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.