But I gotta go!

[AppleCello]

Hey guys, care to answer a couple 'pointless curiosity questions?'

How do you hydrate in flight?

what about having to GO?

that always perplexed me. It would seem like a tight, high G turn might make a mess in your pants...

Btw, im not looking for laughs here, im genuinely, seriously curious. thanks.

 

[zippy]

Hey guys, care to answer a couple 'pointless curiosity questions?'

How do you hydrate in flight?

what about having to GO?

that always perplexed me. It would seem like a tight, high G turn might make a mess in your pants...

Btw, im not looking for laughs here, im genuinely, seriously curious. thanks.

Bring a drink for hydration... just store it in the map case or somewhere where it isn't going to FOD the plane.

As for having to go- a lot of the planes have relief tubes- just have to play the whole "no touch" game. Jet guys use piddle packs- appearently its a plastic pouch with a sponge inside- im sure one of them could chime in for you though.

 

[HeyJoe]

Bring a drink for hydration... just store it in the map case or somewhere where it isn't going to FOD the plane.

As for having to go- a lot of the planes have relief tubes- just have to play the whole "no touch" game. Jet guys use piddle packs- appearently its a plastic pouch with a sponge inside- im sure one of them could chime in for you though.

During Desert Storm we had an embarked SEAL Platoon that we invited to share our Ready Room. In return we asked for a brief on the desert and everything they could tell us. Hydration was top of list. Their advice was to be fully hydrated (best way to tell is to "pass" clear fluids at least twice) and take all you can carry. We went from carrying the pitiful 8oz bottles to packing water in every G suit pocket we could and some aircrews took their CBR canteens as well. We had an informal competition and winner was carrying 64oz. Of coure, if you are fully hydrated, your body needs to get rid of it so folks who had NEVER had to go in an aircraft (or held it) suddenly became experts in relieving themselves (not always easy) and there was a run on "piddle packs". One gent took a commerical water bottle with him and after draining it, he would proceed to fill it with his "fluid". Always wondered if it had an aftertaste. He would park it on his glare shield so I could always tell when he was hydrated by the color of the fluid after he started filling it. When the missions starting goiing from normal 2 hour cycles to 5-8, everyone adjusted their habit patterns. But we were all hydrated, thanks to horror stories from SEALs on bood in your urine and kidney stones from not hydrating as well as drop in performance when you don't hydrate poperly.

 

[Brett327]

During Desert Storm we had an embarked SEAL Platoon that we invited to share our Ready Room. In return we asked for a brief on the desert and everything they could tell us. Hydration was top of list. Their advice was to be fully hydrated (best way to tell is to "pass" clear fluids at least twice) and take all you can carry. We went from carrying the pitiful 8oz bottles to packing water in every G suit pocket we could and some aircrews took their CBR canteens as well. We had an informal competition and winner was carrying 64oz. Of coure, if you are fully hydrated, your body needs to get rid of it so folks who had NEVER had to go in an aircraft (or held it) suddenly became experts in relieving themselves (not always easy) and there was a run on "piddle packs". One gent took a commerical water bottle with him and after draining it, he would proceed to fill it with his "fluid". Always wondered if it had an aftertaste. He would park it on his glare shield so I could always tell when he was hydrated by the color of the fluid after he started filling it. When the missions starting goiing from normal 2 hour cycles to 5-8, everyone adjusted their habit patterns. But we were all hydrated, thanks to horror stories from SEALs on bood in your urine and kidney stones from not hydrating as well as drop in performance when you don't hydrate poperly.

I remember our CO having to do battle with someone up the food chain so that we could replace the life rafts in our seat pans with extra water during OSW/ONW missions. In the end, it all worked out. Some guys incorporate a camelback bladder into their vests these days.

Brett

 

[pdx]

Hey guys, care to answer a couple 'pointless curiosity questions?'

How do you hydrate in flight?

what about having to GO?

that always perplexed me. It would seem like a tight, high G turn might make a mess in your pants...

Btw, im not looking for laughs here, im genuinely, seriously curious. thanks.

Several of our instructors thought is was fun to try to piss on each other during cross-unders on form flights. It takes a biy of timing.

Also, we had a female stud in our squadron that insisted that she could do anything boys could do ... only better. Don't ask me how, but she figured out some technique for using the relief tube. Instructors said she always turned the mirrors away to preserve the mystery of her magic feat.

