U.S. Military Air Force

Guidelines

• Pilots limited to flying 12 hours in a 24-hour period, 75 hours in a 30-day period, and 200 hours in a 90-day period

• Even in combat, all personnel (flight and nonflight) are limited to working 10 hours/day, 6 days a week, for a total of 247 hours a month during continuousoperations, and up to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, during sustained operations

• Crews manningintercontinental ballistic missile silos work 24-hourshifts with 2 days off

• After 12 hours of flying, pilot must have 12 hours off duty, 8 hours of which must be consecutive and without interruptions

• Crews manning intercontinental ballistic missile silos must have at least 6 hours for sleep during their duty period

• Pilots have the option of taking small doses of stimulants during prolonged missions (e.g., flights of 15–18 hours)

• Hypnotics may be prescribed to ensure that pilots obtain adequate amounts of sleep

• Any deviations from flight limits must be approved by the flight surgeon