Flying solo - motion sickness
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2025
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Wales
Flying solo - motion sickness
Just wondering in preparation for solo flying if anyone has experienced motion sickness on a solo flight, how they deal with it if it happens and any ways to help prevent it, i.e best ways to keep cool in a Piper in Florida!
Fleet Manager
Joined: Aug 2006
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 7,082
Likes: 2,939
From: Ontario, Canada
I eventually found that after a half hour or so of aerobatics, I would begin to feel a little nauseous, so I kept my aerobatic sessions shorter than that. Otherwise, as long as I'm flying "normally" my tummy is fine. The only way to keep cool in a Piper (low wing) in Florida, is to fly it on a cool day! If flying in a hot airplane is troublesome, perhaps choose a different place to fly, or a different type. Most Cessnas can be flown with window(s) open, some with a door off! (none with both doors off!)
Joined: Mar 2002
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 3,385
Likes: 317
From: near an aeroplane
Dunk it in the pool!
I've done quite a few hours in Pipers in Florida and the simple answer is: you can't keep that thing cool. We had air-conditioned PA28-181 models at the flying school I trained at, but that just lowered the temperature by half a degree at most, and it needed to be off for take-off/landing and during some manoeuvres.
As for motion sickness: do more flying with an instructor. Make sure that you are happy to fly for the duration that you're planning to fly for before setting off solo. Your body gets accustomed to flying after a while, even in Florida, so make sure that you're past that motion sickness phase. Aerobatics is another ball game, but I'm assuming that you're talking about some general bimbling about.
I've done quite a few hours in Pipers in Florida and the simple answer is: you can't keep that thing cool. We had air-conditioned PA28-181 models at the flying school I trained at, but that just lowered the temperature by half a degree at most, and it needed to be off for take-off/landing and during some manoeuvres.
As for motion sickness: do more flying with an instructor. Make sure that you are happy to fly for the duration that you're planning to fly for before setting off solo. Your body gets accustomed to flying after a while, even in Florida, so make sure that you're past that motion sickness phase. Aerobatics is another ball game, but I'm assuming that you're talking about some general bimbling about.
Joined: Nov 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 3,144
Likes: 741
From: UK
If you have had no problem so far, you won't suddenly have a problem just by going solo.
Motion sickness is triggered when the brain gets conflicting inputs:
If the eyes see a cockpit and cabin that is not moving (relative to you) but the ears say that your head is moving, then there is a conflict, and the brain assumes that you might have eaten something poisonous causing the brain to malfunction, so the response is to empty the stomach, just in case.
If you are a passenger getting motion sickness, closing your eyes will help because that takes away the conflicting input.
Obviously if you are flying you cannot close your eyes, but looking outside should help because then the inputs will agree with each other. However, the view of the horizon does not noticeably change while the aircraft is moving and bouncing up and down.
Sailors have a thing called sea-legs, where they get used to feeling motion while the eyes don't see much change, so perhaps more air time will help you. Normally, being the driver or pilot helps because you know how you are moving the vehicle, so your brain expects to feel the movement.
There are drugs available but;
a) not appropriate if you are aircrew, and
b) they never did much for me when I was a young child in my parent's car.
Motion sickness is triggered when the brain gets conflicting inputs:
If the eyes see a cockpit and cabin that is not moving (relative to you) but the ears say that your head is moving, then there is a conflict, and the brain assumes that you might have eaten something poisonous causing the brain to malfunction, so the response is to empty the stomach, just in case.
If you are a passenger getting motion sickness, closing your eyes will help because that takes away the conflicting input.
Obviously if you are flying you cannot close your eyes, but looking outside should help because then the inputs will agree with each other. However, the view of the horizon does not noticeably change while the aircraft is moving and bouncing up and down.
Sailors have a thing called sea-legs, where they get used to feeling motion while the eyes don't see much change, so perhaps more air time will help you. Normally, being the driver or pilot helps because you know how you are moving the vehicle, so your brain expects to feel the movement.
There are drugs available but;
a) not appropriate if you are aircrew, and
b) they never did much for me when I was a young child in my parent's car.
