Motion sickness whilst instrument flying and steep turns

[Sul]

Hi,

When I started for my PPL I used to get a little motion sickness in windy/bumpy conditions, however I quickly got over that after a few flights. Nevertheless, I still experience motion sickness after doing steep turns or instrument flying.

I'm quite worried about this, especially since I want to eventually go for my ATPL - and the instructor saying "you do realise you have to do a lot of instrument flying later on" didn't help.. :(

I bought a Relief Band, but not tried it yet. Has anyone tried it - and does it help? What other remedies do you suggest?

[cadaha]

Used to be as sick as a dog in my first 2 years in the Navy but got over it and was never ill in the last 16.5 years service.

Your brain will eventualy be able to figure out what's going on and you'll probably never get ill after that.

Some advise:

Don't have a heavy meal b4 flying.
Make sure you eat something though.
Make sure it's not greasy food etc. Chicken salad sandwiches etc
Make sure you don't drink the night b4
Make sure you are healthy, ie don't feel under the weather
Prepare for each lesson as worrying about it or not being prepared can mean aprehension and this can at stress which is likely to bring on a bout of motion sickness.

Summary:
Be prepared and relaxed
Be fed
Be watered

If you need to take something to help check with an AFE first to see if you can fly with the medication you are taking.

Take a sick bag!!

If you don't give up it will eventualy pass

Maybe book some flights with your instructor that mean that you are just a passenger while he goes through some steep turns etc. This will take a lot of the load off you and you will be more relaxed during the flight and your miond will be able to get used to the unusual attitudes with no additional loading. Then try again, building up the load each time.

[paulo]

cadaha covered it well. I used to suffer from motion sickness in all kinds of scenarios - reading whilst on the bus for example.

Flying really sorted it - aeros specifically for me.

Now I'm fine with that. And I can read on the bus too, after 30 odd years of not being able to.

Eating a light meal beforehand is key.

Good luck - keep at it. :ok:

[Farmer 1]

...and wear the wrist bands - why not?

[RatherBeFlying]

Master RBF when 4 and 5 had a crosswind limit well below the airplane's which came apparent in the last few feet of the flare. The car seat was quite useful in protecting the ulphostery, but a few years later he did just fine while his dad suffered for an hour in a floatplane with a canoe strapped on one side and almost lost it when crossing our own wake after landing:ugh:

You are much less likely to suffer when you are doing the maneuvers than when the instructor is -- they're the ones with the iron stomachs.

Every time you fly do one steep turn and a bit of instruments until you are comfortable -- once that has been achieved you can increase the dosage.

It may also help to schedule unusual attitude recovery at the end of the lesson if that gives you trouble.

[markflyer6580]

I was worried about instrument flying as I get sick as a dog when flying long haul with no forward vision. This went out the window when I first flew in cloud,I was concentrating so much I forgot about it.

I agree with cadaha about being well,Last week I flew feeling a bit dodgy(getting over flu)
and as soon as I was in cloud I was convinced we were turning,balance got all messed up! Since that causes plenty of crashes I did as taught and trusted the instruments,this was the first time I had experienced the mind games in imc,trusting the instruments kept me safe but I soon felt sick,had to be due to illness as I have never had it happen before.

[Flight Safety]

Agree with all the comments so far, in the end your brain will sort it out.

It's the same with car sickness, sea sickness, etc. The initial cause of motion sickness is a new set of contradictory motion and sensory inputs (eyes, touch, balance, etc). Like sea legs when you first get on a boat with a lot of motion, or getting a new pair of glasses with a new prescription, your brain will eventually sort it out.

I agree with the food and health comments, however something else that can help during the transition to adjustment, is looking out the window. This reduces the contradiction between motion and senses by allowing your eyes to "see" the new motions your body is feeling. This can even help a dog not used to traveling in a car, if it can look out the window instead of just laying on the floor getting sick.

[Penguina]

Carry a tube of polos (or similar). Mints once got me out of a hole by making me feel human enough to land the bloody thing on a 'bumpy' (to say the least) day!

[englishal]

...or pop a "Stugeron-15" tab before you fly if your AME says it's ok.

I don't normally get motion sickness, but in the North Sea in 55 foot waves I didn't feel too hot. After one of these, I felt right as rain.....

[rans6andrew]

I too have been ick while flying, early in my training, and now know why charts are laminated!

I found that ginger is a good motion desensitiser, I always have a tub of seriously strong crystalised ginger chunks in the AC. Don't need to take it anymore (I just like it anyway) as I have become much more relaxed in rough turbulent conditions, but it is there if I should. I now realise that most of the problem was caused by apprehension and concerns over the strength of the AC etc.

Sailors have been switched on to the ginger remedy for a long time, one nautical site suggested ginger nut biscuits as the ideal source but I still prefer the crystalised chunks.

Andrew

[Genghis the Engineer]

...and wear the wrist bands - why not?
If anybody's interested, the point those act upon is easily found. If you look at the inside of your wrist, find the crease furthest from the palm. Measure down from the centre of that the length of the end of your thumb (end of thumbnail to the knuckle) and you'll find a spot about the size of a fingernail which is more tender than anywhere else in the inside of the wrist.

I've no idea if it has a name in western medicine, but in chinese medicine it's called "Pericardium 6". Massaging this point quells nauseum - admittedly this is a little difficult when flying, but can be a useful thing to have airsick passengers do

(It has other interesting effects as well in other ways, but that would be badly off topic :O )

G

[MyData]

Genghis

This pressure point you refer to... is it actually between the two tendons in the forearm? Or to the left or right on, for instance, the left arm?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Between them, the tendons are I believe the long palmar and the radial flexor.

G