were either Irish, English, Scottish or Welsh, that probably didn't help either...
When I got older and all the family were around for a feast for one thing or another being born in Canada I would through a few digs at each of them much to mother"s annoyance....

Although I have heard different stories in the Royal Canadian Legion and when I was a lowly 1st Officer from old Squadron Leaders about drinking in the military, it is not as acceptable now like it was, I have heard that from our children....

[Hagar]

Goodly morning all...

Hi Doug...got that information from two family members who flew Dunkirk Air Cover and the Battle of Britain...

But having now typed that and thinking....
I come from a family who flew for the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy "RNAS"/"FAA", Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy.

Sitting around the family kitchen table with my grandparents and parents my grandfather's and father would tell stories too my several uncles who were (and I hate to print this) but the other services...you know...Army and Navy....

I think the stories got better each time they were told....

Like all the best stories they improve with age.

Knowing how things worked in the RAF I doubt that alcohol was supplied officially, especially while on duty. For one thing, somebody had to pay for it. I've heard that some station & squadron commanders laid on supplies of beer for their pilots. This would have been paid for out of their own pockets to be drunk when the pilots were off-duty. If they fancied a pint all they had to do was visit the local pub where they wouldn't be allowed to pay for a drink all evening.

The Allied BoB pilots were in an odd situation. Being based in England they were fighting over home territory. They could be engaged in combat all day & come home to spend an evening down the local, that's if they survived & the pub was still open. Otherwise they could get blotto in the mess. Nobody could blame them for that.

[Flying Trucker]

Goodly morning all...

I remember my grandfather's telling us the reason he/they drank wine during 1914 to 1918 in France was because in 1914 Castor Oil was still being used in the aircraft engines and the well water over there was either contaminated or just plain terrible.

They survived those four terrible flying years with several types in their Log Books, several home trips where they did stints as instructors and then returned to their squadrons.

Both of them were in Europe, Germany I believe until late 1919 where they helped to evaluate German Aircraft.

As for A Pint of Beer I remember them well sitting at the kitchen table with my father and many uncles after they came home from the Second World War and our families homemade beer was better than any European Beer made was the general consensus.  I remember our old ice storage room with sawdust on the floor and dad used to put the beer in a large wash tub on a block of ice...

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug