Who felt ill on their first few flights?

[davepearsall]

I've had a couple of trial flights now and both times towards the end of the 30 mins I've started to feel a little queezy! It may be no comparison but I don't get air sickness well travelling on commerical airlines.

I'm not at all afraid of the flying part of it, but because I eventually want to make a career out of flying I'm extremely anxious to do well. I want to prove to myself that I have the co-ordination skills etc that will be needed to make a successful career.

I'm puting it down to my anxiety and that I'm really quite tense and thus causes me to feel this way.

Have others felt this way on their first few flight? Or is everyone else just as cool as a cucumber ;)

[Andy_20]

I felt exactly the same way matey! after about 5 hrs you get totally used to it and feel fine! i havent felt ill flying since, bar from spinning exercises. stick with it and youll get through it.:ok:

[TheBP]

Bingo, I was exactly the same as you - so whether or not it's normal, it's certainly not uncommon. On my first trial flight I was absolutely fine for about 30 minutes, until I suddenly started sweating and wanted to get back on the ground as soon as possible!

I used the excuse that I was more sensitive to changes than most :} I'm not sure my instructor believed me.. (or if I believed it myself!)

It got better over the next few hours, and thankfully now is no problem. The only thing that got me after those initial hours was doing a load of steep turns.. and even then it wasn't so bad and just a case of getting used to it.

Only advice I could give would be to make sure you've eaten properly, or at worst got something in your stomach and aren't flying hungry.

Aviation's also given me an addiction to Colombian coffee, I couldn't stand the stuff before...

[nick14]

Ah yes the old queeze,

It got me on my first few flights, I found rubbing the inside of my wrists and looking out, fresh air also helps. After about 3 flights I was fine and only felt sick when I did aero's a while back.

Now im doing it for a living so dont worry at all. Give it a few flights and you wont even notice anymore.

Most of all enjoy the flying, its the most memorable flying time you will get so ask your instructor to push you and let him know you want to go commercial, talk to others, and work hard you will love it.

Nick

[PilotPieces]

I never felt this way at all. I suppose its all down to the individual because I am one of these people that loves the feeling of getting thrown around in a plane, rollercoaster etc etc.

Just make sure that you dont still feel the same way further down the line and you will be fine. :ok:

[isi3000]

Oh I did! It was very odd because I've never been motion sick or had anything like it before. A friend flew first and I felt ill while back-seating, then flew for the second half of the journey, so it was their fault really :}. Only happened when I was back-seating, maybe because I didn't like not being in control...

Didn't happen on any flights after, just that first one

(I also love rollercoasters etc, which is why it was so odd :ooh:)

[tropicalfridge]

Most do, its just the eyes and the inner ear feeding the brain different information, your body gets used to it after a couple of hrs flying.

[Nearly There]

There has been a number of posts about the subject in the medical and health forum and also the instructor forum.
Have a read through the document below, there are exercises you can do to desensatize yourself, and other hints and tips that may help.
Its important not to let it play on your mind and become anxious about it before a flight as anxiety is a factor in motion sickness to.

http://medind.nic.in/iab/t07/s1/iabt07s1p37.pdf

http://www.pprune.org/flying-instructors-examiners/261828-when-students-turn-green.html

http://www.pprune.org/medical-health/41709-motion-sickness.html

[davepearsall]

Thanks for everyones information and thanks to Nearly There for providing me with those links.

It's put my mind at ease that its not just me ;)

[one post only!]

I did for quite a few flights to begin with. Took me a while to totally get used to it and for a while I was worried I was always going to feel ill!! A while later though I was bouncing around on a turbulent day in a light single with a mate, both eating pungent egg sandwiches (my mate made them) happy as a pig in s***. You will get used to it!

[tmpffisch]

I was in your situation too. Pprune helped heaps by hearing that others suffered the same problem but it soon passed, and now out of my own experience I can say the same.

I used ginger tablets for a little while but once the packet had ended, I never used them again. Keep your eyes outside and not constantly at the instruments helps heaps, but with that said I've been fine at instrument flying too.

[HarryP]

Hi Dave,
I was sick every lesson for the first six lessons (and, my instructor was well sick of me)!

I persevered (I wanted to be a pilot since I was five so I wasn't going to give up - I just love everything about aeroplanes, I suppose I'm obsessed with them).

Anyway, here I am thirty five years later and I've flown continuously all those years. Like Andy, spinning and chucking an aeroplane around makes me queasy but I'm never actually sick.

I'm certain that it IS anxiety. So, don't be anxious. If you work hard enough you will achieve your dream.

Regards,
Harry Page

01702-584554
07926-076045
[email protected]
(Call me if you need any more encouragement or help).

[blobby99]

I do not think your symptoms are very common (although I'm trying to remember back 12000 hrs). If it is 'nerves' then please consider how you will feel on the run up to the big hurdles of a commercial aviation career (eg IR, command check) let alone 'routine' sim checks every 6 months. Resolve your concerns before commiting financially to any commercial pilot training.

