How do you survive long flights on deployments these days?

2016-07-13T13:53:08-04:00

This comic strip reminded me of my deployment to Vietnam in 1967, an almost 24-hour flight with stops in Alaska, Japan, Guam, and Wake Island. No film. No music. No anything. I remember asking the stewardess (that's what we still called them in those days) if there was entertainment. She said, "I'm it" but didn't perform. How is it these days?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2016 1:56 PM

2016-07-13T13:56:17-04:00

In Flight Entertainment (insert thumbs up emoji)
Convoys (insert poop emoji)

Response by SSG Stephan Pendarvis made Jul 13 at 2016 2:03 PM

2016-07-13T14:03:42-04:00

Meditation

Response by Col Joseph Lenertz made Jul 13 at 2016 2:10 PM

2016-07-13T14:10:25-04:00

Trained my brain for 15 years as a pilot to NOT sleep in an airplane. Atlanta to Seoul trip is ~15 hours. I break it into five 3 hour chunks and I get a 10-15 minute "reward" standing in the flight attendant area after every chunk. It's still "the tube of pain" on those long ones.

Response by SFC Robert David Hummel made Jul 13 at 2016 2:48 PM

2016-07-13T14:48:34-04:00

I will never forget the October chill, when departing from California. ,,,to the Searing heat in the Air on arriving in Vietnam ( Oct 4, 1967 ), that was one Hell-of-a Birthday Present from The US ARMY.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Jul 13 at 2016 3:20 PM

2016-07-13T15:20:45-04:00

Experienced many flights to Vietnam in the back of a KC-135 where our in-flight entertainment was watching people negotiate pallets in the center aisle to get to the "facilities" in the back of the airplane. On my first trip I noticed a SMSgt gunner who had obviously made the trip many times set up a hammock over the boom operators station as soon as we got the clear to move around call and sleep the whole trip. He seemed to be the only one to have a relaxing trip, so on my first trip off base in Thailand I bought a hammock made out of twisted nylon ropes, light & easily fit in a helmet bag along with helmet so nothing extra to carry. Used this hammock on several in-theater KC-135 flights and by end of our tour when we headed back to States the whole crew had one and we would be scrambling to get prime spots over the boom operator. Same for next deployment; we never got the luxury of airline seats in SAC. Finally threw hammock away before final PCS retirement move.

Response by PO1 Brian Austin made Jul 13 at 2016 3:38 PM

2016-07-13T15:38:14-04:00

When I flew regularly between LAX and Kuwait it was books, booze and in flight movies. Stretching my legs regularly wishing i was 5'7 instead of 6'3.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2016 3:54 PM

2016-07-13T15:54:31-04:00

Podcasts & Audiobooks, so it feels like a productive use of time.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Jul 13 at 2016 4:09 PM

2016-07-13T16:09:03-04:00

I'm partial to my 3DS. It's small and portable. I can fit a dozen games easily in the palm of my hand. Battery life typically gets me a solid day's worth of entertainment on a single charge.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jul 13 at 2016 4:18 PM

2016-07-13T16:18:19-04:00

In a cost saving mode, the Navy used to deploy us fully from Pt Mugu (Port Hueneme) to McMurdo, Antarctica on its ski equipped C-130s. The skis took about 40 kts off the cruise speed so we were 300 kts from Mugu to Hickam to Pago Pago to Christchurch; RON and then 8+ hours to Mac Town. So doing it in the high class jump seating or draping yourself over a pallet gave you pains where you never had them before. And then there's the "drone". Entertainment was whoever had the most powerful Ghetto Blaster with cassette tape. So reading, some cribbage, and that's about it. Jet lag wasn't a problem because the trip itself messed you up far more.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2016 8:07 PM

2016-07-13T20:07:12-04:00

We made LTs do the safety brief...

Response by SGT Windell Tripp made Jul 13 at 2016 9:47 PM

2016-07-13T21:47:57-04:00

the 30 hour ride on a plane coming home was a hell of a lot better than the thirty day ride on a troop transport ship going to viet nam with the 4 th infantry division out of ft lewis Washington huh

Response by SGT Windell Tripp made Jul 13 at 2016 9:50 PM

2016-07-13T21:50:55-04:00

lots better to ride home on plane than going over on ship cause had no idea what we were going to find when we got there went over innocent but learned what it took to survive real fast the term war is hell explaines it all trust me

Response by SPC George Long made Jul 15 at 2016 1:49 AM

2016-07-15T01:49:59-04:00

I have not deployed in a long time. My last flight in a Military aircraft was in a C-141 with a big red cross on it's tail from Saigon to Washington, D.C. (Andrews AFB). It took 2 days and I was being Evaced to Walter Reed. There is nothing on any flight that is as horrible as that was. Surviving WAS the only thing.