A pilot for Japan’s All Nippon Airways has been suspended from his dream job while he undergoes medical tests for possible sleep deprivation. Late last month, Reuters reported that the pilot "fell asleep at the controls for several minutes while on a domestic flight and had to be awakened by a government inspector who was traveling in the cockpit." Actually, the inspector had to wake the pilot twice, while the plane cruised at 36,000 feet on auto-pilot. A co-pilot was also present in the cockpit and could have taken over the controls, so the passengers were never in real danger, noted a spokesman for the airline. Small comfort. The following tell-tale signs might indicate, while you’re still at the airport, if your plane’s pilot, or some other plane’s pilot, is sleep-deprived and might fall asleep at the switch. For example, a smooth landing might not be in your future if you see a person, who appears to be a pilot, splashing cold water on his face at a drinking fountain next to your plane’s boarding area. You should be particularly cautious if you saw the same pilot only a few minutes before, asking for a triple-shot espresso at a nearby Starbucks. He may or may not have been joking about receiving the beverage intravenously. As you sit in the boarding area for your flight, you can’t help but notice that the stranger sitting next to you has fallen asleep with his head on your shoulder. As he snores with his mouth open and his hat slightly askew, your discomfort is compounded when you also notice he is wearing a pilot’s uniform. Another tell-tale sign? Your ticket may have been for Memphis, but as you leave the plane, the flight attendant smiles sweetly and says, "Welcome to Detroit!" Finally, you will know your plane’s pilot has some sort of sleep disorder when you hear disturbing announcements from the cockpit to the cabin after takeoff. "Good morning, er, good afternoon, this is your captain speaking. We have reached an (yawn) elevation of 30,000 feet and we should be landing in — er, your destination, whatever it is — in a couple of hours or so." "This is your captain. My co-pilot, what’s-his-name, has given the word (yawn) that we will be landing in Seattle in two hours and 18 minutes. That last airport must have been Minneapolis, right? Thanks to him (yawn) for that bit of information." "I know which intercom button to push! Do I have to beg? Where’s my coffee?" "It has been brought to my (yawn) attention that my previous announcements might have had a distressing effect on those of you traveling with us today. For that I apologize, but there’s a good reason. I was involved in a 36-hour dance marathon until eight this morning, and let me (yawn) assure you, the trophy was worth it." "This is your captain, again. Thanks for flying with us today. Stretch back in your seats, relax and (yawn) enjoy the bright, sunny view outside your windows. It’s the warm sun kind of day that can make you wish you could curl up with a good book and maybe catch a little shut-eye — now, where were we? Oh, yeah. We will be landing (yawn) at our destination, Dallas, in just a few minutes. Wait a sec — make that Seattle. You know what I mean. Where IS that coffee?"