Duty

When you are flying, you are not only responsible for yourself, but also passengers, other aircraft moving flying and people and property on the ground. It is therefore important that you have a good judgement and refrain from a flight if you do not feel completely healthy.

The rules that exist regarding duties can be found in [LFS 2007:58](http://www.transportstyrelsen.se/TSFS/LFS 2007_58.pdf) och [LFS 2008:37](http://www.transportstyrelsen.se/TSFS/LFS 2008_37.pdf) in Series OPS.

Alcohol

During alcohol consumption, the body suffers from a impaired ability to react and also reduces the resistance to flight stresses such as lack of oxygen and mental strain. In addition, judgement is negatively affected by alcohol. These effects persist even after the alcohol has left the body. In case of alcohol consumption in combination with poor sleep or sedatives, the effects may linger for up to 48 hours.

Therefore, alcohol consumption must not take place during a flight or during the 8 hours before the flight. Between 8 and 24 hours before the flight you can drink alcohol with great caution. With great caution is meant that you should be able to drive a car legally according to Swedish law 8 hours before the flight.

"Consumption in connection with a meal of light beer or other beverage with an alcohol content of 1.8 % or less is not to be considered as alcohol consumption."

In Denmark, there is a saying "Eight hours from bottle to throttle".

Health

If your health deteriorates, you should refrain from flying. With a common cold, the consequences can be serious when you reach higher altitudes where the body and brain do not react as usual due to the lower pressure. A common scenario is during descent where the airways in the body have deteriorated due to mucus that has formed. Because the pressure differences now become so obvious, you can suffer from a very severe migraine when the body itself cannot equalize the pressure. This migraine can hit so hard that you can barely handle anything other than the pain.

If your health deteriorates so much that you have to be admitted to hospital, you should consult your doctor before flying an aircraft again. In addition, the Swedish Transport Agency must be notified.

Also after certain vaccinations you should refrain from flying. After vaccination against typhoid-paratyphoid you must not fly for 36 hours and after vaccination against cholera it is 24 hours. After vaccination against smallpox and yellow fever, flight may be carried out without any special rest period. If you feel unsure, however, a doctor should always be consulted.

Remember that the entire responsibility for the flight lies with you and your ability to act correctly in the situations that arise!

Dentist

A flight may not be performed on the same day as or earlier than 12 hours after performing dental treatment with anaesthesia or other analgesics.

In the case of removing a tooth or other surgical procedures, the treating dentist must be asked how long you should refrain from flying.

Diving

In connection with diving and breathing under pressure, both more oxygen and nitrogen enter the body due to the compression and the increasing pressure. While the oxygen is being used, the nitrogen will accumulate in the body and the bloodstream. When ascending, the pressure will then be lowered and the nitrogen will be released. If the pressure drops too fast, the nitrogen will form bubbles in the blood. Even after diving, a pressure drop can cause nitrogen bubbles to form. This is called decompression sickness or diving sickness.

Due to the risk of decompression sickness, it is recommended that flight be avoided for 24 hours after a dive with compressed air in the form of oxygen tubes. In most cases, this is enough for the excess nitrogen to disappear from the body. However, if the dive has taken place at such a depth that a decompression stop is required at the ascent, flight should be avoided for 48 hours.