New student and motion sickness

joycem137

joycem137

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Messages
199
Location
Novi, MI
Display Name
Display name:
Robin
Hello folks. I'm new to the site and thought I'd drop in and say hi, check the place out. Also thought I'd share a story and solicit advice while I'm here.

First of all, I'm a new student pilot. Started training a month ago and am at 20 hours now. My CFI thinks I'm doing pretty well and is talking about doing my first solo pretty soon, which has me pretty excited! I'm flying out of KPAO and just loving this stuff.

Anyways, story.

A couple weeks ago, we were heading out towards C83, and my CFI wanted us to do a bit of review before starting ground reference maneuvers. In rapid succession, we did slow flight, power off stall, power on stall, and steep turns. At the end of all that, I was starting to feel a bit queasy. Then we started doing S turns for ground reference maneuvers. Hoo boy.

Towards the end of the third set of turns, I suddenly felt really bad. Super nauseous, sweating, chilled, etc. I was suffering a really bad case of motion sickness. So I asked the CFI to fly us to the nearest airport while I tried to hold my breakfast in. It was all going fine, and we were ALMOST to the airport. But JUST as we were turning final to land, I finally lost it. Something about the turns in the pattern or something, I guess. And without a sick bag, I made a big mess all over myself. Fun. At least I pretty much kept the airplane clean, though.

Anyways, since then, we've been doing less turning/spinny stuff. My steep turns have been passable since day 1, so we're not doing those anymore, for now, and we put off ground reference maneuvers until a later lesson to focus on pattern work and landings for a while. I'm also following some tips I've found online, such as drinking water, avoiding heavy breakfasts, eating ginger, taking no-drowsy motion sickness medicine, etc. It seems to help a lot, and I've only gotten a little queasy a few times, such as after two and a half hours of doing pattern work. Probably this weekend, we'll be doing some ground reference work again, and hopefully I won't have too much problem with it.

So that's my story. Nice meeting y'all, and I hope to hang out more in the future. :)
 
Hello, welcome to POA. Good luck with your training. I don't think you will have much problems with your motion issue just hang in there and I think you will get better at it.
 
Your ahead of me in your training, but on my second lesson we did steep turns and turns around a point for about 2 hours in turbulence. I felt the motion sickness coming on. I'm just glad flying isn't steep turns and circles all day long. :)
 
Order one of the wrist bands for motion sickness to wear when flying.
And once a day practice the Barany maneuvers at home - google it.
 
I am very early in training as well and threw up 2 weeks ago as well although I opened the window and let the wind have if.. I felt the same way every time especially with power on stalls! Hate those but It's gone away I was thinking first few flights like I may not be able to handle this.. If it didnt bother you for 20 hours you will be alrifht
 
I have this really bad. So bad I have been directed to see a doctor. I did. So far they have found nothing. This has effected me my whole life.

While flying solo I have never felt this, and I have done steep turns and just flew circles to see if this would happen and nothing.

But one day while flying with a friend in his 172 he made a turn I was not expecting and I about lost my breakfest.
 
Anecdotal evidence. 3-5 gingersnap cookies 1/2 hour prior to flying has worked for ALL my students.... FWIW.
 
I got sick as PIC after I got my private one time. It wasn't motion sickness, I just had Chick-fil-A breakfast that didn't sit well:nonod:
 
jnbcfi said:
Anecdotal evidence. 3-5 gingersnap cookies 1/2 hour prior to flying has worked for ALL my students.... FWIW.
Click to expand...

I seriously find gobbling "TummyDrop" ginger candies VERY helpful, so far.
 
david0tey said:
I got sick as PIC after I got my private one time. It wasn't motion sickness, I just had Chick-fil-A breakfast that didn't sit well:nonod:
Click to expand...

Lol. This was homemade scrambled eggs and toast made by my roommate. :)
 
marcoseddi said:
I am very early in training as well and threw up 2 weeks ago as well although I opened the window and let the wind have if.. I felt the same way every time especially with power on stalls! Hate those but It's gone away I was thinking first few flights like I may not be able to handle this.. If it didnt bother you for 20 hours you will be alrifht
Click to expand...

Yeah, it only bugs me when we've been doing a lot of intense maneuvers, especially turning or spinning in any way. Like, a lot of pattern work will get me a bit queasy. But doing just two steep turns makes me feel horrible.

I actually get this when driving, too, but only on steep mountain roads. This is the first time I've ever actually lost my lunch due to motion sickness, though.
 
FWIW...

Bob Hoover (yes, that Bob Hoover) suffered airsickness when he started flying. But, he was determined to overcome it so he taught him self aerobatics to get over it.


Note: I am not advocating that anyone teach themselves aerobatics - yes, Bob Hoover did it, but he is Bob Hoover - you and I are not. And even Mr. Hoover had some close calls in the process (peeling the fabric off the top of the wing for example).
 
When I started flying lessons I got horribly airsick. It lasted many months and I would have quit, except that my promotion to sergeant came with flight school and I was afraid the future mrs privett would not take up with a corporal.

Slowly it became less and less and finally passed prior to my move to the P-38 and the first time needing O2 mask.

I am very happy that I stuck it out because, unlike the 1st mrs privett, aviation became a lifelong endeavor and source of personal satisfaction.

