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airsickness prognosis
- Thread starter pocketsizejesus
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I would not recommend the grease route....may work for some, but I have a hard time believing some one prone to airsickness would be helped by this(other than the very occasional exception to the rule.)
I was fortunate enough to never get sick in the -34...thank god. I did have a couple of buddies that got sick on about their first 5 rides AND every single PA hop. I recommended peanut butter toast (which I ate religiously for my first two weeks of flying) and HYDRATE like a muthafVcka. They both said they noticed a big improvement.
It seems that the majority of people seem to have trouble down low( in the pattern, low work) and IMHO it is the combination of nerves, heat, humidity and that gear you have on as well as being strapped into about the most uncomfortable seat every designed.
Sooo....
Try this
1. hydrate to the point of having to piss continously
2. Peanut butter toast for breakfast (or the meal before your flight whichever)
3. Bring some water or gatorade with you on your flight
4. When your down low, have the IP take the controls and LOOSEN your straps
5. Consider getting a chest extender from PR's in order to give you a little more room in your chute(should only apply to bigger individuals)
6. Make sure the A/C vents are pointed toward your face ( yeah I know the A/C is a freakin joke down low)
7. Worry not......it will pass.
Best of luck and give us an update on how things are going
Good luck
I was fortunate enough to never get sick in the -34...thank god. I did have a couple of buddies that got sick on about their first 5 rides AND every single PA hop. I recommended peanut butter toast (which I ate religiously for my first two weeks of flying) and HYDRATE like a muthafVcka. They both said they noticed a big improvement.
It seems that the majority of people seem to have trouble down low( in the pattern, low work) and IMHO it is the combination of nerves, heat, humidity and that gear you have on as well as being strapped into about the most uncomfortable seat every designed.
Sooo....
Try this
1. hydrate to the point of having to piss continously
2. Peanut butter toast for breakfast (or the meal before your flight whichever)
3. Bring some water or gatorade with you on your flight
4. When your down low, have the IP take the controls and LOOSEN your straps
5. Consider getting a chest extender from PR's in order to give you a little more room in your chute(should only apply to bigger individuals)
6. Make sure the A/C vents are pointed toward your face ( yeah I know the A/C is a freakin joke down low)
7. Worry not......it will pass.
Best of luck and give us an update on how things are going
Good luck
Puked plenty in primary and advanced.... I'll reiterate the ginger, the subway sandwich or PB&J, and lots of water. Pull your gloves off or down and get some air on your wrists... that helps cool you down. There is also a pressure point on your wrist, press down about 2 finger widths from the heel of your hand and you should get some relief. Finally, go ahead and puke it out- trying to muscle through it and keep it in never helps.
beau said:
How about a "greasy Pork Sandwich served in a dirty ashtray"
Just kidding, hang in there, do the spin and puke training and try to be so ready you are not nervous. Also, you could see a FS to try dramamine or meclazine HCL before it gets too bad. Clearly would be last case as seeing the FS could also be the start of the end. But if it gets down to attrition due to motion sickness or seeing the FS...go to NOMI. But do not self medicate with this stuff and fly.
Oh yeah, had a friend who chundered in his glove..new callsign: Chunx
Driving the bus...
Phoning God on the porcelain phone...
Doing the Hookah...
Blowing Chunks...
Tossing the cookies...
any more..???
Geese
You guys are dangerous.
Lots of great advice here. I'm an instructor pilot and when I do one too many spins...well, it's one too many for me. Most aerobatic manuvers are fine for me though. I have never puked, but 5-6 spins can make me feel pretty sick. Especially when I do "one more".
Taking the controls is great, for a while after that "last spin" I couldn't take the controls though, had to get some air blowing in my face, and just relax, then about halfway back to the airport I took the controls and landed it, which helped immensely.
Knowing the ways to try and fight it (taking controls, loosening tight clothing, fresh air, looking outside) will help.
I knew a 50+yr old guy that went out and did 200 spins on one of his birthdays in his pitts S-2.
