Motion Sickness: a barrier for a potential aviator?

I have recently been seriously contemplating beginning the process to apply for a USMC OCS slot and then an Air contract. It seems that I only get motion sickness when I'm sitting still and not actively doing anything (sitting on a commercial plane, riding as a passenger) I'm prior service and I used to crew on CH53E's. As a crew member it only hit me my first few flights then it seems like afterwards as long as I was distracted or moving around I was fine. It seemed that after the first few flights I wasn't affected as long as I was doing something or occupied. At my current job I fly every so often as a passenger on Huey's and I get nausea pretty bad. So my question is, does anyone think this will be a barrier to becoming a pilot? I spoke to some of the pilots at my job and they said you get used to it after flying awhile, is this true? Are pilots allowed to take motion sickness medicine? I know the regs on taking any kind of meds are pretty strict. Thanks!

...or do like folks I know did and vomit every day in flight school (NAVY only... AF frowns on that, apparently if you go vance) and then pick HERCs or helos.

Feeling ill sucks, especially when you're tasked with something, and even more so when that includes flying. I struggled with airsickness in Primary for a while... it sucks from the standpoint that 1) you feel awful, and 2) you still have to preform. I never was given any meds. The IPs are usually pretty good about flying straight and level to let you get your head on straight, but it never really went away for me until about an hour after landing. Like you, it was the worst for me when I wasn't at the controls. But, like others have told you, it does tend to go away. I'm in Kingsville now and had a couple flights where I felt a little sick, but nowhere near what I felt in the 34. It gets better...

Dude, it happens to lots of us. Trust me, Ive been there..... http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php/149182-First-spin-Airsick.-What-s-next

If this is what u want, u can do it.

A buddy of mine here would get sick from the fumes during the flight. He started going on O2 for the flight. He got made fun of a lot for it, but he says he had zero problems once he starting doing it. Makes sense.

I remember the smell, I'd say it could be described as 1/3 vomit, 1/3 exhaust and 1/3 pure fear....

I got queasy a lot of the time I did low work in the 34, never in the 45 and a few times in the landing pattern in the 44.
For me it was all about temperature. Down low doing LAPLs in the 34 made me hate life with that pathetic a/c spiting condensation all over me mixed with vomit from countless generations of SNA's. That and I was that guy who always made sure to have my flight suit rolled down and velcro'ed over my gloves b/c I didn't want anyone to yell at me.
In the 45 the airvents were at a perfect location for me and I never rolled my sleeves down allowing the air to shoot up my arms, plus I was a weirdo who liked having a mask on for the airflow as well. I survived everything that was thrown at me including 4 WEPS hops I was able to trunk. I love that little jet with a passion.
In the 44 it was sitting in the back while my fellow E2/C2 classmate figured out what that thing called a "rudder" was.... I still have no idea either, but it made me a little uneasy after bounce number 30 or so but never as bad as the 34.

He'd have no problem meeting the Navy's height/weight standards, so at least he'd have that much going for him with this plan.

eat bananas before you go flying.
...
they taste the same comming up as they did going down.

good luck, kid.
(been there done that a time or three)

I had an aerobatic stud a while back that would get motion sick after fifteen minutes or so of training, he tried eating ginger snaps before we flew and said that it helped him.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/motion-sickness-000110.htm

Ginger as a remedy is mentioned a ways down the page. Good luck.

I had an aerobatic student that used to get motion sickness after about 15 minutes of training. He started eating ginger snaps before we flew and that seemed to help him. After reading about it, ginger can be used to cure motion sickness. Good luck.

Thanks for the responses guys, I guess my biggest concern was getting there and not being able to perform because I'm too busy trying to keep my lunch down. Much appreciated!

Oh, since there was some talk of exhaust fumes- worst moment for me was when we were grounding turning on a 53E in Bahrain. The winds just happened to be just right to the point where it seemed like the exhaust from all three engines were filling up the cabin. Combined with the 105 degree weather that day and the 30 minute wait we did there it was one of the most unpleasant moments ever!

Believe it or not, even pilots get motion sickness in a Herc, although I'm still trying to figure out how. The loadmasters probably have it worst because all those bumps from the turbulence affect the back of the plane the worst, right where their station is.

To the OP, everyone has given you very good advice. If you were able to hack it as a crew chief on shitters, then I'll bet you will be able to overcome whatever motion sickness you get in the T-34/T-6

This thread answers a few questions I had, since I'm about to put apply for an air contract- and I've gotten motion sickness a few times. I'm assuming it's the same deal with seasickness? Does this go away on the boat after a few days?

Hey man, I know where you are coming from. I knew just from past experience that I was going to have problems in flight school. It started in IFS and got worse into primary. For me it was totally incapacitating. I was throwing up 3-4 times within the first 15min of flight. I was also a Vance student which meant very soon after I started, I was auto-unsating flights because of puking. I went to the spin chair 23+ plus times and had my friends spin me on the weekends.

I won't bore you with all the details but both the Navy and AF will do whatever they can to keep a student from attriting simply for airsickness. The AF gets a bad rap because they unsat people...their program and MASS scoring systems allows AF studs to unsat for airsickness and make it through grade wise. Unfortunately, when you take an AF designed system (MPTS syllabus + TIMS) and try and make it fit the Navy's way of doing things you run into problems.

After selecting helos, I felt nothing all through helo advanced.

I didn't feel anything throughout my first few flights in the 60S. However, when I observed a fam flight in the back, I thought I was going to cover the cabin with vomit...especially when they were doing autos.

I know I am rambling but from someone who almost attrited for airsickness, I can tell you that you can most likely gut it out as long as you want it enough. Thats ASSUMING you actually have a problem. From what I have heard, the 53 is NOTORIOUS for making crewman sick. I've never been in one but just from looking at one and talking to some 53 to 60 transition pilots, the 53 has little visibility in the cabin. Plus, if they have the back open, I bet its a huge mindf**k looking out there and seeing the horizon moving.

Feel free to PM me with any concerns. I have some "unofficial" methods for combating airsickness--besides the typical "just take some ginger" or "just relax, its all mental" responses.

I hope I calmed some of your fears. Don't think about it now, deal with it as it comes.

Best of luck.

I totally did not mean for what I said to come off the way it did. What I meant is that it was frustrating at Vance an unsat for airsickness wouldn't do much against me if I was under the AF grading scheme. However, when I came back to the Navy with 14+ unsats right when 5 unsats became the magic number was an issue. Ultimately, it was resolved. So that's all I meant was that MPTS was designed to allow for unsats and still progress. However, it got interesting when I had my jacket review and people were like "you had how many unsats!!!???"

Was not trying to speak to something I am not an expert in.

I know a guy who got sick for the first time on a PA flight. He completed the ride, but it was the flight before his first PA solo. Some black magic was worked and he ended up getting a couple extra PA flights so he could still do his 2 PA solos.