First Student Pilot Barf Episode

mscard88

mscard88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Mark
First flight yesterday with a new student. He has never been up in a plane, even an airline flight. Light winds and clear skies, beautiful day. Take off and go out to the practice area. Start with basic turns, and then demonstrate a climb, then...

Yep, says I'm sorry but think I'm gonna be sick. Look over and he's swallowing hard and I knew it was coming. Told him to use his hat, and he did. Immediately headed back. Unfortunately after we parked (engine still running) I suggested opening his window for air, and he empties the contents of his hat, which blows back inside. :(

Poor kid, while I record the time he goes and gets paper towels and cleaning spray, and gets it all wiped down. Wasn't bad, mostly clear liquid, no chunks. Felt bad for him, and hope he tries again. First student I've ever had that puked in 40 years of instructing. Flew the same plane afterwards for two additional flights, fortunately the spray covered the odor. :D
 
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Another instructor told him to eat a banana before flying when he asked for suggestions on what to eat. Tastes the same going down as it does coming back up. :cool:
 
Dang. Hopefully he comes back for another flight. I’ve never had a student throw up and only had one pax throw up which was my fault. I was a freshly minted PPL and thought it was a good idea to take my friend up when it was gusting to 30kts.:mad2:
 
And it wasn't that lightweight stuff either, it was that chunky industrial weight puke!
 
jordane93 said:
Dang. Hopefully he comes back for another flight. I’ve never had a student throw up and only had one pax throw up which was my fault. I was a freshly minted PPL and thought it was a good idea to take my friend up when it was gusting to 30kts.:mad2:
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I've only had one barfer so far, my SiL. Eglin put us down at 2000msl about 30mi out from Destin on a hot hot August day. The heat and turb got to her, glad I keep gallon ziplocks in the seat back pockets.
 
Heh. 2nd lesson my student had done 6 landings or so then said think we can take a break. I look over he’s sweating and holding back the heaves. We are on short final I’m looking for a bag and nothing. I’m in a Cherokee so he can’t open a window. I get it on the rwy hard on brakes idle cut off open door and get stopped by the 1st taxiway. Bail onto the wing and he was out right behind me and made it to the trailing edge. So we chilled there for a moment and flew back to home airport. Was funny after the fact.
 
My wife went up for some acro with a neighbor in his starduster. She was sitting down afterward when it hit her. The guy has an impeccably landscaped hangar so she runs around the back. Damn, who landscapes the back side of the hangar...oh well...blech...
 
I've only had one passenger get sick and that was my wife and it was just once. Bad thing is she did it on short final. If she could have just waited another couple of minutes, we'd been on the ground. The good thing is, she found a bag and got it all in there. There was only some very mild turbulence that day but she ate a big lunch.
 
When training for my initial CFI, my instructor told me the most important thing to have in my flight bag was Sic Sacs! I never left the ground without them.;)

EDITED - not for me -- for the students!!!
 
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old cfi said:
When training for my initial CFI, my instructor told me the most important thing to have in my flight bag was Sic Sacs! I never left the ground without them.;)
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Yeah I'm out, and the flight school was out too. :(
Ziplock bags like a good solution, if ya can zip it closed.
 
Always have a sic sac out and readily available ,just in case . Doing young eagles have had kids turn green but never puke yet.
 
Then there's the hang gliding method. Don't watch if you're squemish.

 
Sweet! I blew chunks this weekend too. Paragliding training, heat exhausted. Puked about 30 seconds after I got out of my harness in front of 10 or so people.
 
Hang 4 said:
Then there's the hang gliding method. Don't watch if you're squemish.

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That may work in a hang glider. Sticking your head out the window in a Champ - not so much.

This one is a hoot.

On the other hand, this Dork Bars guy is a real dick
 
Wow. I had a situation like that, the guy had never flown in any type of aircraft, o I took him fow an 1 hours flight over the beach, after 30 minutes the just did the bad thing, the airplane was a "Neiva P-56", brazilian airplane which looks like the Piper J-3 Cub. I was on the back seat and I just opened the window and let some air get into the airplane, the smell was terrible. I landed and the went off the airplane so I washed the airplane with a lot of water but the water went to the airplane's tail and did not get off. So I had to put the airplane's tail on my shoulders and put the tail up to the water get off on the main landing gear, after that I threw a lot of avgas into the airplane trying to make it to smell better.
 
