Air sickness (Any advise?)
The Original Whirly
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Was kinda worried that I wouldnīt fit in the tough NEVER GET SICK profile
We're not all tough. Some of us get sick, get lost, get scared, get tired. We're just like everyone else, ordinary people.
At least, I am. Maybe I shouldn't speak for the other super-people on here.
Join Date: Jan 2006
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i think i am one off those lucky ones, only time i got a bit uncofortble was under the hood in the few hours off instrument training they give you. only time i get a bit uncovertable is wen i go over 2000 feet, but that may have something to do with scared off heights.
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Bruno,
Your dilemma reminds me of an old Tommy Cooper joke..."Doctor, Doctor, every time I poke myself there it hurts?" "Well don't do it then Sir!"
Seriously though, we had a chap who had to leave commercial flight school because he was continually ill. Bear that in mind if you want to go the whole way with flight training.
Have your eyes tested also. If your sight is deteriorating without your knowledge then that could possibly be the reason.
Yes, if the visuals are out of synch with the motion then then it's curtains for everyone who's inside 
Your dilemma reminds me of an old Tommy Cooper joke..."Doctor, Doctor, every time I poke myself there it hurts?" "Well don't do it then Sir!"
Seriously though, we had a chap who had to leave commercial flight school because he was continually ill. Bear that in mind if you want to go the whole way with flight training.
Have your eyes tested also. If your sight is deteriorating without your knowledge then that could possibly be the reason.
i was talking to a sim instructor in NZ wen i did my license and he told me that some studends get sick in the sim. this is however a full motion sim or whatever the call it. it just amazed me how reall they must be. But than he may well have been pulling my leg. anybody any knowledge on that?
To Keepitstraight
When I went through ATC training there was an old WW2 vintage link trainer set up and working, complete with motion and a licensed instructor. I logged about 20hr in it. Occasionally felt queasy during/after, but not to the point of stopping the sim. But usually felt totally disoriented for a minute or two upon completion. This was a brilliant ADF trainer; you could see the plot of where you flew, and how egg shaped the holding patterns were, drawn with pencil on a chart table mechanically linked to the beast. Took up a whole room, but in my opinion far superior to a laptop job.
When I went through ATC training there was an old WW2 vintage link trainer set up and working, complete with motion and a licensed instructor. I logged about 20hr in it. Occasionally felt queasy during/after, but not to the point of stopping the sim. But usually felt totally disoriented for a minute or two upon completion. This was a brilliant ADF trainer; you could see the plot of where you flew, and how egg shaped the holding patterns were, drawn with pencil on a chart table mechanically linked to the beast. Took up a whole room, but in my opinion far superior to a laptop job.
Couldonlyaffordafiver
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A Mars Bar and a full fat Coke about half an hour before wheels-up works.
Sure, after a while your teeth will rot and you'll be too heavy to get airborne but I promise you it genuinely works. Something to do with glucose in the stomach...
Sure, after a while your teeth will rot and you'll be too heavy to get airborne but I promise you it genuinely works. Something to do with glucose in the stomach...
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markjoy, that sounds like a lot off fun. i have seen those things on tv. but didnt realize that they still get used.
on the subject off being airsick, there is a book written by a NZ chap, called "flying low" forgotten name off author. but maybe someone else knows, anyway it is about the early days in topdressing and the author taking up flying and spent quit a bit off his early training . he got over it and went on to topdressing for a career
So dont give up!!
on the subject off being airsick, there is a book written by a NZ chap, called "flying low" forgotten name off author. but maybe someone else knows, anyway it is about the early days in topdressing and the author taking up flying and spent quit a bit off his early training
. he got over it and went on to topdressing for a career So dont give up!!
Thread Starter
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Have your eyes tested also. If your sight is deteriorating without your knowledge then that could possibly be the reason.
Anyway I will play safe and avoid being too much time at the computer.
I know how my eyes feel after being looking at the screen...
Cheers everyone
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I remember from the BBC series "combat pilot" that one of the pilots' started getting airsick so they sent him down to a med section at Farnborough? for desensitising treatment. does anyone know if it is avail to the civil population?
Neil Williams said that when he felt his G limit reducing he'd come back down and have something to eat (something more substantial than a Mars bar).
there is also a degree of getting used to it plus fittness as well I think, from what I believe if you are shorter and/or have some muscle you can cope with g much better than others.