Taking the controls is great, for a while after that "last spin" I couldn't take the controls though, had to get some air blowing in my face, and just relax, then about halfway back to the airport I took the controls and landed it, which helped immensely.
Knowing the ways to try and fight it (taking controls, loosening tight clothing, fresh air, looking outside) will help.
I knew a 50+yr old guy that went out and did 200 spins on one of his birthdays in his pitts S-2.
pocketsizejesus
Do the chickens have large talons?
First off, I wasn't expecting nearly this many replies. Thanks fellas. I finally finished the Fam 1 completion flight today. (1 cancelled flight and 1 weekend have occurred since my last post). Today's flight went a lot better. Things that seem to have worked: PB&J for breakfast, a few ginger snaps, and a couple of ginger capsules right before the flight for that extra boost. Got a little queasy going up through the clouds today, but keeping my eyes glued to the instruments cleared that right up.
As for nervousness, so far I haven't been nervous yet about not knowing my stuff. The only thing I've been nervous about is getting sick. Problem is, getting nervous about getting sick is what gets people sick. Nasty little trap to get stuck in.
About those greasy foods, I don't want to go so far as to call bull****, but.... I can't think of way to finish this sentance. If it works for you, more power to you, but I'll be sticking to my trusty ginger and carbs, thank you.
On another note, someone aluded to putting pressure on your wrist to alleviate motion sickness, I took that one step further today. A friend gave me his old "Reliefband" device. Goes on like a watch, with the face on the underside of the wrist. It sends timed electrical impulses through the wrist, and (if correctly positioned) it stimulates an accupressure point in the wrist that is known to reduce nausea. Apparantly they prescribe this thing to chemo-therapy patients, pregnant chicks and so on. I'm not going to say it's a magic bullet, but I did wear it today and I didn't puke. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm keeping it.
As for nervousness, so far I haven't been nervous yet about not knowing my stuff. The only thing I've been nervous about is getting sick. Problem is, getting nervous about getting sick is what gets people sick. Nasty little trap to get stuck in.
About those greasy foods, I don't want to go so far as to call bull****, but.... I can't think of way to finish this sentance. If it works for you, more power to you, but I'll be sticking to my trusty ginger and carbs, thank you.
On another note, someone aluded to putting pressure on your wrist to alleviate motion sickness, I took that one step further today. A friend gave me his old "Reliefband" device. Goes on like a watch, with the face on the underside of the wrist. It sends timed electrical impulses through the wrist, and (if correctly positioned) it stimulates an accupressure point in the wrist that is known to reduce nausea. Apparantly they prescribe this thing to chemo-therapy patients, pregnant chicks and so on. I'm not going to say it's a magic bullet, but I did wear it today and I didn't puke. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm keeping it.
pocketsizejesus said:
Wow, that sounded too good to be true. So I looked it up. www.reliefband.com Seems it's available in most drugstores. If it's not too expensive, I'll certainly try it out. Thanks for the info pocket. Fam 1 is in about another week for me so I'll try and keep you updated.
Don't be too quick to jump on the reliefband-wagon. For most people airsickness is something you will become acclimated to. Some people never puke, some people puke on only one flight, and some people have to go to the sit and spin. The flight docs have their system in place, and it has worked in the past. As much as puking sucks, you aren't the first person, nor will you be the last person to yack in a plane.
We don't need no Puking' Dogs .....
Perhaps you should join VF-143, Fitron 143, The Pukin' DOGS ??
Or .... Perhaps you are thinking this thing to excess ??
The rest of it -- don't worry about it. I ALMOST got sick on my first jet hop -- 2/C MIDN, scared, hot, sweaty, back seat, F-9, south Texas, summer, wearing lots of strange gear --- and --- we were on an ACM hop and they were trying to make us sick. When I was a STUD, "they" put me in the centrifuge in Pensacola to do some tests and see if I would get sick --- I never did -- mental stuff, again.