Stay with it. Try some of the gimmicks suggested above, or don't. Either way it will eventually get better and you will he happy that you saw it through.
 
joycem137 said:
Lol. This was homemade scrambled eggs and toast made by my roommate. :)
Click to expand...

Regardless of what type of food it is, its not good when it ends up in your flight bag. The barf bags have been purchased since as insurance. You live, you learn.
 
Mild airsickness seems to be trainable. Keep doing it and eventually it will go away.

It will also lighten up a bit as you get better at coordination.

The only time I really felt ill was during my checkride, when the examiner tried to disorient me with the hood on using the roller-coaster method. I much prefer the "try to make a turn with your eyes closed" method. I didn't puke on the examiner. Tempting, though.

As the weather warms up PAO can get very bouncy on short final due to that @#$^ duck pond, especially in the afternoon.

And Altamont can get very bouncy if the wind is blowing -- which it almost always is (there is a reason that wind farm has been there for 30+ years). Was that a factor? It's very close to C83.
 
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You're not alone. One of my recent students would get queasy with too much turning. It got better with time, but is still a factor. He passed it checkride two weeks ago. You'll be fine.
 
joycem137 said:
Hello folks. I'm new to the site and thought I'd drop in and say hi, check the place out. Also thought I'd share a story and solicit advice while I'm here.

First of all, I'm a new student pilot. Started training a month ago and am at 20 hours now. My CFI thinks I'm doing pretty well and is talking about doing my first solo pretty soon, which has me pretty excited! I'm flying out of KPAO and just loving this stuff.

Anyways, story.

A couple weeks ago, we were heading out towards C83, and my CFI wanted us to do a bit of review before starting ground reference maneuvers. In rapid succession, we did slow flight, power off stall, power on stall, and steep turns. At the end of all that, I was starting to feel a bit queasy. Then we started doing S turns for ground reference maneuvers. Hoo boy.

Towards the end of the third set of turns, I suddenly felt really bad. Super nauseous, sweating, chilled, etc. I was suffering a really bad case of motion sickness. So I asked the CFI to fly us to the nearest airport while I tried to hold my breakfast in. It was all going fine, and we were ALMOST to the airport. But JUST as we were turning final to land, I finally lost it. Something about the turns in the pattern or something, I guess. And without a sick bag, I made a big mess all over myself. Fun. At least I pretty much kept the airplane clean, though.

Anyways, since then, we've been doing less turning/spinny stuff. My steep turns have been passable since day 1, so we're not doing those anymore, for now, and we put off ground reference maneuvers until a later lesson to focus on pattern work and landings for a while. I'm also following some tips I've found online, such as drinking water, avoiding heavy breakfasts, eating ginger, taking no-drowsy motion sickness medicine, etc. It seems to help a lot, and I've only gotten a little queasy a few times, such as after two and a half hours of doing pattern work. Probably this weekend, we'll be doing some ground reference work again, and hopefully I won't have too much problem with it.

So that's my story. Nice meeting y'all, and I hope to hang out more in the future. :)
Click to expand...

Welcome! My biggest advice is take the controls if you're feeling worse if you're not already at them. You'd be amazed what that can do alone! You'll overcome it with time, no worries!
 
LifeInverted said:
Welcome! My biggest advice is take the controls if you're feeling worse if you're not already at them. You'd be amazed what that can do alone! You'll overcome it with time, no worries!
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At this point, I'm doing most of the controls. The CFI only takes the controls to show me new maneuvers, or to fix my landings. And thanks for the welcome!
 
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I unfortunately have no advice because I've never gotten even close to sick in an airplane. Unless you count hungover (in the back) in which case well... that's apples to oranges. Welcome to POA!
 
Sounds cool. You'll need to take care of the CFI fixing your landings, though, to solo. Either you fix them, or you go around (at your stage, I'd suggest the latter, but the time to test that is with the instructor). And you should have most of the maneuvers now.

I wonder if you might be overdoing the S turns. There is nothing in the PTS that says they have to be steep turns. Take a nice leisurely turn, and you'll have an easier time with the wind correction as well (which is the point). In a 172, do it no slower than 80 KIAS, preferably close to Va. Limit bank to a normal turn -- 30 deg (downwind; less when upwind).

I think most of us locals have spent time doing S turns around that canal....
 
MAKG1 said:
Sounds cool. You'll need to take care of the CFI fixing your landings, though, to solo. Either you fix them, or you go around (at your stage, I'd suggest the latter, but the time to test that is with the instructor). And you should have most of the maneuvers now.

I wonder if you might be overdoing the S turns. There is nothing in the PTS that says they have to be steep turns. Take a nice leisurely turn, and you'll have an easier time with the wind correction as well (which is the point). In a 172, do it no slower than 80 KIAS, preferably close to Va. Limit bank to a normal turn -- 30 deg (downwind; less when upwind).

I think most of us locals have spent time doing S turns around that canal....
Click to expand...

Heh. When I went up on Sunday, I was doing most of the landings all by myself. My CFI thinks we're almost ready to solo.

I don't know if I was overdoing the S turns or not. I wasn't doing them steep. Just 30, 20, 10, etc. It was just the back and forth turning, combined with turbulence, right after having done all of the stalling and steep turns review that we had done just prior. It all became too much for me. :p
 
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