Actors, pilots and even cricketers have been known to tackle crosswords to pass the time, but it can be frowned upon
The New Zealand former opening batsman Mark Richardson is charmingly candid about life away from the crease. “I hated fielding,” he has recently repined. “Fielding sucks.” Richardson goes on:
I would take a cryptic crossword out in my pocket – I’d do the cryptic crossword through the day to keep my brain entertained. Of course, when the bowler ran in, you’d put it back in your pocket, but it kept me stimulated.
These guys don’t pull spleen-splitting Gs or shatter windows. Instead, the long-haul pilot’s greatest adversaries are … the desert air in the cockpit and, the most insidious of all, boredom.
… you don’t sit up here and read a newspaper or do a crossword puzzle. We’re here to work.
Besides the essentials, what do you always take with you in the cockpit?
A magazine, crossword puzzle or some other light reading material. I know some readers may be disturbed by this revelation, but the next time you fly for eight hours in a day, try to look out the window for the entire flight and study the clouds, maybe play the I-spy game with your partner, or do whatever you can think of to stay awake.
Once a pilot reaches cruising altitude, flying the plane becomes a simpler, sometimes even monotonous, activity. To pass the time on long flights, pilots are allowed by the FAA to eat, take bathroom breaks, read books, even work on a crossword puzzle.
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