USAF OKs Uppers, Downers for Pilots

The U.S. Air Force said today its pilots are allowed to take a stimulant to counter fatigue on long flights and sedatives to help them sleep later.

Responding to a report on West German television, the Air Force said use of the drugs is barred for “normal, day-to-day training flights.”

The statement comes amid growing concern among West Germans about the safety of low-level training runs following a series of accidents here.

On June 29, three Air Force F-16s crashed in two accidents in West Germany. One pilot was killed when two of the jets collided in the air. The accidents brought to five the number of F-16 fighter jets that have crashed in West Germany within three months.

In March, a French Mirage jet fighter crashed in southern Bavaria near a nuclear power plant.

West Germany’s ARD television network reported Tuesday night that U.S. Air Force pilots assigned to West Germany take the dextroamphetamine Dexedrine to increase their alertness while in flight.

Officer Tells of Use

The network quoted an unidentified U.S. military officer as saying Air Force pilots routinely use Dexedrine.

Pilots use the drug “so that they are able to fly when they haven’t gotten enough sleep or don’t feel fit enough,” ARD quoted the officer as saying.

The ARD report said pilots then take the sedative Seconal at night to counteract the effects of Dexedrine.

In an official statement from its headquarters in Ramstein, the Air Force stated that its “pilots do not take medication for normal, day-to-day training flights.”

“The use of stimulant and sedative medications is limited by regulation to flights in which the length or precise schedule of the mission presents a significant risk of flight safety due to fatigue,” the Air Force said.

“Dexedrine and Seconal use almost exclusively involves solo flights to or from the United States and overseas bases,” it said.