American Airlines pilot explains what happens when they need to use the bathroom mid-flight
American Airlines pilot Captain Steeeve has weighed in on some people's most burning questions about flying a plane including what happens when a pilot needs the bathroom.
Ever find yourself up at night with random questions popping into your head? Something weighing on my mind recently - how are double-stuffed olives manufactured?
You know you won't be able to sleep unless you find out, end up falling down an internet hole and ultimately end up sleep-deprived anyway.
And if one of your rogue burning questions is around what pilots do when they need to pee? Well, you've hit the jackpot.
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Stick it on autopilot? Whizz to the loo just being quick about it, surely the plane should be fine for a few minutes? Well, not quite.
And others are clearly just as keen to find out too, Captain Steeeve on hand to answer the burning questions via his YouTube channel.
In a recent video, Captain Steeeve revealed he received an online question reading: "Where do pilots go to the bathroom? Do they have separate restrooms for security purposes?"
Praising the 'great' question, the pilot explained pilots 'go to the bathroom, wait for it, in the bathroom'.
He continued: "We use the same bathroom as the passengers do. Sometimes you'll notice when you come up to the front of the airplane, that the bathroom it says occupied and there's that little red sign that says it's occupied.
"There's actually nobody in there. One of the flight attendants slid that little thing to save it for the pilots. She knows or he knows that the pilots are coming out pretty soon.
"So we'll call, they'll block off the bathroom for us. We'll come out. We use the passenger bathroom and we go back up to the cockpit."
While Captain Steeeve noted he 'wish[es]' pilots did have 'separate bathrooms' from passengers 'for security purposes', they don't.
"It's a whole big deal to get out of the cockpit and get back into the cockpit these days ever since 9/11, but we use the public restrooms," he added.
But what happens to the plane during that time the pilot is gone?
Well, in an aviation thread on StackExchange, another pilot revealed most 'typically plan ahead to avoid needing a toilet break during critical phases of flight, such as landing or takeoff'.
"For example, I fly the Boeing 737, and aim to use the bathroom around 300 nautical miles before the top of descent (If I predict I will need to use it before landing). This timing is usually about 50 minutes to an hour before landing, giving me ample time to return to the flight deck, conduct descent and approach planning, and complete any necessary briefings," they added.
However, should there be a 'minor medical condition' or urgency given a dodgy meal, something called 'pilot incapacitation' takes place - each airline following their own protocol for such a situation.
The pilot added: "If the incapacitation is severe enough that the flight effectively becomes a single-pilot operation, the remaining pilot would most likely declare an emergency ("Mayday") over the radio to prioritise the flight's safe completion."
Topics: American Airlines, Travel, US News, Pilot
Poppy Bilderbeck