I am enrolled in a flight class and had my first flight yesterday, which went pretty well except that I got motion sick. The problem for me is that I don't really want to use medications whether it is prescription (too expensive) or over-the-counter because of drowsiness so I couldn't concentrate. I am wondering how you pilots deal with this. Any kind of advice would be much appreciated. Sincerely,
FC

You want full stomach, heavy foods but not drinkies like coffee/tea etc.

Also, if you actually puked, then you need to take bags with you but much better still is to stick your head out of the windown, if it is a Cessna (don`t try this in a Piper Warrior.

Keep going up, it will prove that you really want to fly. Take extra money with you to buy the instructor beers, this will put him back on your side - make sure you offer, strongly, to clean it up yourself - in fact, insist. He will sympathise, we all do... the Royal Air Force put you on a machine which goes up and down and round and round and basivcally makes you sick as a lost ticket lottery winner but it all goes to stop it happening.

If you get to fly you will rarely be sick, if you are controlling the aircraft.

Do not be sick on your instructor.

Keep going up, reading maps on busses will aclimatise you to reading when in motion. Fear is a nice one to consider, either stop fearing or scare yourself w i t l e s s this way you will be distracted from chucking all over the windowscreen.

Avoid Makrel Curry.

Remeber, you are not the first and you will not be the last one to be sick whilst training. It does go off, it does get easier. I was never actually sick but I felt pukey sometimes, it does wear off but it is a b---h if you are trying to fly the lesson you have just learned on the ground in the classroom.

Also, the fairer sex, stick a pin-up of a lovely of your choice, on your locker door or on the inside of the flap in your flight bag, that way when you look at it - well, you are hardly likely to feel sick...

Oysters anyone?

Seriously, keep yourself cool, lots of fresh air... I am afraid the only cure is to keep going up and hopefully the discomfort will become manageable then becom less then disappear.

Anotehr beauuuuuuuuutiful cure id to fly on top of a cloud layer at about two inches from the surface - the sensation of speed is terrifice and you can drop down into the gullies of the clouds and up over the ridges, this is terrific fun and if you mess up on your way down the cloud tops don`t damage the aircraft. Another one, for when you are MUCH better is to find a BIG Cu and fly right up the out side of it puuullll the nose up to the vertical and you will climb up the face of this isolated Cu, then, before you lose you r airspeed, do a chandelle vertical turn (whatever) bring it round on SOME rudder and after cutting power when pointing downwards you can slide down the side of the cloud/mountain and when you have a decent airspeed, raise the nose to just above the horizon, wait for a decent airspeed and climb away.

SUCH FUN !!!!!

y`see you can have all this when you have finished being sick!!!


1/. Eat heavy food, not liquids.

2/. Don`t do aerobatics.

3/. Have a sympathetic instructor.

4/ Have FUN flying stuff like the above manooooover!!

5/ If, if you wanna fly, they you have to Percy Veere. It will all be worth it in the end.

6/. Remeber, it is noisy, it stinks of fuel and fumes, it is uncomfortable and it vibrates, so, I would say you are doing pretty well so far dude.

Stick with it. Also, watch Top Gun, this will cure you considerably.

Don`t fly head in the shed.

Also, please, never fly on an empty stomach, unless you are on stand by to fly the escort fighter jet for Air Force One - make some excuse not to fly until you have been well fed.

I personally, would prefer to lose a job than to go up hungry - a distinct no no. Unless they laid on crew food of course.

Thank you for the advice Fast Jet. I will take all of those into consideration. Lucky enough I have a sympathetic instructor so that helps a lot. Unfortunately, I'm only 18 and can't by my instructor a beer, but thanks for hint anyway. I am training in a Piper Warrior so the window is a little too small for my head, but I do have an airvent which helps a little. I will keep going like you said and hopefully it will get better pretty soon.
FC

I wouldn't put too much stock into what happened on your first flight in a small aircraft. Most pilots that I fly with all had at least minor issues with motion sickness on their first flights, and I was no different. For me it was in a C152 that my younger brother was flying after he got his PPL, so the plane was tiny, the day was hot, and those two factors didn't mix well together. It got a little better every time I went flying with him until it just completely went away.

I get the feeling it has a lot to do with feeling in control of the aircraft. Once you understand why the aircraft is moving the way that it is moving, you'll probably feel better.

Good luck!

Yah, the flight was pretty rough. One part of a storm had just passed over, but the visibility was good enough that we could fly, but the second part of the storm hadn't arrived yet. So technically we were flying in-between two storm cells with clouds broken at about 4,500ft., which means turbulence. Thanks again for the advice and I'm glad I'm not the only one out there who is affected.
FC

I had the same problem. My trial flight, I was on an empty stomach (my parents said we were going to a restaurant to eat, so I hadnt bothered to have breakfast (only on the way to this 'restaurant' did they reveal I was going to the airport for my first flight)). Long story short, I puked. Lukily my instructor saw I was getting ill and handed me a sickbag just in time. Oh, and that was a hot day/ small plane again. I took travel sickness pills for my first few flights but found I didnt need them after just a few lessons. When you're flying especially, its all good. The only other time I've felt really sick is when my instructor thought he'd show me some spins. I could barely fly straight and level after that!

Anyway, as Fast Jet said, just percivere. Excitement and nerves can go to make things worse too. Give yourself plenty of fresh air, take a few mints up with you (a huge help for me.... extra strong mints) and request to take control if you're feeling a bit icky.

Good luck!

As much as possible, keep your focus outside the airplane and on the horizon. Focusing inside the cockpit while maneuvering causes vertigo and that causes nausea. I realize you must scan the instruments and that there is a lot of in cockpit activity, but work into that plenty of outside vision time and you will be fine.

And if I may add my two-penneth worth: For the next forty or fifty hours or so, you should be mainly concentrating on what is outside anyway. The clocks and dials and things will only indicate the "correct" values when the picture outside is right. There are far too many people who concenrate on the little picture on the inside when the big picture outside is the clearest easiet to use.

PM

That's what I'm trying to work on. It is hard at first not to get focused on the altimeter, heading indicator, and other various instruments. Takes time and concentration to break bad habits.

That right there is pretty good advice...

Lots of good advice here actually. Good luck.

No kidding. I keep Ziploc bags in my flight bag in case something should go very wrong. I really appreciate all the advice that you guys have given. I just hope I can do enough on this next flight to get a completion. Well, you guys have given me hope and that's what I wanted. Thanks.
FC

Here's a good and quick read on the subject:

http://www.ironshrink.com/articles.php?art...motion_sickness

That was a good article. The problem that I have is that I can look at the horizon and be fine, but then I have to check my instruments quickly and those quick eye movements back and forth combined with turbulent air don't mix well.

I think you'll eventually get over the tendancy once you have become accustomed to flying.

I didnt think you could do anything for motion sickness.

Regards,
Chris

There are quite a few things you can do. Just shows to go ya'.

Gln said:



I knew you would eventually be used to it but I just thought you had to sit and wait till it happens, and when you were used to it you would still feel a little convulsing but you'd just "blank it out" some how.

You do learn new stuff every day - even if you are not at school / college - its the hols here in the UK (don't worry I don't skive school!!!)

Regards,
Chris