Operating in RVSM airspace requires a working autopilot at all times. An autopilot failure leads to the loss of RVSM capability.
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The simple answer is yes, pilots do, and are allowed to sleep during flight but there are strict rules controlling this practice. Pilots would only normally sleep on long haul flights, although sleep on short haul flights is permitted to avoid the effects of fatigue.
Hence RVSM ends at FL410. Aircraft certified after 1997 actually have tighter altimetry system tolerances. But the airspace structure must accommodate aircraft certified prior to this period. Furthermore, there is really no need to extend RVSM airspace, since airspace in the 40s is relatively empty.
According to The May 2021 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salary for commercial pilots is $99,640 per year. The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers is $202,180.
Autopilot is designed to cope with turbulence and will keep the aircraft close to the intended flight path without the risk of overcorrection. The recommendation is to keep autopilot ON during a turbulence encounter.
What happens if both pilots go unconscious? If both pilots died during flight, the plane would be in a state of autopilot. The aircraft would continue to fly until it ran out of fuel or encountered an obstacle that it could not navigate around.