Fly with a Common Cold?

MBDiagMan

MBDiagMan

Final Approach
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Doc
I did a search, but couldn't find anything.

I am a student pilot with a taildragger and I am ALMOST ready to solo. Coincidently my instructor and myself BOTH had colonoscopies, his Thursday, mine Friday. Fortunately both of us came through with no problems whatsoever. The doctor told me not to fly or drive for 24 hours.

Just before we stopped flying for these procedures I had really gotten the hang of flying a tailwheel airplane. The only reason he didn't solo me in our last session was that the air was starting to get super rough.

At the hospital Friday I picked up what appears to be a common cold, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose. I immediately started taking Zicam and it is somewhat under control.

So the question, since I am about to solo, should I fly and solo while experiencing the symptoms of a common cold? We won't be going over 1,000' AGL and I don't think I will have popping ears.

Thanks for any advice on the subject.

Doc (obviously not an MD, this is only a nick name)
 
I certainly wouldn't. I have done it once before and never again. When I have a common cold I still feel pretty crummy and made a commitment to myself after the first time I tried to not fly in that condition again.
 
Thanks Jason!

I have had no shortage of delays in my training. This means that I will go two weeks without flying. Oh well.

Doc
 
The problem is that the "cold" is not a single disease but any one of a number of viruses. Most can cause problems that can interfere with flying. It makes sense to wait until you feel better but even then you may discover a sinus problem at altitude that was not apparent on the ground.
 
As I read it, Zicam is a homeopathic remedy neither tested nor approved by the FDA. Reliably reported side effects include nausea. Interactions with any other drugs you might be taking are unknown, but there are reported issues with some foods. I don't think I'd go flying with it without a good talk with my AME first, and definitely not until my cold symptoms (especially sinus congestion and eustachian tube blockage) were gone.
 
Ron Levy said:
As I read it, Zicam is a homeopathic remedy neither tested nor approved by the FDA. Reliably reported side effects include nausea. Interactions with any other drugs you might be taking are unknown, but there are reported issues with some foods. I don't think I'd go flying with it without a good talk with my AME first, and definitely not until my cold symptoms (especially sinus congestion and eustachian tube blockage) were gone.
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There is some scientific data that zinc lozenges may reduce the duration of cold symptoms. The results are somewhat controversial.

Results: The time to complete resolution of symptoms was significantly shorter in the zinc group than in the placebo group (median, 4.4 days compared with 7.6 days; P< 0.001).

http://www.annals.org/content/125/2/81.full.pdf+html
 
You're going to stop flying for two WEEKS due to a "common cold"?

I've never had a "common cold" linger that long.
 
Would I fly with a cold? Maybe.

Thinking about it, the number of days I feel "perfect" is pretty small. Obviously, those are good flying days.

The number of days I feel awful is pretty small too. Those are not good flying days.

Everything in between is subjective. I'd probably fly with a minor cold, but not a severe one.

As Harry Callahan said "A man's gotta know his limitations."

By the way, the worst flight I ever had was a brief flight where I discovered that I had an abcessed tooth. Not incapacitating, but certainly painful, and probably distracting.
 
kyleb said:
By the way, the worst flight I ever had was a brief flight where I discovered that I had an abcessed tooth. Not incapacitating, but certainly painful, and probably distracting.
Click to expand...

My worst flight was returning from Michigan to Iowa. I had a chest cold, and actually lost my voice at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Had to have Mary work the radios with Center.

I never really felt bad (I rarely do -- I've never missed a day for sickness yet, and I'm 52), but I couldn't make a freaking sound. Not even a squeak. Very weird.
 
If I can treat the symptoms with an OTC medicine I'm familiar with (i.e. Sudafed), I'll fly with a URI. But that's for sniffles or alergies, where the only problem is the runny nose or itchy eyes. And I know how I am on Sudafed, or Dayquil. I will NOT fly with something that makes me tired/nauseous/feverish/congested.

So in my view it all depends on what your symptoms are, and how you can treat them, with what sort of tolerance to the med you use. I don't fly EVER when taking a new (to me) medication.
 
Jay Honeck said:
My worst flight was returning from Michigan to Iowa. I had a chest cold, and actually lost my voice at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
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If you were at the bottom of Lake Michigan you had a lot more problems than a cold! :eek:

I don't fly pressurized aircraft when at all congested. The consequences of a pressurization problem would be painful at best.

Unpressurized at lower altitudes is acceptable if I otherwise feel okay. Pattern work would be fine. For a "first solo" a conservative approach is the best policy, though.
 
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Jay Honeck said:
You're going to stop flying for two WEEKS due to a "common cold"?

I've never had a "common cold" linger that long.
Click to expand...

kyleb said:
Would I fly with a cold? Maybe.

