New PPL Student - Sickness getting there!

[markpodbery]

Hi all,

I am a new PPL student, I have flown 5 hours now towards my PPL. To start with hour 1 & 2 I always felt a little sicky in the pit of my stomach not drastic but ended up working myself up this feeling was only afterwards, however in the next couple of hours of my PPL I was perfect no problems, this weekend just gone we were doing climbing and descending, in these horrific winds we have had over the weekend we were really getting thrown around everywhere, I seemed fine when I was up there however towards the end and when I got down for the next 3hrs that day I felt a bit sicky in the pit of my stomach again, I have never physically thrown up! Is this a case of sticking with it and it will get easier?! I always enjoy my flying though no matter what!!

Does this mean I will never be able to do aerobatics?

Thanks to a worried Pilot!

Mark

[bingofuel]

Sounds more like you are just working hard learning a new skill in an unfamiliar enviroment, and when you stop and the adrenalin levels ease your body is just taking a while to 'relax'.

I would not worry about it at all, with experience and becoming more used to the environment it should pass.

You might be surprised how many people feel/felt queasy when starting flying, but acclimatise quickly.

[muppetbum]

MY husband used to regularly feel sick during his PPL lessons. He did hurl once during spin recovery demo.

Gradually he has got better and better. For your first few lessons , the stress contributes to the sick feeling as well.

Usual advice is to make sure you eat something before you fly ( banana's were my husbands favourite) but lay off the full english breakfast. Also make sure you are hydrated and at a comfortable temperature. Over heating makes you puke as well.

I think it will get better over time, OH doesn't take the sick bag with him anymore!!!

[AvMed.IN]

Considering it is still early days of your PPL flying, it could be Air Sickness (http://www.avmed.in/2011/05/sick-in-the-air-motion-sicknessair-sickness/). So please do not loose heart, you (your internal gyros) shall be habituated with repeated exposure to flying.
Most of the pilots during their early hours of flying are air sick (http://www.avmed.in/2011/05/sick-in-the-air-motion-sicknessair-sickness/), some get over it fast and for others it may take a couple of extra sorties, but almost all get over it. Please note the word 'sickness' is in colloquial context and is not a disease per se...

[Lou Scannon]

Hang in there sport!

I well remember a friend in the RAF who was very prone to the problem. He would even feel ill in a link trainer (a sort of primitive flight sim).
He persevered and eventually became a bit of a solo aero display expert on jets.

[welliewanger]

So many people have had the same problem. For me, training in Southern Spain I found the heat made it worse. The other factor which exacerbated the situation was anxiety. I was so worried and pressured that I had to complete the course in a set number of hours I was reduced to a gibbering wreck. The days when I was confident I knew what I was doing were the days when I didn't feel sick. So sit back and enjoy it.

It still took me about 70 hours before I didn't usually feel sick in the plane. Desensitization helps.

You're not allowed to take many medicines when flying, but what you can take (and I swear by) is ginger. Whichever form takes your fancy. I took along a bag of crystalized ginger on every flight. Very tasty!

[gingernut]

I think every pilot, of boat and plane, experiences what you are feeling at sometime in their career. Keep at it :)

[Denti]

As the others posted it is a fairly common thing. Did most of my training in a pretty hot climate (Arizona during the summer) and suffered quite a bit of it, mostly when sitting in the back waiting for my turn up front. We even had some students who threw up every lesson, they were sent back for some special training (desensitizing (sp?)) with the air force and were fine afterwards.

[markpodbery]

Thanks all, I am really pleased I posted here in the end, I was a little unsure to say the least!!

I still am loving my flying, but you have all given me the encouragement I needed!!

As I said I have been fine until the 25mph winds this last weekend which made me feel a bit pit of the stomach sickness for 3hrs after I landed!!

Ginger crystals, not come across that before, but thankyou.

Kind Regards

Mark

[vfrrider481]

Markpodberry,

If I may pass on a little of my experience.

There are some people who are sick due to anxiety or stress. It can be a mental issue with some, but I myself was frequently sick through the physiology.

The human body is not designed for flight or for being in boxes. It manifests as nausea when the brain struggles to link the bizzare aircraft movement sensed by the inner ear to the visual cues from the eyes.

It is very much a natural reaction and nothing to be ashamed of.

I was unfortuantely required to attend the RAF School of Aviation Medicine airsickness desensitisation course through being badly airsick (9 barfs into 5 bags in one filght in the back of a Jetstream flying low level during a navigation training flight). It taught me the following.....

1. Don't fly on an empty stomach or huge greasy breakfast. You need something to settle the stomach, and I would suggest have a light snack/sandwich at least an hour before you fly.

2. Ginger. Ginger has anti sickness properties (guess what I would have as part of my light snack!).

3. Temperature. A hot temperature promotes the sensation of nausea and the onset of sickness. Keep the cockpit cool, and get plenty of fresh air. When I flew in summer months I would have the air vents blasting directly at me.

