Motion Sickness

[helogf]

I'm going to take my first discovery flight here in the coming weeks and I'm worried about MOTION SICKNESS. Are there any FAA approve methods or natural methods to help calm or prevent motion sickness? What is the best way?

 

Thank you , HELOGF

[67november]

unless your prone to motion sickness like from roller coasters, ferris wheels and such you shouldn't have any problems.

 

there is a pressure point on the inside bottom of your wrist that helps to releive that.

you'll need a pair of wrist sweat bands and a couple of small round bumpers such as those used on small appliances. they can be found at the local hardware store. they look like a half moon, place the bumper inside the wrist band with the dome part against your wrist in the center it should help.

 

I hope this is clear as mud, PM me with further ?'s

[kodoz]

Open up the vents (or just fly with the doors off, if that doesn't bother you) and keep your eyes outside on a distant reference. If you start feeling it, do something else (if you're trying to hover, do a circuit through the pattern). Relax!

[Trans Lift]

My first ever student said that he suffered from motion sickness. When I asked him about it he said that he only really got sick on some rollercoasters.

 

On the first flight, we had doors off, very calm day (no turbulence) and I let him on the cyclic just to get the feel of flying straight and level. After 30 seconds or so he asked me to take the controls and, of course, I obliged. Te next thing I knew a sub from publix was been thrown across the instrument panel, the flight controls and myself. He got sick out the door but since both doors were off, it all came back into the cockpit. I managed to kick it out of trim but not in time to catch most of it.

 

My advice is to bring a sick bag with you or be prepared to get sick down inside your t-shirt, instead of all over the controls. It is one hell of a mess to clean up. Hopefully it doesn't happen to you though. And yes, do remember to relax!

[PhotoFlyer]

I get terrible motion sickness when I fly instruments. Especially when it's hot and turbulent. The best (approved) solution I've found is ginger root. Actually it's not "approved," it just isn't disapproved.

 

You can buy ginger in a capsule at GNC or any nutrition store. Take one capsule 1 hour before flying. If you feel like you really need it take another capsule right before the flight. Coincidentally, if you are sick this also helps with an upset stomach and, ahem, loose bowels.

 

It also helps to eat a light (***LIGHT***) meal 1-2 hours before flying. I know this is counter intuitive, but it always seems to help.

 

Ginger root at GNC

Edited February 9, 2010 by PhotoFlyer

[Rick McWilliams]

Sometimes I take a passenger out for airplane acrobatics. I try to keep them talking as it is impossible to talk and breath hold. I do only a few maneuvers the first time out.

 

Make sure not to hold your breath. It is best to have a meal a couple of hours before.

 

I get sea sick at sea. It goes away after a day or two and then I am good for the remainder of the voyage. I like ginger cookies. I love the See's dark chocolate ginger candy.

 

All of the non-prescription drugs for motion sickness that I have taken would not be suitable for flight.

 

I think that Helicopter pilots are particularly delicate with respect to airplane acrobatics. The attitudes and G loads are so unlike helicopters. It is much worse to ride through acrobatics than to fly. Avoid complex maneuvers, spins and snap rolls. The rolling 360 is especially bad.

[Gomer Pylot]

Most of the motion-sickness remedies don't work except as a placebo. The wristbands are worthless. Ginger is reported to work better than most. If you get sick when you fly, you really need to rethink your career choice, because you're going to have to live with the sickness daily for the rest of your life, and you won't make it. You can't take drugs every day just to do your job. I guess I'm lucky that I've never had a motion sickness problem. The closest I've ever come to hurling in the air was in a C130 full of paratroopers when one got sick and chain-reaction barfing got started. Not many of us got out the door without losing our lunches, but I was able to hang on. I've never come close to being sick in a helicopter, nor in other airplanes.

[AW139]

unless your prone to motion sickness like from roller coasters, ferris wheels and such you shouldn't have any problems.

 

there is a pressure point on the inside bottom of your wrist that helps to releive that.

you'll need a pair of wrist sweat bands and a couple of small round bumpers such as those used on small appliances. they can be found at the local hardware store. they look like a half moon, place the bumper inside the wrist band with the dome part against your wrist in the center it should help.

 

I hope this is clear as mud, PM me with further ?'s

 

 

Hypnosis!

 

It has done wonders for me

 

I do NOT work for this company or get any commission or anything. Just trying to help!

Here is a link to the place I like to download my hypnosis sessions from:

 

http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/health-issues/travel-sickness

 

They have one for motion sickness. Personally I think a 1 on 1 with a hypnotherapist is great too! Whichever gets it done for you!

 

Good luck!

 

-Ali

[iRotor]

You obviously know your own symptoms, now find out whats causing them. Your brain is processing information received by your inner ear, your muscles and your eyes. Smell can also induce symptoms. When it gets conflicting information, it believes you've been poisoned and activates a defense mechanism. So you get hot, sweat, vomit, yawn excessively etc.

 

So, eliminate some of those conflicting signals. Sit up straight with your head back against the head rest. Move your eyes, not your head. Close your eyes (if you're not flying on your demo). Take deep breaths and most importantly, relax!

 

Everyone is capable of getting motion sickness! But the more you fly, the more your body/brain gets used to the situation its in. So although its not totally curable, it does get better.

 

I took my mom up one day. She has vertigo and gets motion sick really easy. She was fine! So don't worry too much. Have fun, and if you feel yourself getting sick, ask the pilot to take it easy for a few minutes til it passes.

[Maggie]

I used to be aircrew in H-60's, and I got sick EVERY flight. It got to the point where I wouldn't eat for 8 hours before a flight (I know, not the brightest idea). I used the wrist bands and ginger. I don't know if the bands helped, but the ginger did. I used it during my pregnancy too. They have these things called Preggie Pops/Preggie Drops. They work great, I had them in my flight bag even when I wasn't pregnant. The sour drops were great (although it's hard to talk on the radios when it's in your mouth). I get sea sick (in decently heavy seas), I get car sick if I'm in the back seat also.

 

I was scared when I started flying in the civilian sector that I would get sick. I never got sick for my private, flying in high winds and some turbulence didn't bother me. I'm in instrument now, and I only start feeling woozy when my instructor has controls while I'm drawing out holds and he's doing banks while I'm looking down during turbulence. I just tell my flight instructor, and I just look up for a few seconds, then finish drawing out the hold, and I'm fine.

 

I keep 1 gallon puke bags in my right thigh pocket of my flight suit, just in case. Hope this helps.

[johnnyb]

Ancient topic but someone might benefit from it.

Motion sickness sucks, people who don't get it really don't know how much it sucks.

I get it bad in cars when I'm a passenger, and I get it as soon as I get on a bus / coach.

I also get sea-sickness, badly so I stay off boats.

In fact I go green in the face

 

Weird thing is, I don't get in the air, at all. Whether I'm the passenger or the pilot, whether it's a helicopter or airplane, turbulence or not, level flight, turns, acrobatic manouvers (I've actually been up in a MIG before and barrel rolls didn't do anything to me, other make me go wooohooo).

 

The only thing I've found that works for motion sickness, and I've tried many many things is this, I know it sounds odd but try it. Oh and since I don't get it in the air I've never tried it up in the air.

 

Put a magazine / newspaper on your seat and sit on it.

Yeah I know, it's weird, but it works.

For some reason when I sit on a news paper or magazine I don't get motion sickness.

Once you're motion sick and then you sit on a newspaper or magazine it doesn't work. You need to do it before you get motion sick.

This trick isn't specific to my motion sickness, I know of other people who uses the same trick.

Hope it helps someone