Pubdate: Sat, 04 Jan 2003
Source: Sun News (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Copyright: 2003 Sun Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/987
Author: Greg Miller / Los Angeles Times

DRUGS IN AIR FORCE: PILOT CASE PUTS 'GO PILL' PRACTICE IN PUBLIC VIEW

WASHINGTON - The Air Force calls them "Go pills," and that is what they do: 
keep pilots going in the air long after their tired minds and bodies would 
have preferred to fall asleep.

The stimulants have been used by airmen since World War II and were doled 
out by the thousands in the Persian Gulf War and Afghanistan. But the 
practice is coming under new scrutiny in the investigation of two F-16 
pilots who were taking Air Force-provided amphetamines when they mistook a 
midnight training exercise for hostile fire and bombed a gathering of 
Canadian soldiers.

Four Canadians were killed in the April incident, and eight others were 
wounded. The Air Force has taken the unprecedented step of pursuing 
criminal charges against the pilots, Maj. Harry Schmidt and Maj. William 
Umbach, each of whom faces up to 64 years in prison.

But if the case proceeds beyond a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 
13, the Air Force could find many of its own practices also on trial, 
including its distribution of drugs that are banned in commercial aviation.

A lawyer for one of the pilots said this week he intends to say the 
airmen's judgments were impaired by their repeated use of amphetamines 
prescribed by Air Force doctors in Afghanistan - drugs, he said, that would 
cost the pilots their jobs if they were caught using them behind the wheel 
of a car.

"Were these pilots' perceptions affected by their use of dextroamphetamine? 
I don't know," said Charles Gittins, a Virginia attorney and former Naval 
flight officer representing the pilot who dropped the bomb on the 
Canadians. "But we're going to present it and let the [court] decide."

A Pentagon investigation of the bombing ruled out the use of stimulants as 
a factor, concluding instead that the pilots were guilty of "reckless" 
behavior and had violated rules of engagement.

Experts say Gittins could have a hard time connecting the pilots' fateful 
mistake to the influence of a relatively small dose of dextroamphetamine. 
And even Gittins says the drugs aren't at the heart of his case.

Instead, he said, the accidental bombing was the result of a series of 
breakdowns, including the failure of the Air Force to notify the two 
pilots, both members of the Illinois National Guard, that there were 
training exercises in the area.

But the high level of attention surrounding the unusual case is calling 
attention to the Air Force's little-known drug policies. Some say if the 
Air Force were forced to change those policies, it also would change the 
nature of its pilots' missions.

Many in the service see the use of stimulants as a prerequisite for the 
night-long fighter patrols and transoceanic bombing runs that are mainstays 
of the modern aerial campaign.

"They're used because pilots are sometimes required to fly missions that 
exceed 10 to 12 hours," said Col. Alvina Mitchell, an Air Force spokeswoman.

"Or they're [used for] missions that are scheduled during time when pilots 
would ordinarily be sleeping."

Mitchell said use of the pills is voluntary, safe and monitored closely by 
Air Force surgeons, who prescribe them only after testing pilots' reactions 
to them on the ground.

The Air Force has never attributed a crash to the use of stimulants, she said.

By contrast, she said that "fatigue has been cited as a contributing cause 
in nearly 100 mishaps."

The drug distributed by the Air Force is commonly known by its brand name 
Dexedrine. It is primarily used to treat hyperactivity in children and 
narcolepsy, a disorder in which patients fall asleep suddenly. The drug is 
produced by Britain-based GlaxoSmithKline.

The company's literature says the drug has a "high potential for abuse" and 
"may impair the ability of the patient to engage in potentially hazardous 
activities such as operating machinery or vehicles."

But experts on the use of amphetamines say the drugs are effective and 
generally safe when administered carefully. One likened the small doses 
distributed by the Air Force to cups of coffee.
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