Neil Williams said that when he felt his G limit reducing he'd come back down and have something to eat (something more substantial than a Mars bar).
there is also a degree of getting used to it plus fittness as well I think, from what I believe if you are shorter and/or have some muscle you can cope with g much better than others.
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No worries Bruno
As people have already said, worry about getting sick and the psychological effect may make you more susceptible. There's no rule as to when you'll feel ill and when you won't. Take a sick bag or something similar if you’re worried about making a mess and keep it close to hand. If you do need it, you'll need it fast. But try & put it to the back of your mind.
In my case I don’t feel sick on rollercoasters or passenger jets but light aircraft has been a different story. About 5yrs ago as a back-seat passenger on a scenic flight (my first time in light aircraft - 172) I felt a little unwell but no accidents. Then about 2yrs ago I did a Tiger Moth aeros flight; someone else flying it, not me! The aeros were fine but on final approach I felt really sick. Even back on ground, I continued to feel like ****e. My balance was upset and walking felt strange.
Obviously aeros aren't part of the equation in PPL, but if you do feel sick, don't get in your car to drive home. Stupidly, I did, and things got worse, to the point where I stopped at the side of the road to force it up. Problem solved.
I'm now a student pilot, four lessons in. My first lesson was fine until final approach (again) when I felt rough as guts. The guys told me later the feeling would ease the more flights I did. They were right. It's never been a problem since. Yesterday I was flying 30 degree turns, circling about 5 times in each direction and I felt fine.
The most valuable piece of advice here (drawn from my own experience) is to look outside as much as you can. You may be fixated a little too much on instruments at first (I was) but apparently this is a major contributing factor of air-sickness.
BTW, your first couple of lessons may all seem very complex but by lesson 3 & 4 you'll really start to feel you're understanding things better and your enjoyment levels will only increase!
Try to study diligently, regularly. Keeping your head in the books between flights makes it much easier to grasp things at pre-flight briefings and allows you to think quicker in the air. Right after each flight, go back to your Flying Training Manual (and BAK) to re-live your lesson by re-reading the corresponding chapter. It helps to cement in your mind all that you've just learned in the air, & it also helps you to more easily understand the theory. Lastly, concentrate on your flying but don't forget to savour the experience, have fun and stay relaxed. All this definitely helps your technique. Enjoy!
In my case I don’t feel sick on rollercoasters or passenger jets but light aircraft has been a different story. About 5yrs ago as a back-seat passenger on a scenic flight (my first time in light aircraft - 172) I felt a little unwell but no accidents. Then about 2yrs ago I did a Tiger Moth aeros flight; someone else flying it, not me! The aeros were fine but on final approach I felt really sick. Even back on ground, I continued to feel like ****e. My balance was upset and walking felt strange.
Obviously aeros aren't part of the equation in PPL, but if you do feel sick, don't get in your car to drive home. Stupidly, I did, and things got worse, to the point where I stopped at the side of the road to force it up.
Problem solved.I'm now a student pilot, four lessons in. My first lesson was fine until final approach (again) when I felt rough as guts. The guys told me later the feeling would ease the more flights I did. They were right. It's never been a problem since. Yesterday I was flying 30 degree turns, circling about 5 times in each direction and I felt fine.
The most valuable piece of advice here (drawn from my own experience) is to look outside as much as you can. You may be fixated a little too much on instruments at first (I was) but apparently this is a major contributing factor of air-sickness.
BTW, your first couple of lessons may all seem very complex but by lesson 3 & 4 you'll really start to feel you're understanding things better and your enjoyment levels will only increase!
Try to study diligently, regularly. Keeping your head in the books between flights makes it much easier to grasp things at pre-flight briefings and allows you to think quicker in the air. Right after each flight, go back to your Flying Training Manual (and BAK) to re-live your lesson by re-reading the corresponding chapter. It helps to cement in your mind all that you've just learned in the air, & it also helps you to more easily understand the theory. Lastly, concentrate on your flying but don't forget to savour the experience, have fun and stay relaxed. All this definitely helps your technique. Enjoy!
Last edited by 1972; 6th Mar 2006 at 16:02.
