BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE - Pilots using stimulants in combat is the Air Force norm, a government official testified at a high profile hearing here Thursday.

The hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury, will determine if two F-16 pilots should face courts-martial for a bombing that killed four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan on April 17.

Majs. Harry Schmidt and William Umbach used dexamphetamines or 'go-pills,' to stay alert during their patrol on the night of the incident. They spotted what they believed to be hostile fire and Schmidt dropped a laser-guided, 500-pound bomb. Four Canadians paratroopers were killed, eight were injured.

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