nearly got sick while training in a jab!

[facthunter]

Medications.

 

dracer, I think medications all have side effects. OK for passengers, not so good for drivers. The way you are explaining it, you are getting very anxious. You will have to try to find some way around this as you might have something occuring akin to a panic attack. Give it time and don't consider it a hopeless case, without a bit more research. You obviously want to fly, so it is worth the effort.. Nev

 

 

[motzartmerv]

dracer.. Don't give up mate.. So your feeling unwell before you get anywhere near the plane??.. I reckon that sounds to me like nothing to do with airsickness or motion sickness.. More likely its emotional.. What are you thinking about before you go out to the field??.. whats the thought process?? Are you afraid? do you feel you are risking your life?? Are you worried about crashing?? when the flights finished do you get the feeling you have survived another encounter with aviation??

 

Answer these questions honestly (at least to yourself), if you say yes to any of them then let us know and we can help you..

 

if none of this is what your experiancing then mabye its something else.. Do you get like a nervous anxiety, or exitement building up in you?? does your heart start to race as you buckle up in the acft??

 

I'm sorry if i sound like doctor phill.. But a few years ago my training was interupted when my instructor crashed and died with his son in a skyfox.. For years i was petrified of the thought of getting back in a light aeroplane.. I just refused to even think about doing it.. But as time went on i started dreaming about it again, and dreaming about him (my instructor) sitting with me a looking at the acft..

 

To make a long story short, i finally decided to have another go.. But the early flights i experianced very similar things you are taliing about.. I was scared ****less.. I would sometimes even turn around and go home before i reached the airfield.. It was a crippaling fear that rose in me..

 

But one day, i just pulled myself together.. I rationalised it all out in my mind..

 

And once i learned to relax evrything just went away, and i actually enjoyed myself..

 

Ive since gone onto log a couple hundred hours and an instructor endorsement..

 

The point of the story is that its all in your mind.. your thoughts are what drive you and theres a a very close correlatioon between mental attitude and physical wellbeing, both in the air and on the ground...

 

Gee's...ive gone on and on...sorry, i may be barking completly up the wrong tree, and just made you read a long post that is irrelivant...if thats the case then i appolagise..

 

If you'd like, pm me and ill give you my phone number and we can talk about it...

 

otherwise, keep it up mate, you'll get there..

 

cheers

 

 

[Chucky]

NO! Dont give up. You will never forgive yourself. Trust me when I tell you I am the worst person when it comes to motion sickness. I got through by taking Travacalm Original. It contains caffiene to overcome drowsiness.( I didn't experience any.) But only take one. Talk to your instuctor about making your lessons a little bit shorter maybe? There's no law that says it has to be a full hour. Only have a light breakfast like a couple of pieces of toast, and I found Ginger beer is a good idea. And above all relax!

 

Just my 11 cents worth.( GST inc. );)

 

 

[farri]

Anxiety.

 

Dracer,

 

I`m in agreement with merv.

 

From what you have said,it appears to me that you have an anxiety issue.

 

There are ways to deal with this, however, your needs are yours alone and the best intentions of everyone, may not help you at all,you may need better assistance.

 

I can tell you that I understand completly,I had to learn to fly Ultralight aircraft the hard way as there was no legal twin seat instruction or instructors around when I started,and this is one of the things I did to help myself.

 

As often as possible I would meditate and visualise myself flying and remaining in the state I wanted to be in.

 

Each time before I went flying I would quietly sit in the hanger and visualise myself flying the aircraft and doing all the tasks that I needed to do and remain as calm as I wanted to be,enjoying the flight then landing safely.

 

I went on to obtain an AUF CFI rating and teach for 12 years until I retired from teching a few years ago,I encouraged my students to use visualisation and I still use it whenever I need to.

 

This needs to be learnt and it may not be for you but if used properly,it does work.

 

All the very best to you.

 

Frank.

 

 

[sain]

Hi Dracer,

 

as the others said it may just be anxiety. Ask your instructor if you can just go do a cruise around the training area lesson (i.e straight and level flight, level turns etc), so its all things that you've done before and know pretty well. Avoid flying in rougher weather for a little bit, until your more use to the aircraft.

 

The other thing that may be contributing is fear of getting sick itself, which is fairly problematic. The main thing is not to worry about it. if it happens it happens, its cetainly not the end of the world.

 

Most people get over the motion sickness very quickly. Just try and go flying on some calm days for a while. Talk to your instructor for some suggestions on how to deal with it.

 

Personally I got sick pretty much every lesson (with a few exceptions) and still have to medicate myself so I don't get sick now. Most people arn't as bad as me though (my instructor has only had one other who was - in 15 odd years of flying instruction). Anyway here is what i've learned:

 

1) If you start feeling sick, let the instructor know and get back on the ground as soon as possible. Give it a couple of hours before going again (to let things settle down).

