I am majoring in aviation and i only have like 15 hours but I am still getting airsick. I know it can take some time but my question is what will speed it up. I get airsick when ever i feel some G's. When I am flying should i pratice maneuvers, and turn sharp, and fly hard to make myself sick and keep going or can i just fly normally and adjust at the same rate? Also should i take Dramamine or will that not help me adjust? I am terrified that i may never get used to it.
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airsickness again
- Thread starter jooman360
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First up, there's a bunch of other airsickness threads, and the "science" hasn't really changed. I'd recommend going through those. But the short of it is that it takes time. I wouldn't recommend Dramamine because it makes you drowsy. People have pretty good luck w/ ginger (either chewing on a piece of the root before flying or taking ginger pills). No one can say how long it's going to take you to adapt, but the key is to be consistent. Don't fly every 2 weeks and expect it to go away. If you're up to it, practicing steep turns are an easy way to load a little G and try and get acclimated, but it's no help if it ends up incapacitating you while in the cockpit. That's just wasting your time and money.
Lastly, stop worrying about it. That's probably a big part of it. I know that's easier said than done, but remember to relax.
Is that what you tell all your new students?
My best advice:
Fly Helicopters. No G's to fvck you up. I was in the same boat, and battled airsickness all through Primary. 7 pinksheets, and a TON of "elimination rides"... but once I got to the HT's and started with the rotors... I never even felt queasy once.
I lost 20 pounds in the first month on the flightline... couldn't keep any food down. I basically lived on Boost/Ensure, bananas, and almonds. If it comes down to it, and you're flying enough that you are feeling ill and losing you're stomach once or twice a day... the Almonds and Boost give you protein you need... if you can stomach bagels and breads they're good for you, but they always came up on me too... and they were painful.
Banana's and those chocolate-meal-replacement shakes are awesome... because even if they come up on you... they taste the same and have the same consistency as when they went down. Laugh if you like guys, but when you're getting sick once or twice a day, your throat is constantly sore.
The long and short of it is... yes, eventually it goes away. It was not near so bad for me for my last 10 flights or so in primary... but it was always there a little... for some people (or most people) it did go away completely eventually. I just never could handle a small fixed wing for some reason. I chose to stick it out, and even when it was really rough... and I wanted to quite... I made the decision they were going to have to wash me out. You need to keep a positive mindset, and it's hard through airsickness... but keep your eyes on the prize.
PM me if you need any more help... and P.S. Ginger pill's dont do shit except make your puke taste rancid
Fly Helicopters. No G's to fvck you up. I was in the same boat, and battled airsickness all through Primary. 7 pinksheets, and a TON of "elimination rides"... but once I got to the HT's and started with the rotors... I never even felt queasy once.
I lost 20 pounds in the first month on the flightline... couldn't keep any food down. I basically lived on Boost/Ensure, bananas, and almonds. If it comes down to it, and you're flying enough that you are feeling ill and losing you're stomach once or twice a day... the Almonds and Boost give you protein you need... if you can stomach bagels and breads they're good for you, but they always came up on me too... and they were painful.
Banana's and those chocolate-meal-replacement shakes are awesome... because even if they come up on you... they taste the same and have the same consistency as when they went down. Laugh if you like guys, but when you're getting sick once or twice a day, your throat is constantly sore.
The long and short of it is... yes, eventually it goes away. It was not near so bad for me for my last 10 flights or so in primary... but it was always there a little... for some people (or most people) it did go away completely eventually. I just never could handle a small fixed wing for some reason. I chose to stick it out, and even when it was really rough... and I wanted to quite... I made the decision they were going to have to wash me out. You need to keep a positive mindset, and it's hard through airsickness... but keep your eyes on the prize.
PM me if you need any more help... and P.S. Ginger pill's dont do shit except make your puke taste rancid
I get a little queezy if I am not controlling the jet....I jumped in the back of a pretty dynamic flight last week and had some pizza beforehand....'nuff said. Go jets, XC possibilities are limitless in jets. Oh yeah...at 15 hours, you know how to get the plane on the ground without SEVERELY damaging it, you have a lot of time to fix the airsickness problem. PS-rethink that aviation major thing.
My Best Advice:
Fly Jets. Like Purdue I got sick plenty of times in Primary (something like 19 times) on all flights regardless. I took the drugs they give you and started taking Ginger Pills. Neither really helped out much. Slowly it started getting better. I got sick for the last time in Forms after a bumpy first flight, some chili at the outlying field and then some barrel rolls to reset us for Break Up and Rendezvous. I selected Jets and was nervous as hell that I would continue puking with the higher Gs. When I got to Fams during a Meridian summer, I was ecstatic to find myself feeling fine. My belief is that not only did I slowly acclimatize to flying, but the T-45 lacked the nasty gas smell of the T-34. I felt queezy in the Cessna with that same smell. I have a feeling that I would have still felt like shit if I had flown Helos because i heard that the smell is still prevalent.
Obviously this is just how I reacted to flying smaller planes. See if you can do something to eliminate the smell and it might help you. As for Gs, you just need to let your body get accustomed to them. Nothing much else you can do for that.
PM if you have any other questions about getting sick.