 

[Gatordev]

Also, we had a female stud in our squadron that insisted that she could do anything boys could do ... only better. Don't ask me how, but she figured out some technique for using the relief tube. Instructors said she always turned the mirrors away to preserve the mystery of her magic feat.

I'm convinced that's urban legend, as I've heard it in the systems class twice now over the course of 6 years, but never from an actual IP who's been flying. I think it's possible though, but would be tricky.

The water bottle (or if you were lucky and could get your hands on one, the piddle pack) was the method for us. Usually, though, it was just tactical dehydration. I've only had to worry about it twice. Once was w/ the water bottle, which isn't all that easy, and the second is, well, classified until I'm no longer flying.

 

[Schnugg]

I carried 4 green water bottles. The kind we get issued. One in each g-suit pocket and two in my SV-2 vest. I would do as HJ said and fully hydrate before each flight as well. It could get extremely hot and humid on the roof when you manned up or even after you landed if you were parked in a spot requiring you to shut down right away and not open the canopy for a bit.
When you go in the jet, you just go. Of course we're talking urine only.
No capability for anything other in the F-14 or F-18s.

 

[HeyJoe]

When you go in the jet, you just go. Of course we're talking urine only.
No capability for anything other in the F-14 or F-18s.

Well, gather around and let me tell you a story or two. So there I was, exiting Iraq during Desert Storm on the wing of a sister squadron jet after launching as a spare (so they had the lead). We were in spread so couldn't really make out the other cockpit that well. We had recently upgraded to Link-4A so we had a great SA picture of where the tanker was and the rest of the strike group, but the lead RIO didn't switch us over to the tanker freq. After awhile and looking over and seeing an odd splash of red in the rear cockpit and the RIO's head bowled over, we joined up to visual comm range and I gave the signal asking for the freq. The RIO looked up briefly and leaned over again. This went on for about 5 minutes before we joined up even closer and elevated a bit trying to figure out why the RIO looked so distracted. We then saw he had unstrapped and removed his flight gear and was engaged in filling his helmet bag with...well you can fill in the blank. So it can be done in extremis. The jet was later emblazoned with an outhouse marking. Before you drivers snicker about RIOs, the same jet ended up with two such markings after a pilot was also stricken with the urge and elected to let loose after trying to hold it. We were not wearing drysuits at that time so it wasn't pretty. I have heard of at least two instances when folks in drysuits have had to do the deed in the worse way and many other times where they couldn't get that heavy duty zipper open and just allowed the dry suit to contain the fluids they couldn't hold back anymore. Sometimes nature calls and circumstances can't avoided. Just hope it doesn't happen to you.

 

[Fly Navy]

They don't show that in Top Gun.

Nothing like sh!tting yourself to make your day.

 

[FlytheBall]

One of my systems instructor back at whiting told us a story about in Korea some pilot had to go and he took his gloves off and shat into them.

 

[ArkhamAsylum]

Check this out, supply officers

I once bought a female urination adapter for one of my friends, who then surprised a group of dudes by walking up to a tree and pissing on it. This link has some similar products for both genders.

 

[mules83]

A useful fuel strainer has worked well for many ERAU guys on their long commercial x-country to marathon....

 

[zab1001]

thanks to horror stories from SEALs on bood in your urine and kidney stones...

I had both of these happen to me on my first deployment in the desert. I thought I was drinking enough water, I was wrong. Nothing like playing phone tag with the Flight Doc for 3 days after an annual physical due to a post-it note onyour door reading:

"LTJG XXXXXXX, please call me ASAP due to urgent issues with your blood samples."

I was FREAKING OUT. I finally saw Doc. "Oh, kidney stones? That's all? Whew."

I also got to go to the Bahrain civilian hospital where I managed to accidentally moon an entire waiting room (open back hospital gowns are hard to tie) and get felt up by the hairiest female nurses EVER.

 

[mmx1]

I'll chalk those up on the "things that suck about Naval Aviation" list.

 

[pdx]

I'm convinced that's urban legend, as I've heard it in the systems class twice now over the course of 6 years, but never from an actual IP who's been flying. I think it's possible though, but would be tricky.

I was in the squadron at the time. I don't think it would be that difficult. I bet we have some lady airwarriors that can weigh in.