 

2) if you do blow chunks in the cockpit, don't stress about it, just grab the sick bag and go for it. remeber to move the mic boom out of the way. Your instructor will be used to others doing it, or they'll be wishing they packed two sick bags. Get the sick bag early!!

 

3) There are a number of types of medication available for travel sickness. Try them out - start with the "herbal" Ginger tablets. For most people these work really well - personally the travelcalm brand seemed to work best, blackmoores not at all. Make sure you take the tablets at least 30 minutes before the flight. You can also try drinking ginger beer (get a good brand with real ginger) - just make sure it isn't alcoholic.

 

4) You can also try the "Sea bands" wrist band things. Its hard to say if these work or not. I've still gotten sick wearing them, but they did seem to lessen the affects, and hasten recovery. That said i can't say for certain. Suck it and see - they only cost a couple of bucks.

 

5) if the ginger tablets don't work you can try the stronger stuff, but experiment with them before hand, and let your instructor know that you've taken them before you go flying - some of these cause drowsiness, and are often quite quick in the onset. Personally travelcalms put me to sleep about 40 minutes after taking them (you can feel it coming at about 20, by 40 you can't keep your eyes open), kwells work really well, and don't cause drowsiness (for me) until about 5-6 hours after taking them. Again take them at least 30 minutes before your flight. Some people also suggest taking one the day before, to get some of the stuff working in your system. Others suggest only taking a quarter of a tablet. You will need to try a couple of different options as the tablets all affect people differently. You may also want to consult a doctor about it.

 

6) While flying try and avoid looking down and out of the aircraft doors - keep your eyes looking out ahead as much as possible. If the aircraft bounces while your head is turned sideways and down, then the path your head follows is pretty much the worst possible for making you sick. Some people will even get sick after just one bump like that. don't ask me how i know.

 

Good luck, and I hope I havn't horrified you too much. The ginger stuff works for a lot of people. Whatever you do, don't let it stop you, its really quite easy to manage once you've got everything figured out.

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

Hey Frank,

 

Sorry mate - only just caught up with your question - I have been horribly busy.

 

NO I do not think you are/were a Turkey! Airsickness has a number of causes and as a pro instructor there is a lot of exposure to getting a student who naturally has a motion sickness leaning - I guess I was just lucky never having had one, or got on top of the situation early enough to stop it developing. I certainly had people who felt sick even if they never actually got to the techicolour yawn stage!

 

My rather cutting comment was directed at instructors who do plough on for just a dollar and disregard progressive training value for money issues - or simply do not adequately monitor their students and let situations develop.

 

Aye

 

Tony

 

 

[farri]

Turkey gobbler.

 

Tony,

 

I know,Iwas just having a bit of fun,got a laugh out of it.:thumb_up:

 

Regards,

 

Frank.

 

 

[farri]

Tony,

 

Just thought of something else.

 

The guy that I mentioned about, saying he was going to be sick, went on to decide to build his own aircraft.

 

I`ve seen it and it looks ok,he calls it scratch as he built it from scratch,it`s at the test flight stage,he has used quite a few inovations of his own but doesn`t know how they will go.

 

I know the guy well,but he only came to me for a TIF many years ago and he has been to 2 schools that I`m aware of but still doesn`t have any certificates yet.

 

Do we have another statistic here?.

 

Frank.

 

Ps, I`m sorry this is off the mark to Dracers original post.

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

No - not a statistic yet Frank!

 

If you know him then try a bit of the counselling approach. Like half trained is not fully trained; legal issues; liability issues, joining RAAus is not sooooooo hard and gives access to so much support.

 

Perhaps just as simple is if he feels he is definitely a survivor? A lot of people did successfully teach themselves to fly but those 'surviviors that are left are hanging on by their finger tips in my experience of actually certificating them when they decided to do so.

 

Aye

 

Tony

 

 

[Guest Rocko]

Grinz evilly.

 

Oh I dunno. Barfing all over your instructor is probably a good way of ensuring it won't happen again ;)

 

 

[moy71]

Just resurrecting an old thread here....

 

I'd like to "compare" the turbulence levels at which some flyers here indicated they were getting motion-sickness.

 

I know it is different from person to person, but i am interested to find out. Also, is it the same movement sensation regardless of what aircraft?

 

If I may, I'd like to use the scenario of a glass of water on a typical boeing jet (737, 747 etc) whilst cruising altitude.

 

Mild turbulence: slight movement of the water in the cup.

 

Medium turbulence: perhaps slight spillage. cup itself may move intermittently

 

Strong turbulence: water spillage, cup needs to be held to prevent tipping.

 

 

[Guest Rocko]

How about "QANTAS Turbulence" - Cup gets embedded in overhead locker, along with stewardess?

