Ear-popping and air sickness
 

I've noticed that during some flights I've been on I've had some quite intense ear-popping experiences. Just wondering if pilots get used to this or have any special techniques to overcome it. Also do any professional pilots remember getting airsick at all during training. I've had two trial flights and was sick on one of them (although I enjoyed them both thoroughly). I remember reading somewhere once that not having an empty stomach can help alleviate air sickness in small aircraft.

To clear the ears I and many others use the valsalva technique. This involves holding the nose and gently blowing through it to equalise the pressure.
Yes, I have been airsick during flight training. Very hot and rough day on a PPL cross country. Another time during spin training for my instructor rating. Later as a pax in a C206. Very first time was my one and only experience in a glider. Haven't been in one since. :D

Re the ear popping. It shouldn't be happening too often. Make sure your ears are fine to fly before you get going. Do the above technique, there should be no difference in the rate at which they equalise. If there is, consider not flying. Make no mistake, otic barotrauma hurts.

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully the airsickness was a one off (it was quite turbulent, alot of rising and sinking). Am I right in presuming that they will check your ears during a class 1 medical?

Edd,
Don't worry about the air sickness it is something which will pass with time. I have known a couple of guys during pilot training in the Air Force who were ill for a while.It is part nerves and part getting used to it.
As for the ears. the greatest pressure changes in the atmosphere occur in the first 25'000 feet. Someone correct if I am wrong but the pressure at 25'000 is 1/3 what it is at sea level. So you can see that having your ears "pop" is very natural due to the large differences. As redsnail says the "valsalva" is a good technique if you are descending. Just as you do if you are diving in the deep end of a swimming pool to ease the pain in your ears. When climbing i find yawning, swallowing or moving your jaw from side to side can relieve any pressure/discomfort. If you have a cold don't fly!! Finally they should check your ears on any medical!;)
Cheers

Thanks for the posts, very reassuring. I was a little anxious because I'm starting my ATPL training in Janurary.

airsickness
 

...and don't worry about the airsickness! I started my initial training in Arizona during the summer... There, the question was who didn't get sick on their first flights. (thermals, wind and temperatures way past the 110...)

wish you luck!

I used to get sore ears and airsick as a commercial pax an my first few flights but soon got used to it and it hasn't happened for years.

Same is true of doing a PPL in a light aircraft - haven't felt sick for ages - my first experiences with 'steep turns' - also in the heat of Arizona as it happens, was the only time. One thing I would say though, as you suggest, never fly on an empty stomach. If you're worried before flying, try somthing light like a couple of slices of toast - works for me. Avoid rich foods for quite a while before flying - a curry, even 12 or 18 hours before flying can be a bad idea.

Chuck Yaeger got airsick the first time he flew. :)

Yes they (Dr's) do check your ears.

Just make sure you don't have a cold when you fly.
Reason 1 is:
As you climb (assuming that your sinuses are blocked) the pressure will try to equalize. During the climb this might be noticed by some ever so slight popping between the eyes or somewhere in that region. After a while the pressure is the same both outside and inside your sinuses. However, soon you decide to descend and the pressures try to equalize once again. BUT: the gunge and suff blocking the sinus cavity works like a one-way valve. At this point you risk drawing up this gunge up into the sinuses. And as I was told during my HF class, the sinuses have no natural way of draining themselves! One pilot that I know of sufferes from chronich infection in his sinuses and it is apparantly not pleasant!
Reason 2 is:
A cold usually implies a swollen throat. With this comes a swelling of the eustachian tube which acts as an pressure equalizing valve for the middle ear. If this is swollen to the point where no air can pass from one end to the other you better stay on ground. This is not allways easy to asses but try to use your common sense! If you feel your ears pop while you fly this is a sign that your eustachian tube is in some degree blocked. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes it doesn't.

Common to these two above described factors is that the effects usually show upon descent. Tell tale signs may appear during climb but the pain adds on during descent. The only way to make things better is to decrease ROD and perhaps do the descent in steps to let the pressures equalize in peace and quite.

Another thing to keep in mind is the altitude. If you fly the traffic circuit for example your altitude will be around 500 to 1000 ft and this is usually sustainable with a slight cold but with a heavy cold you're better off on ground.

So basically, unless you've got a chronic cold, the symptoms you described should be "one off".

Best regards/lns

Another technique: When I used to Scuba dive, which involves pressure changes within the sinuses magnitudes greater than involved in flying, simply repeatedly swallowing hard helped me equalise the pressure, works for me when flying also. I find it less painful than the ‘pinch the nose and blow..’ technique.

airsckness
 

there i was in the runway caravan at cranwell one day. a bulldog takes off on an air experience flight with an officer cadet pax. "going to barkston" says the instructor and just before he switched off his mike came the sound of his pax saying"urghh" or something like that! 10 minutes later said aircraft does the most gentle of landings, "charlie 83 the ambulance will meet you in dispersal" says the tower. and that taught an officer cadet to go on the lash during the weeek!

Don't worry, the stomach will be like old boot leather after a while, the ears like an old drum. Eustachian tubes like a London Underground tunnel! Never heard of anyone unable to continue flying due to excessive honking! It will pass.

Yes, in 99% of cases the problems should go away with acclimatization. But seek medical advice if they persist. The two are not unrelated. Anyone who has experienced vertigo knows that nauseau and vomiting are induced by serious upsets to the ears' balance mechanism. And there can be physiological causes for eustachian problems.
The body changes with advancing age, uncorrected ear maladies can become chronic in a few cases. In the worst scenario you could lose your medical.