[jono1978]

Hi,

I DO think your symptoms are very common. I too felt like this, probably for about the first 10 hours! I thought it was just me but when I asked around there were many people that suffered this initially. Of course there will be people who have never had this problem, good for them but many do. I was actually sick after a 2 hour stretch of stalling once, it was horrible at the time. It is surprising how quickly you will adapt to it. I first thought I would never get past it, but now when I go up, sometimes it's very very bumpy compared with when I first started and I feel fine all the time.

[Bigears]

I got sick on my first lesson, which was quite a worry as I'd wanted to learn to fly for years, and I thought 'what if this happens every time?'. :\
I put it down to anxiety (through looking forward to it so much), took airsickness tablets for the next lesson, wore anti-sickness wrist bands, and checked that a bag was on board should the worst happen.
Been fine since, though still take the tablets, just to be on the safe side!

[mary meagher]

Took Quells, after feeling queasy the first flight; after 10 lessons didn't need them any more - but still after 26 years, if somebody else is doing most of the flying I turn green after 2 hours. Loops are still a trigger for delayed reaction.

BUT flying did cure me from getting seasick!

Persevere!

[Juno78]

I've had five lessons now, and I felt queasy on the third lesson because we had a particularly bumpy day - I don't normally get travel sick, I've never had that problem in passenger planes with turbulence, but I think just the experience of having to concentrate quite hard in quite turbulent conditions must have affected me. Fortunately it hasn't happened again - I expect your body gets used to it after a while.

[Captain-Random]

Maybe not quite the same but i felt really sick going to my first lesson due to the fact that.. All the went through my mind was, "what if i don't like it?" I was so scared that i would feel sick and that my future dreams of becoming a pilot would be in tatters. Especially when on a previous visit an intructor had told me no one really ever recovers from motion sickness. Anyway as soon as the c150 left the ground i felt fine and i have never felt so much relief in my life since then. I've talked to some people who felt sick right up until there first solo. They even said there first solo was the first time they felt fine

[L'aviateur]

I've been flying in light aircraft since I was about 3 or 4, so it's never something that I've really thought about. But this thread has actually made me think a bit more about my passengers, i've never ever asked anyone if they've felt ill whilst flying with me, nor have carried sick bags (i think i will from now on).

I've been working at sea for 8 years, and still get the occasional feeling of seasick when it gets rough (well mostly headaches), so take tablets for those which work very well but usually take a coffee at the same time in case they make me drousy.

[Captain-Random]

L'aviateur

I didn't need to ask that question, i could see by the look on his face. Lucky there was a sick bag in the seat pocket and he relieved him quickly while showing the upmost respect to the a/c upholstery. Still he blamed it on the curry and beer from the night before, not my flying

[aceflyer-jerz]

My first trial lesson, the weather was a bit bumpy.
I was excited as well as apprehensive; this combination ended up with me puking luckily out of the window a C152 over Kings Langley on the final approach into Leavesden in those days. I had no knowledge about the legality of dropping articles from aircraft; I was to learn that later when I did my Air Law.
It didn't put me off, however my instructor wasn't impressed.
I suffered with regular attacks of nausea during my training, sometimes it would be in the middle of a lesson, unusual attitudes I suppose were part to blame. My straight and level was never that hot and reflecting back now after 1300 hrs isn't much better now.
I tried tablets, wristbands etc, with my half a brain none of it would work for me.
Eventually somewhere along the line I was OK with it, when and how I have no idea. I still don't like to look over the edge of a tall building, but I'm quite happy dive between the clouds at 10,000 ft looking for that Hun in the sun.
Don’t let it put you off, just persevere and it will go away on it’s own. Good Luck, enjoy.

[cats_five]

Lots of things make it worse including: empty stomach, really full stomach, dehydration, being too hot/cold, and anxiety! If you take care of all these things it can help, but so also does time in the air. Another thing that helps some people is being firmly strapped in - do the lapstrap nice & tight before doing the shoulder straps.

So - wear comfortable adustable clothes (layers & zips), keep the fluid intake up, have a light meal a while before flying, and strap in properly.

And above all else, discuss it with your instructor. Flying doesn't take fantastic co-ordination skills (unless you want to do fast jets), it takes judgement and lessons well learnt so you can deal with the unexpected.

I feel that once you start relaxing and enjoying yourself things will improve.

[wsmempson]

I reckon that although a few very roughty-tufty macho pilot types will insist they've never felt sick in an aircraft in their entire lives, for most of us mere-mortals, those first 5 or 10 hours made us feel a bit green about the gills. I'm still not keen on aerobatics (-3.5g in a chipmunk made me feel weird for 2 days), but normal GA flying in VFR or IFR doesn't bother me at all these days - just pure pleasure!

FWIW, I bought one of those battery powered wrist-bands for my 10 year old daughter, to stop her chundering in the arrow every time we flew together and - touch wood - it has worked like a dream, so far.

[Pilot DAR]

(-3.5g in a chipmunk made me feel weird for 2 days)

Oooh, I'glad you were still alive after that!

Even the old timers get queezy every now and again - I do after an hour of aggressive airwork. It's nothing to worry about. Most people get used to it with enough gentle exposure to flying... Leave the Aerobatics until later in your career!

[wsmempson]

After a mere 600hrs, I don't think it's a matter of experience, so much as preference...:hmm: