Pilot + AirSickness

[steve181]

Over the space of several years when I got my PPL/CPL/MEIR I never once chundered. I left flying for several years before getting back into it.

Just over two years ago before I did a BFR to get current again my instructor demonstrated a spin if I remember rightly. After the third or so one I started to feel queezy as hell & spewed. I thought fair enough considering the circumstances.

Fast forward two years & around 50 hours of flight time to today when I had another BFR. Looking at the weather I knew it was going to be a bumpy ride today. I said to my instructor I'm happy to go up for the BFR since we are both pilot's & know what to expect, so up we went.

As expected we flew into the tumble dryer. I put on those IFR training goggles for some instrument flying, even though I felt like a cat being swung round by it's tail I felt fine. After 5-10 minutes of that I took my goggles off & just like at the flick of a light switch I felt like complete ass.

I know from experience it's next to impossible to shake that feeling once you get it so I reached for a barf bag & did my thing then we got back to flying.

I'm not overly concerned about this given the circumstances on both occasions. I've never spewed as pilot in command. It got me thinking though if I ever got into instructing & my student had the controls in rough conditions It's a recipe for me to feel like ****. I've never been with an instructor who has been sick, I'd be very embarrassed if I was one & threw up in front of a student!

I've read a few threads about this subject but they seem to be about pilot's just starting out not 'old hats' like me. Has anyone here been with or is an instructor who has been sick? The first few years of flying I though my stomach was as solid as a rock but I'm not so cocky now. :sad:

[kevkdg]

Take a kwells tablet about 15 mins before you set off. Test at home first in case you're one of the few they maje drowsy. I have no side effects with them and they sorted me out. I think my body has adjusted now though so I don't need them anymore.

[Whopity]

If you fly regularly, you will become conditioned to air sickness if you are prone to it. Have a break and the conditioning wears off, so it may take a while to build up the resistance again.

[Pace]

Steve

Its something you have to build up to! I can remember after ages of flying straight and level accepting an aerobatic flight in a firefly.
My friend a very accomplished aerobatic pilot did the lot with him flying and me as a passenger. We got to snap rolls and that was it I felt as sick as a dog.
" Your turn he said gleefully"! I had to bow out until we had flown level for about twenty minutes when I felt fine. With me in control it was a different matter NO sickness.
We all have different tolerances and can strengthen those tolerances by flying aerobatics.
I can remember flying some PAX in a Seneca twin to Newcastle. Warned of one PAXs inability to take any motion I was relieved as the air was calm and smooth.
No way the guy projectile vomited all the way there covering every inch of the rear compartment.
An airline cleaning company took pity on us and cleaned the aircraft for us up at Newcastle.
The return journey the same but thankfully the guy had not got anything left to spew up.

Your comment about being sick in a bag and getting on with it is very relevant to overcoming the problem as fear is the basis of most things.

Pace

[steve181]

Thanks for the replies. I don't want to medicate myself.

Whopity & Pace your right about needing to build a resistance to it. :yuk:

Having thought about it; over the last few years I've just flown recreationally. I've been fussy about the days I chose to go flying & opted to go up only in smooth air or light turbulence mainly because most flight's I take pax & also flying is far more enjoyable & you get more bang for your buck if you fly in smooth air so yesterday I was a fish out of water in the rough conditions. :\

[tmmorris]

Also, I always feel sick if someone else is flying and does any unusual manoeuvres (e.g. aeros, or unusual attitudes) and/or I have no visual reference (foggles). If I'm handling the controls this goes away very quickly. I was sick as a parrot on my first two days of an intensive PPL course in 2001, and never actually barfed airborne since.

Tim

[trex600]

I agree with Tmmorris,
I spewed up when my instructor had me trying to draw an inflight diversion on the map.. I wasn't right for 2 day's after that
I think its something to do with when your looking at a fixed object then looking up out of the window..
I also get it when i read a magazine in a car and then look up..
Never when it's actually me doing the flying or the driving tho..

My misses also spewed when i was pressuring her into trying to spot the field we was landing at

T6

[Hugh Spencer]

Way back in '43 when I went on my air experience flight I was air sick and I would say that about every flight I made since in WW2 I was the same. I was a wireless operator in a Lancaster, situated over the wing and I ended up seeing a psychiatrist/psychologist at the Air Ministry who subjected me to endless questions but nothing came of it. There was no medication available in those days.