I do long haul flight of more tha 12 hours on a regular basis. I usually stay awake for the duration. I hate ATC and boeing247 said it all, if you fail to respond to a frequency change (or anything else) and the IFR flight is cancelled. They don't even have the decency to send rescue planes out to search for my aircraft. After all, I could have had some catastrophic failure for all it knows! :(

Like Michael, I am my own controller. If I screw up on the required amount of fuel need for the flight (which I have done once before), I can just divert to the nearest airport, without asking and which can be a bloody long way away when over the Pacific Ocean, between YSSY and KLAX. Especially once you are out of the South Pacific with Hawaii a gazillion miles away! Oh alright, it's only about 500+ miles away.Nothing but empty ocean all around you.

Mark