Challenged
Pattern Altitude
I went to AZ recently and did a day trip from Scottsdale up to The Grand Canyon. I noticed about halfway into the 4 hour drive that I started to get a very mild headache. After making it up to the canyon and spending several hours at 7000 feet at various viewpoints, I had to ask my family to leave early so I could get some Advil, my head was pounding so bad.
I'm not prone to headaches at all, but I would probably say this was the worst headache pain I've ever experienced. I had been driving and had to ask my wife to take over on the way out, as I couldn't focus on the road because the pain was so intense. I slept for about an hour on the way down to Sedona, where we stayed for the night, and after waking up from my nap at about 4,000 feet in altitude, I felt fine and had no further issues on the trip.
As I have been flying for several years and have never come across any problems, I was surprised by what I experienced and was curious if anyone else has ever had any altitude related issues.
I'm not prone to headaches at all, but I would probably say this was the worst headache pain I've ever experienced. I had been driving and had to ask my wife to take over on the way out, as I couldn't focus on the road because the pain was so intense. I slept for about an hour on the way down to Sedona, where we stayed for the night, and after waking up from my nap at about 4,000 feet in altitude, I felt fine and had no further issues on the trip.
As I have been flying for several years and have never come across any problems, I was surprised by what I experienced and was curious if anyone else has ever had any altitude related issues.
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