Joined: May 2024
Aviation Qualifications: Spotter
Posts: 965
Likes: 1,018
From: Near SOU
Not a pilot, but worked part time at a flying school...... a flying instructor (the late Bob Walker at Rogers Aviation at Cranfield) used to tell new students to always have a pack of Polo mints with them to sort any ear issues and either eat or drink something with ginger in it to stop any potential nausea (ginger beer, ginger ale, crystallised ginger....even a packet of ginger biscuits would do). He would always make sure that any students who did feel queasy during a flight were fed from his "emergency ginger stash" in the aircraft's door pocket.
(Speaking as a passenger sat in the back of the C172 whilst Bob was doing IFR lessons with a student pilot with those screens up covering the windows (which was commonplace back in the late 1970's and early 1980's, not sure if the method is still used now)......the "emergency ginger stash" became very handy indeed.)
(Speaking as a passenger sat in the back of the C172 whilst Bob was doing IFR lessons with a student pilot with those screens up covering the windows (which was commonplace back in the late 1970's and early 1980's, not sure if the method is still used now)......the "emergency ginger stash" became very handy indeed.)
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,856
Likes: 75
From: uk
I was airsick on my very first flight in a Chipmunk at Hawarden. At least I got it in the bag unlike my predecessor who had vomited all over the cockpit. As a kid I was always prone to travel sickness so I have never been a confident air traveller ever since. However, in over 800 hours as a pilot in gliders and light aircraft I have only come close to being sick once. On a beautiful day at Dunstable Downs I had an Olympia 463 to myself and decided to try for my 5 hours for my Silver C. With a decent breeze straight onto the hill it was a doddle to stay up with a mixture of thermal and hill soaring. No expensive retrieval necessary as long as I kept in range of the hill. Actually the thermals were quite vigorous and it was difficult to stay in the centre. The resulting roller coaster ride gave me the well recognised signs of needing to be sick and I decided to land and postpone my flight until after lunch. For some reason I can't remember, I never did make that flight. When I wanted to go cross country it seemed simpler to have a fan whirling round in front of me and not to have a team of friends ready to bring me home if necessary.
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,856
Likes: 75
From: uk
On the subject of sea legs, my son was making a video from the ground of the first practice flight of the season for a very experienced display and ex-fast jet pilot in a Yak50. At the end of the flight, he taxied in, shut down, got out and went to the hedge and was sick. As far as I know this pilot did fly in more sedate aircraft during the close season, and I would be amazed if this didn't include some more gentle aeros.
Joined: Mar 2002
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 3,385
Likes: 317
From: near an aeroplane
I once had a student (on an integrated ATPL course) who was sick during all of his early dual flights. He was motivated, so we stuck him in the back for any of his classmates' lessons in C172s (with a suitable supply of sick bags) and well before he went solo, the motion sickness problems had gone away.
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
Likes: 144
From: Cornwall
I once had a student (on an integrated ATPL course) who was sick during all of his early dual flights. He was motivated, so we stuck him in the back for any of his classmates' lessons in C172s (with a suitable supply of sick bags) and well before he went solo, the motion sickness problems had gone away.
Joined: Jun 2002
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 7,175
Likes: 294
From: Nanaimo (CAC8)
The only times I feel airsick these days is if I am instructing in the back seat of a glider on a turbulent day. The solution is "I have control - let me demonstrate something." 
Joined: Nov 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 3,144
Likes: 741
From: UK
It was in 1998 when I did my ATPL. I assume screens are still used for the IFR exams ?
Joined: Mar 2002
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 3,385
Likes: 317
From: near an aeroplane
Joined: Sep 2001
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 2,783
Likes: 203
From: Toronto
Flying gliders, every spring I need to tame the tummy butterflies. You feel better after using a bag. Remember to take extras.
As for temperatures, fly early in the morning. In gliders we sometimes park under a cloud to cool off. I also ask my students to keep their vent open.
As for temperatures, fly early in the morning. In gliders we sometimes park under a cloud to cool off. I also ask my students to keep their vent open.
