What do pilots eat?

[Anodizer]

I know this is a weird question and I'm hoping some of you people either know or can point me in the proper direction....
Couple questions:

On long duration combat sorties, do pilots bring any kind of rations or food with them?  Any kind of drink?

During WWII, lots of flights were over 4 or 5 hours..  A guy in a P-51 escort mission would probably get hungry and thirsty...What did that guy eat?

During long bombing missions, what did those guys eat?  By the way, I know that B-29's had latrines..  Did any other bombers?

How did guys in fighters on long missions take a whiz?? 

Guys who long ferry flights, like flying F-16's from a U.S. to a base over seas..  That guy obviously has to refuel..  He's gotta eat too, no?

It's easier to find info on how they do all this stuff in space...  Figure it'd be easy to find info like this, but it's not...?

Just curious..  I work in the food industry (chef) and this conversation was brought up..  Thanks...

[Hawker25]

the wiz part is kinda gross but basically they wear adult diapers.  I have seen some ga planes that have drain that goes out the floor and dumps overboard.  On the food some of the big planes i.e. b52 has a miniature kitchen in it to heat stuff up like the airliners of old i believe

[Chalenge]

You take your attention off of flying to eat and that is exactly when you get attacked. Havent you learned anything in AH? 

[Golfer]

If it were me extra D-ration chocolates, gum and water.  I'm sure there would be a kind of fruit paste or concentrate.  Things that are good for fast energy now that wouldn't cause an upset stomach.  Coffee in a thermos. 

Relief tubes were fairly common as I understand.  Some civil airplanes still have them today.

These days I go with jerky, cherries, apples and some organic granola bars.  These don't smell up the cockpit unlilke the can of tuna fish someone popped open without notice on me 4 hours from landing while still over the Amazon forest over Brazil.  I can't stand the smell of that cat food and I was not happy.  Get your bellybutton in the back by the outflow valves (or the waist guns...) with that food of nasal devil.

[CAVPFCDD]

I know a guy who races Le Mons (yeah i think i spelled it wrong but you know what I'm talking about) series cars for a porsche team and they have tube that runs through the helmet for water, sort of like a camel pack type deal, they oblivously don't eat in the car, but I'm sure they hydrate similarly to pilots. (he has to train to breath properly because some turns you apparently pull some G's)

He even told me about peeing in his fire retardent suit because he had to go    apparently they don't wear diapers.

[-tronski-]

Short Sunderlands had a galley with 2 stoves and an oven

 Tronsky

[Yenny]

newbies and dweebs duh

[Serenity]

P-3 Orion (At least the C model) has a kitchen of sorts. The one a buddy of mine "owns" has some nifty gadgets in it, including a coffee maker, but it's hard to say what came with the bird, and what they picked up in Thailand on the way home...

[Angus]

WW2, probably soup inside a termos?

[Spikes]

WW2, probably soup inside a termos?

That's what I'd think.

[AWwrgwy]

WWII bomber crews, I've read of them just snacking or eating sandwiches.  As for relief?  Coffee cans and drop the contents on the enemy.  I've also read of them just pissing on the floor.  How to make your crew chief angry....  It was quite a chore to get out of all the clothing they wore to keep warm.  And, do you really want to expose anything up there at 30^o below zero?

You can't hold it for six hours?



wrongway

[Roundeye]

Sandwiches were used.

I have a MACR (Missing Air Crew Report) from 1944 where aircraft were lost in bad weather. In one of the statements a P-51 pilot wrote "my sandwiches fell off of the instrument panel and I knew I was inverted".


Some planes had relief tubes for the pilots, but if you were in a fighter and had to take a dump, then you just had to do it in your flight suit.  Not much of a choice.  I've read of the bomber crews doing it in their flak helmets and dumping it out over the enemy.   Bad part was if you got into heavy flak, instinct makes you put it on.  Sick, I know but if you think about it, it's better to have crap in your hair than shrapnel in your skull.

Basically, you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Bark0]

I Always thought Pilots/personel on a Ship Or Field Mainly Had Some kind of soup with Some Kind of beer.

Just another Reason Why I Want to be a cook in the Navy Some Day.

[Angus]

P51 had a "leak tube".

[Fishu]

WWII bomber crews, I've read of them just snacking or eating sandwiches.  As for relief?  Coffee cans and drop the contents on the enemy.  I've also read of them just pissing on the floor.  How to make your crew chief angry....  It was quite a chore to get out of all the clothing they wore to keep warm.  And, do you really want to expose anything up there at 30^o below zero?

The cold isn't that bad for brief periods. They probably were more concerned of pissing on their electrically heated suits if they had one.

Many bomber crews had a habbit of pissing at the bomb bay I hear. Initially it caused some confusion when bomb bay doors didn't open at the bombing altitude but were functioning just fine back on the ground. Liquids have the funny habbit of freezing.