 

 

 

[lazerin]

Hey guys, I've just started learning this week in the sportstar, ab initio, and I've done 4.6 hours now. The last two time's I was up, I started feeling a bit weird in the stomach as we headed back to the airfield and this feeling would continue until I ate something!! It's strange, because most people I know would have the opposite feeling i.e. they wouldn't want to touch food at all when they're feeling a bit sick. However, for me, the cure seems to be to consume a quick sandwich and I'm right to go.

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

Hey guys, I've just started learning this week in the sportstar, ab initio, and I've done 4.6 hours now. The last two time's I was up, I started feeling a bit weird in the stomach as we headed back to the airfield and this feeling would continue until I ate something!! It's strange, because most people I know would have the opposite feeling i.e. they wouldn't want to touch food at all when they're feeling a bit sick. However, for me, the cure seems to be to consume a quick sandwich and I'm right to go.

Best advice I reckon! Whenever I go flying, generally it's low level and rather bumpy I'll have a sammo and take another 2 with me plus nibbles and water. Sorts you out so no crook tummy.

 

 

[K-man]

My stomach is extremely unreliable. When I was scuba diving from boats I was sick almost every time. :yuk: Motion sickness normally has very little to do with anxiety. It is the vestibular disturbance in the ear. As previously posted it helps if you are able to concentrate on the horizon it helps a little however as soon as you start to feel unusually warm and a bit clammy across the face, get the bag ready 'cos it's likely you will be sick. I have found all the usual medications totally useless in the normal recommended dosages (and I certainly would NOT recommend higher dosages because of the possible side effects). Having sold all those products for motion sickness for many years the feedback was never really positive. The only product that seemed to work most of the time, and it was the favourite of the yachties, was the SCOP patch, worn behind the ear. Unfortunately they went off the market about 10 years ago. As for Ginger etc, they work for some people but not many.

 

I prefer not to eat much, if anything, before flying if the conditions are likely to be lumpy and I take some water to sip along the way. My classic bag effort was on my final cross county when I had to hand over to the instructor (sorry Bruce if your reading this). Too many deviations. I survived the first three but the fourth one got me! Too much looking down, drawing lines, measuring angles, combined with thermals. Another memorable flight was from Birdsville to Alice Springs and the re-emergence of the curried camel pie! Fly early in the Centre. However, motion sickness is no reason to stop flying, just be a little more selective depending on conditions. :thumb_up:

 

 

[bushpilot]

For anxiety - talk to your doc. about a Beta-blocker; I dont think they induce drowsiness, but check...

 

 

[Ultralights]

first lesson i had when i first started flying, never fly on a full stomach, never fly on an empty stomach..

 

as an instructor, another way to help relieve airsickness, get the student to concentrate on 1 thing, and one thing only, i had a student recently declare he was about to be sick in the middle of the training area, i tasked him if he could fly straight and level ( he could, it was his 6th or so lesson) he replied, yes, i said, well great , fly us back to hoxton, at exactly this altitude, and dont let it move more the 50 ft either side, every time you go outside that 50 ft tolerance, ill fart. sure enough, in a minute or 2, he totally forgot he was airsick, and did a brilliant job holding altitude..(and by using visual reference only most of the time) once landed i asked how he was feeling, he said great, i dont think he even remember he was feeling a little ill

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

first lesson i had when i first started flying, never fly on a full stomach, never fly on an empty stomach..as an instructor, another way to help relieve airsickness, get the student to concentrate on 1 thing, and one thing only, i had a student recently declare he was about to be sick in the middle of the training area, i tasked him if he could fly straight and level ( he could, it was his 6th or so lesson) he replied, yes, i said, well great , fly us back to hoxton, at exactly this altitude, and dont let it move more the 50 ft either side, every time you go outside that 50 ft tolerance, ill fart. sure enough, in a minute or 2, he totally forgot he was airsick, and did a brilliant job holding altitude..(and by using visual reference only most of the time) once landed i asked how he was feeling, he said great, i dont think he even remember he was feeling a little ill

 

Nice work, well put and well executed!

 

 

[K-man]

For anxiety - talk to your doc. about a Beta-blocker; I dont think they induce drowsiness, but check...

In sport, Beta blockers are on the banned list. They were used to reduce heart rate and hence aid shooters by giving a greater time between heartbeats to get off their shot. They may also be effective in stopping anxiety induced tremor as in stage fright. Overall though I don't think there is much evidence to support the use of Beta blockers in the treatment of anxiety. I don't believe that anxiety is one of the indications for the use of Beta blockers and as such I doubt many doctors would be keen to prescribe them, particularly to a budding pilot. First dose side effects such as decrease in blood pressure leading to dizziness and the possibility of fatigue could be a big problem with occassional use.

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Yea, not really sure beta blockers would help, and besides, they are quite a serious drug, and your quack isnt going to prescribe them for airsickness or air anxiety..

 

Theres a great cure for airsickness, ive never known it to fail, and thats lots and lots of flying..hehe