It's capable of staying aloft for 40 hours, loitering over no man's land, snooping on a single target or a hundred of them and transmitting back vivid, live pictures. More like Candid Camera, some might say. So visibility is minimal at best. You depend a lot on the global positioning system and maps. But other than that, it flies like a normal plane.
AVOs normally take the joystick for eight-hour shifts, but frequently work longer.
Unlike fighter jocks, AVOs take breaks and switch out with a replacement when they need a breather, like popping out for lunch or making a pit stop in the restroom. There's no need for piddle packs in the Predator. But when they're in the driver's seat, AVOs are all business. Dubois immerses himself so deeply into piloting that he often forgets he's not actually airborne, too. Frequently, he finds himself looking right and left to get visual cues when taxiing, taking off or making turns, only to see the windowless walls of the ground control station van.