The only time I REALLY got sick was in the A-6 RAG @ Whidbey when they stuck me in the right seat on an ACM hop as a FRP when there were no FRBN's available !!! The instructor --left seat -- he was rough as a cob, an idiot, and a jerk to boot. I hung on until we were taxiing back into the ramp and I could not stand it any longer --- the jerk even taxi'ed ROUGH !! For a personal confidence level -- I never carried a "barf" bag but I needed one now --- sooooooo: I took off one of my flight gloves and "spit" up into it --- not much "stuff" as I never ate breakfast prior to the "Dawn Patrol". I always seemed to fly/do better on an empty stomach, no matter what the Flight Surgeon said. (it made me hungry? aggresive? a meat-eater? baloney sandwich? with mayonaise?)
(The only problem came much later as I threw my glove in the bottom of my locker and forgot about it -- for 3-4 months. When I cleared out my locker, there it was, frozen in time like a claw, like a garden scratcher. I buried it quietly in a trashcan ....)
In this layman's opinion, if you do not have some physiological "balance" problem -- you will not get sick if you do not dwell on it .... but are you doing just that .... ?? One thing for certain --- either "it" will stop, or you will not like Aviation .......
(smiles ... so no one hates me 
Or .... Perhaps you are thinking this thing to excess ??
The rest of it -- don't worry about it. I ALMOST got sick on my first jet hop -- 2/C MIDN, scared, hot, sweaty, back seat, F-9, south Texas, summer, wearing lots of strange gear --- and --- we were on an ACM hop and they were trying to make us sick. When I was a STUD, "they" put me in the centrifuge in Pensacola to do some tests and see if I would get sick --- I never did -- mental stuff, again.
The only time I REALLY got sick was in the A-6 RAG @ Whidbey when they stuck me in the right seat on an ACM hop as a FRP when there were no FRBN's available !!! The instructor --left seat -- he was rough as a cob, an idiot, and a jerk to boot. I hung on until we were taxiing back into the ramp and I could not stand it any longer --- the jerk even taxi'ed ROUGH !! For a personal confidence level -- I never carried a "barf" bag but I needed one now --- sooooooo: I took off one of my flight gloves and "spit" up into it --- not much "stuff" as I never ate breakfast prior to the "Dawn Patrol". I always seemed to fly/do better on an empty stomach, no matter what the Flight Surgeon said. (it made me hungry? aggresive? a meat-eater? baloney sandwich? with mayonaise?)
(The only problem came much later as I threw my glove in the bottom of my locker and forgot about it -- for 3-4 months. When I cleared out my locker, there it was, frozen in time like a claw, like a garden scratcher. I buried it quietly in a trashcan ....)
In this layman's opinion, if you do not have some physiological "balance" problem -- you will not get sick if you do not dwell on it .... but are you doing just that .... ?? One thing for certain --- either "it" will stop, or you will not like Aviation .......
(smiles ... so no one hates me
pocket,
I puked all the time .. on every one of the first 4 fams, then at least once per block after that. Got sick on PA's too. Was ok in Forms. There's already a good amount of great advice posted here, but if I could add my 2 cents it would be this : Have enough food in your stomach to throw up something ... there's nothing worse than ralphing up bile for ten minutes.
PUKE AND RALLY!!!
-it's motivating
I puked all the time .. on every one of the first 4 fams, then at least once per block after that. Got sick on PA's too. Was ok in Forms. There's already a good amount of great advice posted here, but if I could add my 2 cents it would be this : Have enough food in your stomach to throw up something ... there's nothing worse than ralphing up bile for ten minutes.
PUKE AND RALLY!!!
-it's motivating
Probably good for nothing here, but anyway....
I think I was the guy who puked on 75% of Primary flights... literally. All of the contacts and half of the RI's. (I made it through night fams though!) I never had even the slightest problem with airsickness in advanced props or in the P-3 RAG, so that might be a great place for you to end up...
