Motion sickness: Show stopper?

[Pugh]

I'm enrolled in a flight school and I went in with about 3 hours knowing I get motion sickness. I just took my first flight here and I got motion sickness again. I haven't thrown up, but I'm not sure if I should keep trying to fly. This wasn't even the hard stuff like spins, stalls ,etc this was just cruising and turning. Is there any point in me continuing, or should I call it quits and find some other career?

 

[banned username 2]

I'm enrolled in a flight school and I went in with about 3 hours knowing I get motion sickness. I just took my first flight here and I got motion sickness again. I haven't thrown up, but I'm not sure if I should keep trying to fly. This wasn't even the hard stuff like spins, stalls ,etc this was just cruising and turning. Is there any point in me continuing, or should I call it quits and find some other career?

I wouldn't call it quits just yet... Give it some time... Sometimes the anxiety of the first few flights will make things feel worse than they are... If you aren't throwing up it is only minor and will most likely go away after a bit... Keep yourself cool in the plane (plenty of fresh air) and keep your eyes outside (especially if you start feeling bad)... Concentrate on the tasks at hand and don't think about getting sick...

When I first started flying I would occasionally fell like garbage during or after a flight... It'll go away after a bit... Whatever you do, do NOT check the box on your medical application about motion sickness... That box is meant for extreme cases...

Good luck!

 

[skeezer]

Don't sweat it dude. When I started flying I rained chunks down on the houses on short final one hot bumpy summer day. If it doesn't go away, or at least show signs of decreasing by solo time I might worry, otherwise it's no big deal.

Skeezer

 

[Illini Pilot]

In his autobiography, Eddie Rickenbacker talks about how when he was learning to fly he got sick every time he went up. Finally, he went up one day and just got sick over and over, and got it all out. Never had a touch of motion sickness after that. Now, this is not to say that you should go up and do the same, but i wouldn't worry too much, it's just like getting your sea legs.

 

[sstearns2]

Chuck Yeager tossed cookies on his first few flights.Scott

 

[ThomasR]

Pugh

Air Sick
Once you get your hands on the controls it will all go away. It has alot to do with being nervous. You need to relax if not impossible and let your instructor know when you are feeling off. If you know you are going to blow chunks have him kick the aircraft out of trim or you will get blow back into your own face.

This might sound gross but if it comes up sudden pull the top of your shirt open and duck your chin into your shirt top to keep from having to clean the cabin later. It will feel nice and warm sloshing around running down your chest; otherwise if you are really tense you will project it up on the wind screen and instruments. Not a nice scenario.

I don't know if Dramamine is a restriction from operating machinery or not.

If you can get your instructor to give you the controls even for a few seconds will stop the nausia, something to do with motor responses overriding the stimulus.

Let us know how you do.

 

[Rhoid]

Chuck Yeager tossed cookies on his first few flights.Scott

Who's Chuck Yeager? a RJ pilot? heard lots of them get airsick too.

 

[MarineGrunt]

Dude, it's normal. I'm in USAF pilot training right now, and we have guys that get sick here too, and believe it or not, many of them get over it to go on and fly fighters.

Couple of tips...

1- chew gum
2- It's 100% mental. If you KNOW you are not going to get sick, you won't. Make your mind overcome it.
3- Keep yourself busy. Fly the airplane yourself (it helps your brain comprehend what is happening) and keep your eyes outside. Talk to your CFI and stike up conversations to distract you from your situation.
4- NEVER think "I feel sick" or "I think I'm gonna be sick...".
5- Breathe deeply from your diaphram. Push your belly all the way out when you breathe in. This really helps.
6- (may not want to try this one) I heard about a guy in USAF pilot training that kept getting sick, so one day he decided to pound tons of water a few hours prior to his flight. When the time came to get in the jet and fly, he had to pi$$ so bad, the last thing he tought about was puking! But you may not want to try this one, because it could end up in disaster in more ways than one...

Keep on truckin and get through it. There are very, VERY few people that can not adapt. Seriously though, almost everyone feels a little woosey their first couple times. It usually goes away in a few flights, but if it doesn't, don't worry, follow the above advice and you'll be ok.

