Discouraged

B

BrownieFlys

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Feb 25, 2025
Messages
16
Display Name
BrownieFlys
So, I’m about 8 hours into training. I’m only lasting about 30min before I start feeling the effects of motion sickness. I get real hot and queasy. I have done all the suggested things.
Just yesterday we were doing S-turns, rectangular pattern, and turns around a point. With so many turns I just lost all concentration. I’m really discouraged and thinking this is not for me.
 
It might not be for you, but when I take passengers I over stress how important temperature control is for comfort. I stress that the second you feel too warm or cold to let me know because it will get worse very quick if u just try to “be nice” and put up with it. If you are getting too hot either fly early morning when it’s cooler or make sure you have good ventilation asap.
 
Have you tried the Dramamine Advanced Herbals (ginger) tablets?

Are you able to do shorter flights with less activity packed in? Like maybe some pattern work, every morning, for 20 or 30 minutes, and over a couple of weeks to see if you get acclimated? If you can stay in the pattern you're no more than a couple minutes away from landing so you can set it down as soon as you start feeling bad. Then over a few days see if you can go longer and longer.

It is very common. Some of the best pilots in the world (even Bob Hoover) got motion sick when they started.
 
Last edited:
I experienced the same thing when I first started flight training.
As soon as I started to feel sick I gave the aircraft back to the instructor and asked to land. Because at that point I couldn't learn a thing, my brain just shut off.
Stick with it as it will get better and it went away for me.
When I first started I was wore out in 30-45 minutes of flying. That also got better as time went on.
 
During my early training, I had a motion sickness problem at first, although, I never suffered from seasickness, carsickness, or airliner sickness. On the other hand, I've NEVER enjoyed roller coasters and other rides designed to scramble your inner ear. Once, during my stall training, I held it until we landed, then I puked. By the time I was into "unusual attitudes and recovery," it had passed. Never came back. I still don't do carnival rides.

I second eman1200, open the vents and chill down the cockpit BEFORE you feel the effects. Be careful with drugs as most motion-sickness remedies have a sedating effect. Not sure where the FAA stands on the issue. There are some techniques and gadgets available that purport to alleviate motion sickness. Some pilots and passengers report they work, other do not. Some internet searching will find them. Start with "wrist band for motion sickness."

Hang in there a while longer and try not to get discouraged.
 
Same thing happened to a good friend of mine in training. He used a relief band for about half of his training until he got acclimated.
 
www.aopa.org

Never-before-released interview with Bob Hoover

www.aopa.org

Excerpt from AOPA Bob Hoover interview:

BH: “I’m a rarity. Nobody could teach me. I got sick every time I got in an airplane because of airsickness, so I kept at it until I could get over it. I was sick, swallowing it over and over, but was so motivated I would not let that stop me. I was determined in my mindset. And I conquered unusual attitudes, one step at a time, until I could handle that without becoming ill.”
 
Only time I've ever felt really sick in the airplane was doing s-turns on a hot day. Since the checkride, I've done that maneuver exactly zero times. Point being, doing a bunch of maneuvers is not normal outside of training, so don't let that discourage you.

I also found that my tolerance built up over time the more often I was in the plane. I see that with my family as well. A relief band has been life changing for my wife. Might need to go that route to get you through some of those lessons.
 
My wife started to feel sick the other morning in super smooth air before sunrise during a XC. I asked her to stop looking down at the ground and focus on the horizon. That seemed to help her. She was fine on the way home after eating breakfast.
Make sure you have a little food in you and be hydrated. Flight training can be tough.
 
Also, stay hydrated, get some electrolytes.
Stay focused outside the airplane.
 
Saltine crackers help with seasickness, I think it absorbs the acid sloshing about in the stomach.
I'd think it would help with airsickness, keep a couple in your pocket, or eat a few before going up.

I've seen the wrist bands, I have no experience with them but I think they work.

I worked on the water, 25+ years and I was seasick twice.
Most of the time rough weather made me hungry.

And don't eat greasy foods before flying (or going out on the water for that matter).
 
Some insist that ginger will alleviate the motion sickeness. I haven't personally tried it. I'm ok until we get into negative G-force. A little is tolerable with me but I'm no @Ed Haywood!

Only other recommendation is bananas. (It's a tired old piece of humor among pilots) ...
 
Last edited:
Bananas taste the same coming up as going down. Exposure and time makes it better.. its happens to everyone and yet some don’t admit it! As a long time captain and pilot…seen the biggest baddest dudes crumble and it will ruin an entire day. Its all about prevention unusual attitude recovery gets me.
 
JeffinNV said:
I've seen the wrist bands, I have no experience with them but I think they work.
Click to expand...
I’m a firm believer in Sea Bands (usually available at drug stores.) when I took my cousin’s 4-year-old for his first airplane ride, he wanted his mom along. We did a circle over their farm and one over his grandma’s farm, and she announced that it was time to land. A few years later when their daughter got her first ride, her mom went along again…up for the corn, down for the beans, zoomies & circling farms, no problem. She said she felt a little queasy at one point, but it went away.
 
