Bladder relief in the cockpit is not a topic we openly discuss in Naval Aviation.

In flight school we did not get a brief on it, nor did our flight instructors pull us aside and give us the gouge on the matter. For the dudes, it was “there’s a piddle pack, figure it out.” For the chicks, maybe you were lucky to have a female Instructor Pilot (IP) who you could ask about bladder relief techniques. It’s time to change bladder relief from being a taboo topic to one that’s just as necessary as what type of hearing protection works for you.

Reality check, we all urinate. Men, Women, Skippers, Admirals, no matter your anatomy, bladder relief is a basic human need. It’s imperative that Naval aviation gets comfortable discussing this topic and supplying aircrew with bladder relief systems that allow for focus on the mission without distractions.

I know firsthand about tactical dehydration. On my first cruise in 2015, we were flying 6-to-8-hour sorties over Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. As an FNG, I was clueless to the demands I would need to request of my body. Most of my pre-deployment flights were 1.5 hours long. Nothing could prepare me for the 8 hours in the jet for combat flights with no option to relieve my bladder.

A piddle pack and “shewee” were not viable solutions strapped into the jet. I asked my female peers how they survived these flights and was introduced to the concept of tactical dehydration. I needed to figure out what amount of fluids my body could consume before and during a sortie to avoid having to urinate. My technique was one cup of coffee 2 hours before my brief, allowing enough time to hit the bathroom before walking to the jet. I didn’t allow myself to have fluids until the halfway mark of the combat sortie, 3 hours after feet dry. Then I allowed myself to have ¼ of a cup of water. I never flew with a full water bottle; I could not be tempted to drink more. Looking back, I remember feeling irritated, having brain fog, and never sweating even when it was 90 degrees on the flight deck. This was incredibly unhealthy and dangerous.

Six months into deployment, myself and the other 3 female aviators were handed an AMXD Max, an automatic in-flight bladder relief system. I was stoked, finally a solution to my bladder relief problem.

Unfortunately, we received zero training on using it.

The four of us sat in our state room, having what we called a “piss party,” where we each donned the AMXD system and tried to figure out how to use it before taking it flying. Although it was straightforward, I could not convince my body to relieve itself while fully clothed sitting in a chair. So, like the good ideas of every FNG, I decided despite my failures with the system in my stateroom, I was ready to fly with it. The next morning, I had 2 cups of coffee, and for the first time brought 32-ounces of water in the jet. I was going to put this system to the test. I drank water in the cockpit freely, and felt like my brain was fully engaged for the first time in months. By hour four I had to urinate desperately and attempted to use the AMXD Max for the first time, at 30,000 feet over Al Raqqah, Iraq.

However, no matter how hard I tried my mind would not allow my bladder to release. The next 2 hours of the flight were miserable, and once finally on the flight deck I sprinted to the closest head to find relief. The next day I was back to tactical dehydration and continued using this technique for the next 8 years of my career.

I’m confident I have done severe damage to my bladder through tactical dehydration. I will not be surprised if I join the large group of veterans with bladder incontinence as I get older. The damage to my bladder is due to the basic human need of bladder relief not being addressed from the early stages of flight training. My first attempt using the AMXD was such a failure that I lost all confidence in using the system and reverted to tactical dehydration.

In 2018, Omni Defense improved their bladder relief AMXD design with their current SKYDRATE system, which uses lithium batteries, has a sleek profile, and allows for increased urine flow rates. The Airboss supports and has approved to fund all aviators who want a SKYDRATE bladder relief system, no matter the platform you fly. In-flight bladder relief is not just a TACAIR problem; helicopter, V-22, and E-2 platform aviators also struggle with tactical dehydration. All aviators have the right to have an automatic bladder relief system. However, until the Navy is funding and issuing SKYDRATE systems to aviators in flight school, current fleet aviators who want a SKYDRATE system need to speak up and request their supply shop to order one.

For my male brothers out there, who fill up 4 piddle packs on a 2-hour sortie, rock on, keep hydrating. But what are you doing in that anti-exposure suit? The dry suit zipper is impossible to operate for piddle pack use. Some aviators have admitted to flying with their dry suit unzipped so that they can use a piddle pack. This completely negates the point of wearing a dry suit. Omni’s SKYDRATE system has a through suit connector that allows the aviator to use the system when wearing a dry suit.

As we see an increase in exercises and deployments with longer sorties over cold water, both male and female aviators would benefit from using the SKYDRATE. What we need to understand is that the Navy is not going to assume that every aviator wants a SKYDRATE systems. Nor is the Navy going to automatically install a through suit connector for each aircrew. If you care about the stress you are placing on your bladder, and you want a way to relieve yourself while wearing an anti-exposure suit, you must be proactive and request a SKYDRATE system and installation of a through suit connector.

It is imperative that aircrew receive the proper training before using SKYDRATE in flight. Aviators who have been properly trained on the system swear by it, and those who have not often run into issues like I did in 2015 and give up on the system.

Before my 2024 deployment, I knew I needed to try again to train my body to use an inflight bladder relief system. As the squadron Safety Officer, I requested Omni to send a trainer to our ready room to give training on using the SKYDRATE system. After 12 years of tactically dehydrating, I successfully used the SKYDRATE system in flight, dramatically changing my ability to hydrate and fly safely.

As an 04 with 12 years of bad dehydration habits, I am writing this article in hopes that other aviators can relate and acquire the systems and training they need to fly hydrated.