How do pilots cope with 'ear poping'?
 

Ive always wondered how pilots overcome 'ear poping', i suppose you just get used to it, day after day, up and down....

do any of you have any techniques to reduce the annoyance?


i know its a stupid question, but i thought i'd ask,


cheers

Scott Waterworth

Good question! Anyone care to explain or maybe pontifficate?



:)

When I first started to fly, I used to have to put effort into trying to make my ears pop. After a few lessons and as my hourage increased, I found i was able to release pressure without even thinking about it, usually by the 'yawning' method. I expect its second nature with airline pilots who are flying all the time though!

Many Thanks

Dan

WG774

Sometimes I think I'm reasonably clever and quick-witted, but when I see such an answer, I realise that I am but a worm.

It's not a stupid question BMI701EGCC, maybe better posted under "Medical & Health", but not a stupid question.

Yawning works for light cases, but for a more persistent case use the valsalva action (I'll bet that that spelling is wrong), i.e.

Pinch your nose tightly, close your mouth tightly, and blow until both ears 'pop'.

I guess that different people have greater / lesser paths of resistance in their eustacian tubes (for certain, another spelling mistake), but it works for me even during the 'after effects' of a cold when the condition is at it's worst.

For heaven's sake, don't fly, even as a passenger, if you can't clear them at all, a very unpleasant experience.

Now, MDs, how did I go on my spelling?

Regards,

Old Smokey

>Pinch your nose tightly, close your mouth tightly, and blow until both ears 'pop'.<

Be careful how you perform the "Valsalva manoeuvre" - blow gently . Many years ago I was recovering from a cold and did this procedure and in the process perforated an eardrum. It tooks a few weeks to heal before I returned to flying duties. For a long time afterwards I allowed nature to take its course - if my ears didnt clear on descent I waited until they did!

That said in circa 14,000 hrs flying I have only been totally unable to clear my ears on descent on two occasions and perhaps surprisingly I was not suffering from a head cold. Withing a few hours on the ground my ears cleared "naturally".

Nature makes it more difficult to force air into the middle ear to protect from infection. I think when you do a lot of flying ones eardrums before more elastic!

Everything becomes more elastic as you get older fireflybob, that's why they invented Viagra. :}

Regards,

Old (but functional) Smokey

I can't honestly say whether or not i've become conditioned over time. If I have, it's been nothing noticeable. Generally speaking, it's not as much of an issue in Airliners as it would be for a charter guy in single engine lighties. In my former days as a parachute pilot, i'd never have any probs clearing the ears and most of the time it happened without my even noticing. When I did get problems was when the drop was aborted and i'd have to descend with passengers which meant a much slower descent than normal in view of passenger comfort. Normal descents at 2000fpm > okay. slower descents at 500 fpm when the rate of change in pressure differential was slow is where i'd have the issues. Given that big jets usually descent alot faster than 500 fpm, not so much of an issue. Unless you've got a cold and yer tubes are totally blocked, that is. Oh, the pain!

SC,

The cabin pressure in an airliner only descends at a maximum of 500 feet per minute. In fact 300 feet per minute is normal. The aircraft descends faster, but the cabin does not.

If you have a blocked ear in the cruise then sort it out before the aircraft descends. As it descends the pressure builds up in your ear and it becomes harder to clear. Suck a mint sweet (cabin crew will have them for young children, but they are good for big kids as well). Hold your nose and blow. This can cause dizziness and should be done carefully in conjunction with the mint sweet sucking.

If you have a known problem before you fly then take some medication with you such as Mucron and / or Sinex to clear your nose, etc. Take it about 20 minutes before the aircraft starts it's descent. For passengers: the descent will start about 25 to 30 minutes before landing time (listen to the pilots PA for that).

>Everything becomes more elastic as you get older fireflybob, that's why they invented Viagra. <

Old Smokey, you might think that but I couldnt possibly comment! LOL

Chew gum!!
It has the same effect of yawning.
:p

Turn up the volume on the headset and shout a lot.

I have my ears blocked sometimes but mainly my nose is blocked due to allergic rhinitis.any suggestions for this?i tried that technique 'valsava' to unblock but it doesnt seem to work for me.

chris,

I suggest you read my post again. Take some Mucron 20 minutes before top of descent. Maybe you should get reading specs as well?

not being an airline pilot, but instead a light aircraft pilot and avid SCUBA diver, the technique that I use for equalising my ears used to involve pinching my nostrils shut and gently trying to breathe out, as many divers out there will tell you.

However, over time, I have managed to be able to un-pop/block my ears by performing a swallowing type reflex in the back of my throat, which seems to clear them out too. It's quite useful for when I'm up doing spiral dive and spinning practice and the ears go, as both hands are in operation trying to correct the atittude of the plane in the first place.

Either way, a popped ear can become severely painful if left popped during any descent... I've had to call off dives before because my buddy or myself couldn't equalise his ears, and although it can be frustrating, it is much better than the alternative crushing pain that develops.

fart it usually takes you mind off it.

or have another cup of coffee

Flap 5 what is that Mucron,is it some kind of spray?is it ok to use it for long term?i have tried the sinex but it doesnt work for me every time,if my allergy is really bad it wont do nothing.

I recall from HPL that the tubes to equal pressure between ambient and the inner ear are called Eustachian (not sure of the spelling) Tubes. I think they run between the inner ear and the sides of your nose/throat . If you are subject to regular pressure changes as we all are to varying degrees then these tubes become wider and that allows us to clear them easier. I stand to be corrected, of course, but I'm pretty sure that's how it works. ........................Tailwinds :)

I have this problem due to a blocked nostril - it just seems to be a bit narrower than the other one and therefore it doesn't take much to block it.

I am going in for an operation in a couple of months to widen the passages by basically burning away surplus flesh. I had a similar thing done a while ago for sinus pain and it worked a treat. It just lets the air flow round your head more effectively and even if you are prone to allergies it takes longer for things to block up as the pipes are wider. Hopefully it will work :-)

Hufty.

Ear poping is extremely rare and often fatal. :ok:

On the other hand: ear popping is a daily event often requiring nothing more than sucking on a sweet for relief!