Thank you all for all the responses. The only thing I haven’t tried are the relief bands. Even if it’s a placebo, it’s worth a shot.
There are several brands which very in cost. Is there one in particular that you guys recommend?

I was really down on myself and doubting if I could continue. This is after all just a hobby for me.
I’m going to press on and hopefully it will gradually get better with time.
 
Used to happen to me too, and lasted for quite some time. Also it tends to happen more if I’m taking a lesson vs not. Probably just brain overload. But it got better, after a couple years. It’s a slow process but shorter lessons might help. If you enjoy it, stick with it.
 
BrownieFlys said:
Thank you all for all the responses. The only thing I haven’t tried are the relief bands. Even if it’s a placebo, it’s worth a shot.
There are several brands which very in cost. Is there one in particular that you guys recommend?

I was really down on myself and doubting if I could continue. This is after all just a hobby for me.
I’m going to press on and hopefully it will gradually get better with time.
Click to expand...
We bought the cheapest one that has a replaceable battery. I believe they call that the "classic" now. Looks like they've gone way upon price. Works like magic for my wife though.
 
Im around a 100 hr pilot and have never fought airsickness at all until this September.I was in Alaska and spent a considerable amount of time in the back seat of a cub staring at the ground while maneuvering.I started getting sick a few hr in and it got to the point where I’d get queasy right after takeoff on every flight and it would last the duration of the flight.Never throwing-up sick but just feeling off and kinda weird until I got out again.I think it was because I couldn’t see the horizon out front but I’m still not sure,or maybe it was just because I wanted the front seat so bad:p
 
Light meals and proper hydration before flying. Dress cool. And ginger really works in whatever form you like.

I don't generally get queasy, but too many steep turns in a row are not my favorite, especially under the hood.
 
Have you discussed with your CFI about changing the order of the syllabus? You could practice flying to another nearby airport, land, take a break, and fly back. Mostly straight and level instead of practicing s-turns down low in bumpy air.
 
I am glad you are going to continue for now.
I am sure you won't regret that decision
At 8 hrs you are just getting started.
I know my buddy soloed at 10 hrs.45 years ago. Times are different now.
I didn't start training until I was 55. I would have been better sooner if I was 20 years younger.
It took me 2 really hot summers and 18 months to earn my PPL.
It was brutal at first, felt sick a lot and sweated like crazy. I was exhausted after 45 mins of flying. Had to pull into a park on the way home to rest so I could drive home the rest of the way...twice.
After 5 different instructors they paired me with a very experienced 69 year old who always smelled like coffee.
Turns out it was the best thing for me then. Yes some days we just flew for fun and did light training. For months we flew nothing but the pattern so I could solo. He was a saint to do that with me.
After a year or more he made a comment to me that I had too much invested to not get it done.
For the last 6 months I put my head down did nothing but flight training in my mind 24/7 and worked full time. Flew 3 days a week most weeks.
My wife got me started and she paid a big price staying at home mostly while I was flight training. She is the reason I am here today.

Flight training was the best thing that ever happened to me besides my Wife.
Good luck to you, the sickness will subside.
 
The good news, depending on where you’re located, is that winter is a really great time to fly. Smooth and clear air where you can see 50 miles is only a month or two away
 
I believe air sickness is 99% psychological. It is a product of anxiety aggravated by new and unusual physical sensations. That means you can adjust with time and experience.

I fly competitive aerobatics. My tolerance is very much relative to how frequently I fly and how confident I feel about what I am doing.

I have flown hard acro every day for a week. Things that made me queasy a week ago do not bother me now.

Try flying 3 or 4 days in a row. Make sure you are well hydrated. Fly on an empty stomach and have a snack you enjoy afterwards. Soda works good for a queazy stomach because it makes you burp. Get plenty of fresh air in the cockpit.

I agree that flying in cold weather will help.
 
I think something light to eat an hour before flying is helpful
 
I'd talk with the instructor, lay off on the steep turns and S turns for a while, and just spend some time flying the plane with you flying the plane. Nothing fancy, just straight and level flight and gentle turns. Get used to flying around, and then worry about the rest of the stuff. If the CFI won't work with you, find another one.

Couple of data points: Was watching a history show years ago about WW2 pilot. A P-51 ace was talking about the first time he flew a P-51, said he got sick in the plane. One of my recent reads is "Flying in the face of Fear", by Kim Campbell. An A-10 pilot in first gulf war. She had trouble with getting airsick during part of her initial training.

Don't give up on it easy.
 
It might seem intuitive to skip eating before flying, since if you worry about motion sickness then having an empty stomach might seem wise, but it's actually not the case -- eating lightly is better than not eating. (Eating a big heavy meal ahead of time is not good, as you might imagine, but something is actually better than nothing for this.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top