 

[FN FAL]

I'm enrolled in a flight school and I went in with about 3 hours knowing I get motion sickness. I just took my first flight here and I got motion sickness again. I haven't thrown up, but I'm not sure if I should keep trying to fly. This wasn't even the hard stuff like spins, stalls ,etc this was just cruising and turning. Is there any point in me continuing, or should I call it quits and find some other career?

I think you can overcome and win. My wife used to get sick when our friend would take us sailing, but in the end, she was able to rise above it. On a long cross country fun trip in an Aztec, she was able to keep it all together, even though one of the pilots on board was losing it. And belive me, I haven't ate at a Taco Bell since then!

My sim partner at a regional got violently sick during our first night in the sim together...and he wasn't a wuss. He had previously given aerobatic flight instruction and the visual graphics of the simulator gave him some major problems. And he made it!

I'd say that if you really want to be a pilot, you stick this out...you're just not used to it yet. You can beat this thing.

 

[Lead Sled]

Pugh...
It is actually not all that uncommon. Once of the best (worst?) examples was a student of mine who would get violently airsick. It took a long time for him to get to the point where we could even leave the pattern. In the beginning it was takeoff, fly the pattern and land, bail out of the airplane and puke then try and do it again. It took this guy several months and a lot of extra effort on his part, but he overcame it and went on to get his PPL and did a very good job too. You don't want to use any type of medication, that has the potiental of being disqualifying. What I've found that works very well is powered ginger capsules. The FAA considers ginger a condiment not a medication. You will get over it, it might just take a bit of time. Hang in there.

Actually, I also have a tendency to get "queezy" if I'm riding in the back and it's hot, stuffy, and bumpy - and that's after 13,000 hours of flying. As long as I'm up front in one of the "good" seats I don't have very much trouble, so you're definitely not alone.
'Sled

 

[Jon-Kyle Mohr]

Thomas said it, its all more then likely a controll issue. I have these problems too, in cars I always get sick, but when I last went up flying in moderate turbulence I was fine, as I had my hands on the yoke (even though I was right seat )

 

[FN FAL]

Actually, I also have a tendency to get "queezy" if I'm riding in the back and it's hot, stuffy, and bumpy - and that's after 13,000 hours of flying. As long as I'm up front in one of the "good" seats I don't have very much trouble, so you're definitely not alone.
'Sled

I heard that!

 

[Lead Sled]

I heard that!

Hey one of the funniest "airsick" stories I ever heard occured in Las Vegas back in the early 1970's. One of the pilots involved told it to me himself. One of the air tour operators flew DC-3s to the Grand Canyon. This particular company catered to mostly to Japanese clientele. It seems that on one particularly hot and bumpy summer day the plane was filled to capacity with passengers who had taken full advantange of the "all you can eat" lunch buffet. Before the flight was over, they had used up all of the sick sacks that were on board. As the situation continued to deteriate the passengers were using shopping bags, hats, anything that they could find. A few minutes prior to landing, one of the flight attendants went up to the cockpit to get a way from the smell and mess in the isles for a few moments. When she entered the cockpit, the copilot turned to say something to her. When he did, he got a whiff of what was going on in the passenger cabin and lost it. He vomited on the captain's right arm. At that point the captain lost it, but he was able to get his side window open and send his lunch down the left side of the airplane. I understand that it took them several days to get the airplane cleaned up and deoderized.

Yeah, it happens to the best of us.

'Sled

 

[414Flyer]

I frequently became airsick during my lessons, and still occasioanally do if I am not flying the plane, during manuvers.

I will never be completely over it, but if I am flying, I am okay. Especially since I am doing either forest fire aviation work or cloud seeding, both involving lots of manuvering and turbulence.

One thing I did find that helped me was a student..I noticed on flights where I had a glass bottle of snapple between my legs, I was not getting sick. And yes I was previously getting sick on solo flights, but thats a story for another day

Turns out there are some pressure points there, and I think it was the same principle as those wrist bands you see

 

[Pugh]

Thanks for the advice guys. I certainly hope I can beat this.

 

[FN FAL]

Thanks for the advice guys. I certainly hope I can beat this.

You can do it!

 

[minitour]

I'm sure eventually you'll be okay...I was the same way at first...

Actually on my discovery flight, my CFI rotated, got us to about 200' and I was thinking, "okay we can go back now".

As another poster said, its mental. I just had to tell myself that I was going to be okay, and from then on I was/am.

Good luck!
-mini