4. Exposure. This is THE REALLY BIG ONE. For your body to accept the new environment it needs to acclimatise. You wouldn't expect to saunter up everest without some acclimatisation and this is the same. The more frequently you fly, the less airsickness is likely to affect you.

5. Be honest. If you do feel rough, verging on sickness, tell your instructor. The cockpit of a 152 is the last place they want to be with a pile of someone elses vomit. Better to be on th ground feeling rough with a mug of tea than push on, because the worse you feel, the less you learn.

6. Tablets. Avoid travel sickness tablets. They work by supressing parts of your nervous system, so come with warnings that they may cause drowsyness. I would sugest they have always caused me to be drowsy and a drowsy pilot is not a safe pilot.

7. Mints. Sucking an extra strong mint has excellent recuperative powers in the air and can even stop the onset of airsickness in my experience. Just don't forget to offer them to your instructor.

8. DON'T GIVE UP, IT DOES GET BETTER and it can be controlled.

Hope this helps,
VFR

[markpodbery]

Hi all,

I have posted on this forum a couple of times!

I am around 10 hours into my PPL, things are going well.

I know all this stuff has been asked before but it is slightly different!

I used to feel slightly odd in the first few hours not sick as such just not right after flying, however I have flown in some quite very windy conditions and seem to be getting on ok with it now, however...

When I land I am fine but then maybe 30mins after, I feel in the pit of my stomache just very unsettled, as I always call it "a bit stomachy" for a couple of hours after, i do always come back home and eat etc, so got an appetite, the times it has been really windy it has been slightly worse but again it never makes me feel sick as such. Is this normal? Is it my body adapting to the sensation still?

Another thing is I always can't help but hold myself very tense in the seat leaning right forward for the whole flight, I do it without realising!!

Any comments very welcome!!

[aviate1138]

Does this link make any sense to you in terms of clues as to why you feel like you do?

What is the Vagus Nerve? (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-vagus-nerve.htm)

[markpodbery]

hmmmm not sure seems a bit extreme...!!

It is more of a pit of the stomach feeling 30mins after landing which stays for a few hours, as I explained above, would just like others views on this, see if anyone else experienced it!!

Hoping it will wear off in time...

[markpodbery]

Anybody have any info or advice??

[stewmath]

if your leaning forward and tensing for the whole flight you are probably just stretching your stomach muscles. Then when your back on the ground your back to relaxed.

Will be like pulling a stretch armstrong and then letting go.

Just try to sit up straight and relax when flying, take some Kalms

[markpodbery]

yer I wondered that, just wondered why I get this pitt of the stomach feeling for a while after, maybe it is being tense....?

[markpodbery]

Hi all,

Thanks for the little advice I have had.

As I said it is normally once I have landed I start to feel a bit odd and stomach not very comfortable but now wondering if it is all in the mind.
When on route to the field, I start getting worked up and thinking "I am feeling odd" when I am sure I am not, maybe stress of learning something new!?

[gingernut]

Sound's like a normal-ish reaction to a stressful situation. I'm loathe to use the word "anxiety" as you then become labelled. And it sounds like the windy conditions 'aont helping.

Are you eating breakfast? And are you chilling prior, and after, flying? And keep hydrated.

It sound a bit namby pamby but have a look at some simple meditation/deep breathing exercises. Give it a go, it costs 'nowt.:)

More experienced pilots than myself are of the opinion that things settle over time.

[PA-28-180]

Just curious....are you putting yourself under any time limitation or other types of stressors?? Could be related.....otherwise, just try to relax, sit up straight and enjoy the view. Most new students feel a little 'queezy' at the beginning..and then get more comfortable/confident and everything is fine.You mentioned 7 hours...have you, or are you about to solo? Believe me, it's the BEST feeling in the world and will do wonders for you!...best of luck with your training! :ok:

[teresa green]

You probably just have a irritable gut, which reacts to a important and stressful situation, or rather what you perceive to be a important and stressful situation. Get yourself some Mintec tablets a natural peppermint tablet which does wonders for the symptoms you describe. They are available at any pharmacy. (In Australia they are called Mintec, they could be called something else OS. Good luck with your career.

[markpodbery]

Hi all,

I have just now gone solo which was great, however when I land I get a funny stomach in some form, not like sick as such just maybe a bit unsettled sicky but still have a full appetite etc, has anyone else experienced this?

I have done around 25hrs now.... I am wondering if it is pure tension or something as I do hold myself maybe a little tense without realising, it was a 2hour session today too, I had 2 weeks off, but I always seem to get this feeling in some form....

I also would like to get into aerobatics one day so wonder if I will be able to manage this or is it purely my body still adapting....

Thanks ever so!!

[gingernut]

Sounds par for the course.

Never skip breakfast.:)

[markpodbery]

.....! Any other advice?!?

Will I ever manage Aerobatics?!?

[markpodbery]

?!? Anyone?