Distortion of a Pilots Judgement
A pilot standing in the weather office while a meterologist talked about the current situation...which was terrible. The pilot seemed to understand. The forecast was for turbulence, precipitation and toronadoes over fully half of his proposed route. Pilot reports backed up the forecast. Weather impossible for any kind of flight.
Yet at midnight he was airborne, incredibly on a VFR no flight plan departure. Immediately, after takeoff and again twenty five minutes later, the weather station read him the warnings, toronadoes, to which he replied, "Were picking our way through them." They found the wreck the next day.
They also found medicine bottles containing Dexedrine, Proloid Thyroglobulin and Seconal prescribed for the pilot for weight control. Dexedrine is a powerful excitant and Seconal is a depressive barbituate and they can interact to distort completely one's judgement, or in the words of the FAA's medic, to "alter emotional capabilities to make wise and sound judgements." The pilot was "too high"...so to speak, to realize what he was doing.
It is a wise move, anytime your physician gives you a prescription for something you must swallow to remind him you are a pilot and to ask if what he is giving you can affect your judgement or flying capabilities.
If you read the very detailed warnings on the literature that accompanies your medications it should give you pause before flying.
A pilot standing in the weather office while a meterologist talked about the current situation...which was terrible. The pilot seemed to understand. The forecast was for turbulence, precipitation and toronadoes over fully half of his proposed route. Pilot reports backed up the forecast. Weather impossible for any kind of flight.
Yet at midnight he was airborne, incredibly on a VFR no flight plan departure. Immediately, after takeoff and again twenty five minutes later, the weather station read him the warnings, toronadoes, to which he replied, "Were picking our way through them." They found the wreck the next day.
They also found medicine bottles containing Dexedrine, Proloid Thyroglobulin and Seconal prescribed for the pilot for weight control. Dexedrine is a powerful excitant and Seconal is a depressive barbituate and they can interact to distort completely one's judgement, or in the words of the FAA's medic, to "alter emotional capabilities to make wise and sound judgements." The pilot was "too high"...so to speak, to realize what he was doing.
It is a wise move, anytime your physician gives you a prescription for something you must swallow to remind him you are a pilot and to ask if what he is giving you can affect your judgement or flying capabilities.
If you read the very detailed warnings on the literature that accompanies your medications it should give you pause before flying.
