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barney

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Originally posted by barney:

what is the deal with red/green pills. do they still issue those, and to whom.

Colors are not red and green

yes they still issue them.

Not sure of the rules for the Heavy drivers (longer flights, augmented crews, etc), but they give them to fighter guys only when we are deployed into the AOR, and even then you have to ask for them.

Hoser

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Originally posted by Hoser:

Not sure of the rules for the Heavy drivers (longer flights, augmented crews, etc), but they give them to fighter guys only when we are deployed into the AOR, and even then you have to ask for them.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm......addictive sedative. Plenty of Vitamin-A and Restoril around our house too. And only in the AOR as well. We hardly ever augment except for hopping the pond, even then not always. Different story for the strat drivers though.

On a related note Hoser, what's the longest you've gone on the "Ambien challenge"? :D

HD

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Originally posted by HerkDerka:

On a related note Hoser, what's the longest you've gone on the "Ambien challenge"? :D

Can't say that I ever took note of the exact time. I normally only took the challenge during the transition to flying nights. 0200 was like hitting a brick wall for me. I would use go pills to get me thru until sunrise, and then I was normally OK.

Hoser

[ 27. February 2006, 18:30: Message edited by: Hoser ]

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Guest KoolKat

I don't know if the ones the military uses are the same stuff they give civies...

I got to try a civie go-pill once....wow. A 16-20 hour mission would be breeze.

Have you guys noticed anything adverse to your performance using them?

BENDY

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Guest sickels101
Originally posted by barney:

what is the deal with red/green pills. do they still issue those, and to whom.

I know we use them in the B-52 for our endurance (seems like every one) flights. We get ground tested before we start our first block and then we use them under Wing or Ops Commander approval. The no-go we use is Ambien or Sonata (primarily Abien unless complications) and the go pill is Modafinil.
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Guest croftfam
Originally posted by HerkDerka:

On a related note Hoser, what's the longest you've gone on the "Ambien challenge"? :D

HD

This would be an interesting topic. For some reason, Ambien doesn't do anything to me. It's never made me fall asleep. I guess you could say, I've won the Ambien challenge. Except, it sucks on those long flights that I can't sleep on.
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Originally posted by Toro:

The two Viper guys who bombed Canadian friendlies a couple years ago claimed that the AF forced them to take go pills, which contributed to the incident. Total BS.

No kidding, it only takes three forms of ID, ground test form in triplicate and notarized, new ADSC signed, and a note from your third grade teacher to get your friggin pills. Gotta love the med group. If they didn't make their processes complicated...who would?

Originally posted by Bender:

Have you guys noticed anything adverse to your performance using them?

No, quite the contrary. I sleep well and fly a lot better.

HD

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So... how long is a BUFF mission that you get go pills for? My reason for asking is that the newest thing on the C-17 plate seems to be missions where we make 3-4 stops in theater and end up being awake for 18-22 hrs of time from alert to engine shutdown, depending on the mission and how many times MX has to look at the broke jet they shouldnt have alerted me to. If you have to transit Salem more than once, kill yourself (another topic altogether).

We cant get go pills despite flying hour to 2 hour legs and then spending 2 hrs on the ground and doing that 3 or 4 times a day... it doesnt allow much if any time to relax and more than once Ive been too tired to see straight after doing that for 2 weeks on end... Herk guys are feeling that to a power of ten Id think. But we cant get go pills?

Reasoning?

Chuck

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Guest Hydro130

Chuck,

Good point. That long day pain is alive and well in the deployed Herk world.

Maybe the leadership figures we can just fill up the galley coffee jugs with triple espressos from Green Beans?

:D Hydro

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Guest rangerbob5

Ah...so the fighter guys are getting modonifil?

The civilian counterpart is Pro-Vigil, and is reknown for turning people into super-workers.

You can stay up for weeks on this stuff with NO ILL EFFECTS.

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Originally posted by ChuckFlys17s:

-make 3-4 stops in theater

-being awake for 18-22 hrs

-MX has to look at the broke jet they shouldnt have alerted me to

-transit Salem more than once

-hour to 2 hour legs/ 2 hrs on the ground/3 or 4 times a day

Textbook description of a Herk mission. Plenty of suck to go around for everybody for our C-17 bros.

Ive been too tired to see straight after doing that for 2 weeks on end... Herk guys are feeling that to a power of ten Id think. But we cant get go pills?
Nailed it, just multiply those two weeks into four months.

It makes sense to me from a certain standpoint on why heavy drivers are not given go pills. Unlike the single seaters, we have the ability to augment on pond crossings. And for those long OEF days we have a chance for a quick nap on the long legs.

Single seaters on the other hand have only one guy to fly the aircraft and if he falls asleep that could end up as some bad juju.

Like I said it makes sense from that standpoint, but I know I've had some vicious long days where I could have used one myself. As long as I can pop an Ambien and at least get a good night's sleep I'm pretty happy.

HD

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Guest Hydro130
Originally posted by duece123:

dosent ambien give people the morning after "hangover" effect? I would assume that would decrease perfomance in the air?

No, 'same same' as Derka -- that stuff made life much more bearable for me with no side effects or 'hangover'-like crap. None at all.

Cheers, Hydro

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Ambien is weird as hell.

- If you stay awake about 30 mintues after you take it, you'll be nice and loopy.

- It seems that every time I take it I wake up (for good) 6 hours after I take it.

- And no it doesn't have that druggy aftertaste. I always wake up and feel awesome, like I've slept for 3 days straight.

Originally posted by Hydro130:

that stuff made life much more bearable for me

I couldn't imagine trying to live on a deployed Herk flight schedule without it.

HD

[ 28. February 2006, 16:46: Message edited by: HerkDerka ]

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Guest KoolKat

So they are NO go-pills at all in the Herk?

That's so sad... :(

The ambien challenge sounds like a good time though...

BENDY

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