Airsickness

[Tahoe]

I have a question regarding airsickness. I fly all the time currently for work, but it's in larger planes. In the past growning up I've often ended up getting an upset stomach, but never physically yacking when I've been on some crazy fair rides...did any of you have similar problems you had to overcome, or is it different flying smaller planes??

Thanks for the insight!!

-Dave

 

[Frumby]

Unfortunately Dave,
Yes I did. First off, let me point out that I could never get myself sick. Only when I had an instructor flying and pulling "G's" or a crazed SNA who believed that TACFORM is flown throughout the entire throws of the stick. As a student, I was able to get sick and continue flying. Others were completely incapacitated. Eventually, I developed a g tolerance and I was never bothered again. You can work through it. I promise.
If it gets to a point that you become incapacitated, the Navy will send you to Pcola to build your g tolerance. The spin and puke is not a fun experience or so my former studs told me. It entails sitting in a chair which spins at a constant revolution and puking until you can't anymore. You do this twice a day for 6 weeks. The idea being, you build a tolerance to your inner ear and at the end of 6 weeks, you can sit in the chair and not puke.
Most of the time, SNA's getting sick is a factor of them just being nervous. If you find you are prone to being queasy, don't drink anything caffienated before you fly. Water is always good. Doc's told me to eat a pastry to settle my stomach. I'll be damned if it didn't work. Let me reiterate that I could never get myself sick only when the stick was given to someone else and we were in an agressive hop, mainly TACFORM. Good luck. Semper Fi! Frumby

Attack Pilot
Major USMC

 

[Jack]

Just to expand on what the Major wrote:

I have a very good friend/classmate of mine who has experienced every level of airsickness from mild discomfort to incapacitating naseua. He was given adaptation flights in the T-2C after his initial experiences. The flight surgeon worked with him and he was continually put on the schedule for non-graded adaptation flights. He got almost all the way through the syllaubs without anymore problems. Unfortunately once he started the Guns portion of training his friends Ralph and Chuck showed their ugly heads again. He is now in Pensacola at SPAD, Spin and Puke. He has been there for several weeks. Not only is he receiving the actual centrifuge training he is also receiving some sort of psychological conditioning to help him with the nerves that may be the root of all evil.
When he returns to Meridian he will be given a couple of non-graded flights in the jet and then restart the Gun syllabus. Hopefully all of this help will have worked. If not, he will be given a transtition to helos or hercs.

Again, this is just one example. It should be added that the student had excellent procedural knowledge and a great attitude about overcoming this problem.

Hope that example helps answer any of the questions you had.

Jack
VT-7, NAS Meridian

jec