Taking the 'p' out of 'pilots'

Danger Room uses the announcement of the "Advanced Mission Extender Device" [pictured]— a fancy pair of urine-collecting briefs for pilots — to discuss the state of mid-air defueling technology.

Pilot relief isn't just a comfort issue.  "Some pilots do permanent damage to their bladders by holding it in for hours at a time, which can cause incontinence and other problems," the AP notes.  Totally draining yourself -- "tactical dehydration" -- can cause headaches and worse.  "At least twice, F-16s have crashed as their pilots tried to urinate. In 1992, one crashed in Turkey after a belt buckle got wedged between the seat and the control stick, prompting the Air Force to urge pilots not to unbuckle completely."

New Relief for Pilots? It Depends [Danger Room]

[#1 posted by Fnarf , May 21, 2008 7:41 AM]

Have air pilots not heard of the Trucker's Friend? You can buy products designed to accommodate the need while driving, or you can use the old standby -- an empty Mickey's Big Mouth.

[#2 posted by noen , May 21, 2008 10:08 AM]

I think that having a bottle filled with your pee would prove unsatisfactory during barrel rolls.

[#3 posted by artnik , May 21, 2008 10:20 AM]

Who's Mickey?

[#4 posted by artnik , May 21, 2008 10:20 AM]

Who's Mickey?

[#5 posted by Jerril , May 21, 2008 10:48 AM]

The problem with trucking/car driving solutions is, as #2 Noen notes, fighter craft perform maneuvers that just can't be done in a semi.

That, and if the pilot is currently performing those extreme maneuvers, he can't even rely on gravity to get the pee into the container in the first place.

I'm surprised they haven't just given them catheters, like astronauts, but I'm NOT surprised if someone suggested it and the pilots voted it down...

[#6 posted by aeon , May 21, 2008 12:41 PM]

When going on a long distance glider flight I use a urisheath ( http://preview.tinyurl.com/546q2d ) and catheter bag. It's a kind of incontinence aid consisting of a sticky condom with a hole in the end that you roll up over your penis and connect to a tube leading to a bag strapped (securely please) to your leg. No need to break concentration or loosen straps while flying. Sounds gross, but way better than the alternatives.

[#7 posted by Halloween Jack , May 21, 2008 12:57 PM]

I'm quite astonished that they don't have a decent system in place already. Hey, fighter jock[ette]s, talk to yer astronaut buddies already, mmmkay?

[#8 posted by Aaron T. , May 21, 2008 10:33 PM]

That photo of the briefs kind of misses the point. The interesting part of the AMXD isn't the garment, it's the microprocessor-controlled, LCD-adorned, battery-powered pump that transfers the waste from your urethra to a storage bag.

[#9 posted by noen , May 22, 2008 12:18 AM]

Don't the astronauts just wear some big 'ol depends? I can see why there might be some resistance to that.