Ugh! Airsickness!

[Pugh]

Ok, I got accepted into a flight school and will be starting in August. I sometimes get airsick...Ive taken one flight in a 152 and threw up, and on approach into Denver on a 737 I nearly threw up because of rough air. My question is, is there anyway to prevent this?

[Circuit Basher]

The wife swears by Sea Bands, which are available from most major chemists for around £10. These are elasticated bands with a plastic 'pimple' which is adjusted to apply pressure to an accupressure point. These are non-pharmaceutical, so are probably worth a try as there are no side effects.

There are all sorts of other factors, such as fresh air, looking out of the window, building up tolerance to different manoeuvres / conditions, diet, etc. The bottom line is, with a lot of people, it can be nerves / stress that cause the initial problem. Once you've felt airsick once, then it can cause anxiety and further stress, exacerbating the problem. If you can break the cycle without resorting to drugs, then you're on a winner. Some people have resorted to hypnosis / acupuncture.

There are some military pilots who go to the Centre for Aviation Medicine for a desensitisation course and ISTR the success rate is around 80%, meaning that around 20% of those that go there are left with residual airsickness and have to reconsider their career options. This is a very small number of the total RAF pilot intake.

Good luck!

[Edited to add PS: Sorry, just spotted where you're from - sure that similar things are available in the US]

[Evo]

You get used to it - i've never actually barfed in an aeroplane, but I consider myself prone to motion sickness and there were a few times when I was learning that I arrived back on the ground feeing very green. However, 100 and a bit hours on now aeros, turbulent air and the rest don't give me problems, so I guess i've got over it - and so, in all likelyhood, will you. Don't worry about it too much, and there's nothing wrong with telling your instructor that it's time to go home.

My tips would be to eat something before flying - something like a bagel and some fruit is ideal, a McTriple with fries isn't. Avoid too much coffee, and don't fly with a hangover (fairly obviously). Ginger is supposed to be a good natural remedy too, you can get it in tablets that you swallow so you don't have to crunch it raw... :yuk:

[Pugh]

Thanks for the replies guys. I think I might pay someone to take me up a few times so I can get used to it. I just need to remember to move the boom mic when I am ready to puke :yuk: :D

[Flyin'Dutch']

Hi Pugh,

The FAA actually recognises that this can sometimes be a problem for budding pilots and allows for pilots under training when they are flying with an instructor to use anti sickness medication. Contact your local AME for advice on what medication can be used.

Motion sickness is actually poorly understood although the dissociation of motion as sensed by your balance organ (in your inner ear) and seen by your eyes plays a part.

Psychological factors do seem to play a role too.

Most people are fine as long as they are flying the aeroplane themselves and therefore I think you would be better to address the problem by flying with an instructor so that you are actually flying yourself rather than being a mere passenger been flown sick by someone else and getting 'conditioned' that way.

A lot of pilots do actually suffer from motionsickness when someone else is at the wheel. It is also not an uncommon problem for aerobatic jockeys and glider pilots at the beginning of the season. Note that you can not take any antisickness medication when you are flying as pilot in command!

HTH and good luck with the flying career!

FD

[wobblyprop]

stem ginger, pepermints and good hydration will help you. Being well rested also seems to help.

You get used to it. Good luck

[sixmilehighclub]

Anthing that contains quinine is good.

Try ginger ale or tonic water (canada dry and scweppes do the mini verions).

I used to give it to airsick pax and it works.