Hi Red,
I'm currently half way through my PPL and for the first few lessons I would always be reaching for the bags after about 20 mins.
My instructor said the best option is just to try and stick it out and the feeling will eventually disappear. I've got about 22 hours now and I haven't felt ill in ages. I've also tried the relief band and it seemed to work 50% of the time.
Personally I would recommend the following ..
1) Get plenty of fresh air before you fly and open any air vents in the aircraft to get some cool air flowing.
2) Like Luftwaffle said, concentrate on flying the aircraft. If its a bit bumpy on the day then try and anticipate the odd burst of turbulence, a bit similar to being on a rollercoaster. Look straight ahead and try and not pay too much attention to the instruments and avoid sharp head movements. Try and relax as much as possible and if you do need to power yawn then just do it, forget about it and carry on with the flying.
3) Don't drink for a day or two before your lesson. Even smallest drop of alcohol in your system can make things ten times as worse.
4) As well as the relief band try taking a couple of ginger capsules about an hour before you fly and avoid any greasy food. Try eating a few slices of bread or toast or a bagel as I often find this works very well.
5) When you have your first few lessons, if you feel ill then try and figure out which manoeuvres induce it and avoid them if possible. I was fine with everything apart from steep turns so we didnt do many of them to start off with and gradually introduced them as the lessons went on. Now I actually enjoy doing them which I never thought I would do.
Hope this helps,
OTB
[This message has been edited by OnTheBug (edited 09 February 2001).]
[This message has been edited by OnTheBug (edited 09 February 2001).]