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I know I'm asking for it with this post.

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advice from a puke'n pro

All the above advice is spot-on. Now I'm going to throw in one more item that I became intimately familiar with. This is coming from a guy who washed from Air Force pilot training because I puked so much. I did learn a lot of tricks that did help me.

Here's some things that make airsickness all the more likely.

- Dehydration (don't have 2 sodas and 3 cups of coffee b/f going up)

- An empty stomach is worse. Eat a non-spicy meal an hour b/f flying.

- Lack of Frequency. The more frequently you can get up and fly, the more your body will acclimate to the flying environment. That's why CFI's and everyday fliers can handle the more nauseating stuff better than students.

- Sweating your butt off does not help. Open up the air vents on your face, open the windows if you can. Cool air helps.

- Here's my big piece of advice.
It's called Diaphragmatic Breathing . Here's how to use it.

Inhale in through your nose for about a 4 count. While inhaling concentrate on extending (pushing out) your belly. Imagine you're filling your gut with cool air.

Now exhale slowly out your mouth for a much longer count - like 8 seconds. Push all the air out of your gut. It should have a slight hissing sound with it. Remember - breathe out slowly.

It may seem pointless, but it really helps to get rid of that clammy, nauseous feeling. It's a good idea to start breathing b/f you start any aggressive maneuvers.

If you've got any other questions give me a holler.
 
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one more idea

I agree with everyone who says 15-30 monutes is too long on one manuever.

Also, it could be the temperature. It's summer and almost everywhere is just plain hot, which can advance any airsickness. Try practicing, if you can, early morning or just before dusk. And follow everyone else's advice. Moreover, after doing the same manuever reptedly, your performance can diminish as you get tired. Do it a couple times and leave it till next time. You're only going to do the turns once on a checkride, and I am sure you will do fine.

When I fly on a hot day, I fill a water bottle about 3 inches from the top, attach one of those squirt tops if it doesn't have one,and throw it in the freezer the day before. By the time I am aloft, it unfeezes slowly enough to take cool sips for the whole flight. On a long cross country, I put a couple of those in a container and it keeps other snacks cool as well...and I get fresh, cold water the whole flight.
 
All the previous advice is good. I get really bad headaches when flying with too little rest. The combination of being tired, dehydrated (the frozen water bottle goes with me on every flight), and hot can really mess you up. Also, this may sound strange, but do you wear glasses? I know this from personal experience. I had glasses but refused to wear them because they weren't sunglasses. Getting prescription sunglasses helped me in that steep turn/stall phase. Then I switched to contacts and went through the process all over again. (For you you pilots who noticed I said I refused to wear them, the AME didn't require it on my medical, and I was too new to know I should be doing any different.)

I understand wanting to practice, but 30 minutes of steep turns? Are you a glutton for punishment? Have a little fun while you're out there! Mix it up, and smile while you're flying. It makes it even better :)

Rachel
 
Hi...

On the lighter side of this issue....

If you're going to eat anything before a flight where unusual attitudes or abrupt control inputs are prevelant...eat bananas.

They taste the same coming up as they did going down.

Sheers
 
Bring along an airsick bag. Just having it makes you feel more comfortable when the nausea arises. Half the discomfort comes from wondering where to throw up if you need to. If the heat is the problem...climb. It's cold everywhere at 10,000 ft, all year long.
 
Thanks for all the advice.

I have adjusted my diet to bland and have been drinking ALOT of water all day.

I have noticed a turn for the better. I am either getting used to the manuevers, had a hike in confidence and feel much better.

I'm starting to really have some fun!!

Later
 

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