My only advice is to make it completely innocuous for the instructor. That is vital. Bring the Ziploc bags with the sliding tops. Blow a little air in them and them slide the top shut... this makes it so that the plastic is not stuck together if a puke comes up real quick. Have them very handy by tucking one of the corners in the leg straps of the opposite leg of your knee board. When you feel a puke coming, just quickly pass the controls (I got to where I didn't need to pass controls), grab the bag, push/squeeze it out as fast as possible, slide the top shut, and throw it in the map case. Then make it a point to get the controls right back. The whole thing might only take about 10 seconds. If you make it quick and painless, they tend to have no problem with it becasue the actual act of puking did not affect the flow of the flight at all.
At this point, it just becomes mind over matter. You might feel queazy for a bit, but you have to just gut it out. I loved the flying, so that part was easy for me, becasue I was so worried I wouldn't be allowed to keep doing it if they felt like the puking was a safety of flight issue.
For those who say that the end doesn't justify the means, all the nausea was definitley worth it for me in the end... so I would advise you to hang in there.
My experiences for whatever they're worth...
P.S. I strongly agree with eating before you fly. I got much less sick when I did that, usually only puking once. Gatorade is better than water for hydration, not for the electrolytes, but because it tastes better coming up if it comes to that!
I think I was the guy who puked on 75% of Primary flights... literally. All of the contacts and half of the RI's. (I made it through night fams though!) I never had even the slightest problem with airsickness in advanced props or in the P-3 RAG, so that might be a great place for you to end up...
My only advice is to make it completely innocuous for the instructor. That is vital. Bring the Ziploc bags with the sliding tops. Blow a little air in them and them slide the top shut... this makes it so that the plastic is not stuck together if a puke comes up real quick. Have them very handy by tucking one of the corners in the leg straps of the opposite leg of your knee board. When you feel a puke coming, just quickly pass the controls (I got to where I didn't need to pass controls), grab the bag, push/squeeze it out as fast as possible, slide the top shut, and throw it in the map case. Then make it a point to get the controls right back. The whole thing might only take about 10 seconds. If you make it quick and painless, they tend to have no problem with it becasue the actual act of puking did not affect the flow of the flight at all.
At this point, it just becomes mind over matter. You might feel queazy for a bit, but you have to just gut it out. I loved the flying, so that part was easy for me, becasue I was so worried I wouldn't be allowed to keep doing it if they felt like the puking was a safety of flight issue.
For those who say that the end doesn't justify the means, all the nausea was definitley worth it for me in the end... so I would advise you to hang in there.
My experiences for whatever they're worth...
P.S. I strongly agree with eating before you fly. I got much less sick when I did that, usually only puking once. Gatorade is better than water for hydration, not for the electrolytes, but because it tastes better coming up if it comes to that!
A4sForever said:Perhaps you should join VF-143, Fitron 143, The Pukin' DOGS ??
Or .... Perhaps you are thinking this thing to excess ??
[/b]
I've seen you mention this a couple of times before, and I wanted to speak up, so now I'm going to.
I did end up puking for my Fam 1 and Fam 2. Wasn't bad. Passed the controls, got it out, and flew like a champ afterwards. Puking just wasn't something I spent time dreading going into the flight. All of my dread was spent in worrying about the brief.
So, although I am not a flying member of the World Famous Pukin' Dogs, I was an enlisted member of the same illustrious fighting squadron. Those were good times for me and I have a lot of great memories with FITRON 143. I happen to wear a VF-143 patch on my right shoulder since we were told prior command patches were authorized. So, after I puked during my FAM 2, my onwing asked if I thought it was going to be an ongoing problem. I told him that it wouldn't, and that I was simply paying tribute to my old beloved squadron. We both got a chuckle out of it, and I haven't been airsick since.
I think acclimation is the best medicine. Having said that, I have incorporated a couple of techniques that might have helped out. I do try and make sure that I'm not flying on an empty stomach. I also have taken to drinking a can of Canada Dry Ginger Ale during the brief. I can't tell you for sure whether it helped or not, but it certainly didn't hurt. I think your body just has to get used to what you're doing to it, and your brain has to remember how you're going to feel when you do a certain maneuver. Only one way to accomplish those two things. Experience.
Long live the Pukin' Dogs and maybe one day I can be part of them again, albeit, in a different aircraft.
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