Friend of mine was strapped in the back seat, passenger side of a Cessna 170. College age gal was in the front passenger seat for a 2 hour flight. They just turned downwind for their destination and without saying anything she opens the passenger window. Did not dawn on him what was coming. Then she let’s fly and of course it does not go out the window. Friend said it was just like being in a tornado of puke and he is struggling - can’t get his seat belt off. Real character building experience!
 
In regards to the marriage proposal one, probably more to do with what he knew he was getting himself into than due to airsickness.
:lol:
 
I had one student puke out the window. What didn't blow back in went over the fuselage and onto the tail. Best example of a spiraling slipstream I've ever seen. I would have taken a picture of it, but it was too gross.
 
Years ago I was getting ready to preflight and I noticed the door to an Archer was open. A minute later I saw the CFI shaking his head and muttering to himself, "Never again, never again, ..."

Turns out he told his student it would be OK to bring his kids to ride along. What the CFI didn't know is the student took his kids out for a big Mexican lunch on the way to the airport.
 
One of my glider buddies had his German Army story. It was a war game exercise of some sort. He and his guys got in the back of the Chinook. A hot day, nobody could see outside, and the flight was a low level terrain following deal. It started with one guy, but it didn't take long for everyone to lose it. They finally got to the airfield or whatever they were supposed to assault. The doors opened and they all sort of oozed out. After all that, they were told they had "crashed" during takeoff.
 
I don't use those little bitty barf bags that most places use. I hand out the horse condoms. Actually has measurement marks to see who does the most...

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Plus I keep a few 13 gallon size trash bags for the big eaters.

Years back in Alaska I did a charter from Denali air strip in Kantishna to Aniak. One of the guys was sick. I mean SICK. He brought his own bags, six 55 gallon trash bags. About 5 minutes after take off I can hear him barfing. I mean combat barfing. (don't ask)

I opened all the air vents towards him and kept the climb up to 10,000 where it was much cooler. Thankfully it was also much, much smoother.

After about 15 minutes I look back and he is asleep, trash bag in hand. After landing in Aniak, I opened the door and he just rolled out on the ground. He said he felt better, but I just think it was because he was finally empty.
 
I once had a student who blew chunks in a 152. He got most of it into the sicksac. His window was open when he asked me what to do with it. I said "don't throw it out" as we were over a city. He didn't hear the word "don't"
 
Matthew said:
Years ago I was getting ready to preflight and I noticed the door to an Archer was open. A minute later I saw the CFI shaking his head and muttering to himself, "Never again, never again, ..."

Turns out he told his student it would be OK to bring his kids to ride along. What the CFI didn't know is the student took his kids out for a big Mexican lunch on the way to the airport.
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:yikes: :frown:
 
My wife has lost it on almost every flight... she sits in the back of the Cherokee so she can see out, and I have a window vent to add more air back there... and she still loses it... Gal Zip Lock bags... there are a box full all the time in the seat back... Never fly without them!..
 
On a calm day with light winds, nobody should be barfing unless you're doing hammerheads and snap rolls.
Is the student prone to motion sickness?

To be helpful (not PoA MO, I know, I know, I just can't help it), you can suggest to him to either use expensive pharmaceuticals (which are often pretty sedating) or buy some ginger candies to chew before and during flight. They help, trust me on that one. :)
 
BigBadLou said:
On a calm day with light winds, nobody should be barfing unless you're doing hammerheads and snap rolls.
Is the student prone to motion sickness?

To be helpful (not PoA MO, I know, I know, I just can't help it), you can suggest to him to either use expensive pharmaceuticals (which are often pretty sedating) or buy some ginger candies to chew before and during flight. They help, trust me on that one. :)
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As I said, he never has been in a plane, even an airline flight. He texted yesterday and wants to try again, this time w/ dramamine. It was smooth, and all we had done was S&L, turns, and just beginning climbs when he lost it.
 
Took a buddy up on his first flight. Circled his house and his uncle's farm, he was taking pictures, looking through camera view finder. About 30 minutes into the flight, I heard him heavy sigh. Looked over at him and he was sweating and pale. Headed straight for airport and got the airplane shut down, he just did get the door open before losing it. He blamed it on taking pictures.
 
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