Fly Jets. Like Purdue I got sick plenty of times in Primary (something like 19 times) on all flights regardless. I took the drugs they give you and started taking Ginger Pills. Neither really helped out much. Slowly it started getting better. I got sick for the last time in Forms after a bumpy first flight, some chili at the outlying field and then some barrel rolls to reset us for Break Up and Rendezvous. I selected Jets and was nervous as hell that I would continue puking with the higher Gs. When I got to Fams during a Meridian summer, I was ecstatic to find myself feeling fine. My belief is that not only did I slowly acclimatize to flying, but the T-45 lacked the nasty gas smell of the T-34. I felt queezy in the Cessna with that same smell. I have a feeling that I would have still felt like shit if I had flown Helos because i heard that the smell is still prevalent.
Obviously this is just how I reacted to flying smaller planes. See if you can do something to eliminate the smell and it might help you. As for Gs, you just need to let your body get accustomed to them. Nothing much else you can do for that.
PM if you have any other questions about getting sick.
Bumper365
New Member
The first time I flew I was nervous about it and always took Dramamine. Not recommended, Gatordev is right about the drowsiness. Ginger works pretty effectively. I'm not airsick at all anymore but Ginger would be what I'd have to recommend. Also practice a couple of maneuvers and getting a little more accumulative to it helps.
Tickle
Member
I was a major yacker and had great abs to prove it. My philosophy was that I would rather puke every flight than drive a ship. Agree with the jet comments. I think the O2 mask definitely helped. If you think about getting sick you will get sick so try not to worry yourself into airsickness. Don't take the Dramamine, you will be wasted. Eat stuff that tastes the same going both ways and things that will absorb the acid/bile in your stomach (bread, bananas, mild cheese). Become a pro at having the puke bag at the ready. I was lucky because once I tossed my cookies I felt great. The best way is just to fly your nuts off (the whole acclimation thing). Also, make sure you tie off those puke bags tight...not a pretty sight in a dynamic flight.
A.V.8.R.1990
New Member
Disqualified???
I have a quick question...I have researched airsickness and couldn't find the exact answer to this. If you get airsick, can they stop you from getting jets??? I'm sure it depends on the severity of the sickness, but if you know you are going to get sick, should you tell the instructor, or is it best to stay quiet???? Also, is going to the flight doctor a bad idea, and will that definetely hurt your chances of jets??? What would be the best thing to do for an aviator struggling with airsickness in primary??? Who should i tell, when should i tell them...and what should i ask for as far as drugs...??? To sum this all up...what is the most i can get away with as far as telling people/taking drugs...and still be able to get jets if my grades are good enough...
I have a quick question...I have researched airsickness and couldn't find the exact answer to this. If you get airsick, can they stop you from getting jets??? I'm sure it depends on the severity of the sickness, but if you know you are going to get sick, should you tell the instructor, or is it best to stay quiet???? Also, is going to the flight doctor a bad idea, and will that definetely hurt your chances of jets??? What would be the best thing to do for an aviator struggling with airsickness in primary??? Who should i tell, when should i tell them...and what should i ask for as far as drugs...??? To sum this all up...what is the most i can get away with as far as telling people/taking drugs...and still be able to get jets if my grades are good enough...
First of all, you realize that a good percentage of the audience to whom you pose this question represents the "they" in your question, right? No one's going to help you game the system. The procedures for handling airsickness are well established, and if you make it to primary, you will undoubtedly figure them out before you get to the airplane. You really have little say in the matter regarding visiting the flight doc, etc; it's all mandated. About the only thing you can control is whether or not you tell someone if you get "passively airsick" (unless you're a ninja with your puke bag). But if that's the only symptom you ever experience, odds are you'll adapt soon enough without any extra attention.
Secondly, you could have deduced from others' posts that getting airsick in primary is not necessarily a showstopper for selecting tailhook/jets. A little research would have revealed that it's actually more common than you might think. On the other hand, if you're worried about tossing your cookies every minute you spend in a Cessna, then I don't know if there's any hope for you.
A.V.8.R.1990
New Member
thanks for the reply...i understand what you're saying...i wasn't trying to juke the system...only trying to find out the best way to approach the whole airsickness problem...just a concerned wannabe, hoping a speed bump in the process won't ruin my dreams...thanks again ...i'll take your advice...i appreciate it...
As someone who used to get nauseous reading a book in a car or on the bus as a kid, I understand your concerns. I always assumed I would be one of the many plagued by airsickness in primary, but luckily I was practically unaffected. I will say, however, that the Navy's approach to handling the problem for those who struggle has enjoyed remarkable success. Most are able to overcome their issues through time in the spin chair and one or a few adaptation flights. You can still attrite due to airsickness, but it's pretty uncommon. I don't really know to what extent it becomes a factor in track selection, but again it's going to be out of your hands. It's best to not worry about it until you find out if you in fact are even going to be affected.
A buddy of mine from NROTC had to leave the program for air sickness, but I never heard what the process was... how severe it had to be to be removed...
Will they pinksheet you for puking? What is an elimination ride?
If you simply look about 3 posts up, the post from well over a year ago, your question is pretty much answered as to the jet thing.
At some point, you will have to go to the flight doc for as an IP, I'm going to easily recognize when you're puking. If it's affecting your performance in a negative way, I would think you would want to get help anyway. A flight doc will know what to do.
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