Thinking about it, the number of days I feel "perfect" is pretty small. Obviously, those are good flying days.

The number of days I feel awful is pretty small too. Those are not good flying days.

Everything in between is subjective. I'd probably fly with a minor cold, but not a severe one.

As Harry Callahan said "A man's gotta know his limitations."

By the way, the worst flight I ever had was a brief flight where I discovered that I had an abcessed tooth. Not incapacitating, but certainly painful, and probably distracting.
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I disagree with these.

Keep in mind that this is a first solo. As much as we all want to progress to that next milestone, the first solo is such a big deal simply because it is a big step. Best to wait a few days to avoid putting yourself at an unnecessary disadvantage.

Anyway, congrats on getting there. (In advance.)
 
Okay. So you solo with a common cold and it doesn't work out so well. What is the post hoc assessment going to say?

Doc, you've been patient this long. Get well and do it then.
 
Geez, how many of us have had a cold? Just ****ing do it and get it done with. ************s have tried to killl my ass while I had a common cold nad they couldn't because I just mowed on.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Geez, how many of us have had a cold? Just ****ing do it and get it done with. ************s have tried to killl my ass while I had a common cold nad they couldn't because I just mowed on.
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Somehow my point seems edited, however, don't worry about it.
 
If the OP feels bad enough to start this thread and ask for advice then I would say don't fly until you feel better.
 
This may be your first command decision - your call, but best you don't establish a precedent for future ones that you may live (if you are lucky) to regret.
 
Don't let other people badger you into flying when you don't feel like it.
 
Jay Honeck said:
You're going to stop flying for two WEEKS due to a "common cold"?

I've never had a "common cold" linger that long.
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No, I don't plan to stop flying for two weeks due to the cold. What I mean is that I've already gone almost a week without flying and the cold will probably add one more. I would hope to be flying in 7 days from today.

Doc
 
AuntPeggy said:
I disagree with these.

Keep in mind that this is a first solo. As much as we all want to progress to that next milestone, the first solo is such a big deal simply because it is a big step. Best to wait a few days to avoid putting yourself at an unnecessary disadvantage.

Anyway, congrats on getting there. (In advance.)
Click to expand...


In the interest of being completely accurate, this will not be my first solo. I solo'd 20 years ago in a 150. Didn't fly for 20 years, then solo'd again this past April again in a 150. The upcoming solo is my TAILWHEEL solo.

Not to split hairs, but I just wanted to be more clear. For me it is as big of a deal as my first solo. I've been the slowest learning tailwheel pilot since World War I.

Thanks for all the replies. You can rest assured that I will not be flying with the cold and there won't be anyone badgering me to fly. I have a great instructor, but he's retired and has lots of things going on. It's usually a matter of me badgering HIM to fly. There are no other active tailwheel instructors out here in the boonies with me.

Doc
 
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I would not do it! Sniffles and runny nose, pressure changes pushes it all up into sinus or ear tubes. Ever have sinus pain or a blocked ear? Not fun.

I was recovering from a cold and the AF flight doc cleared me to fly. Next day on climb out I could feel my sinuses expand but had no problems. 5hrs later we are back in the traffic pattern for a few T&Gs and I can't keep up with keeping the ears cleared. Felt like they were under water. After many clearing efforts, about 4hrs later I felt the pop and they cleared. Saw the flight doc again the next day, my ear drums were red but they had not ruptured.

You sure you want to fly with a "common cold"?
 
I wouldn't fly with a cold.

I once had a throat cold, that had apparently moved into my ears. My family was flying to Gunnison, CO. At some point my ear suddenly equalized and it was excruciating.

It would have been completely debilitating if I'd been the one piloting.

Fortunately it just hurt a lot and my ear didn't actually explode. I think my parents must have gotten some decongestant into me to try to open the tubes.
 
In the end it's your choice, your judgement. Do what you think is ok. Personally I would fly dual with a cold so I could experience the result in a controlled setting.
 
Gary F said:
There is some scientific data that zinc lozenges may reduce the duration of cold symptoms. The results are somewhat controversial.

Results: The time to complete resolution of symptoms was significantly shorter in the zinc group than in the placebo group (median, 4.4 days compared with 7.6 days; P< 0.001).

http://www.annals.org/content/125/2/81.full.pdf+html
Click to expand...

I haven't used Zicam after acquiring a full-blown cold, but I take it at the moment I feel the itchy nose or other symptoms of a cold starting, and honestly it seems to knock the cold away before it really starts. That stuff is amazing.
 
Another thought I haven't yet seen mentioned: flying solo with a cold is one thing, and it's been pretty well covered. But as for taking dual instruction with a cold, I hope folks would have the courtesy not to. The likelihood of transmitting the virus to the CFI in a small, enclosed space where you can't really escape inhaling each others' respiratory droplets is exceedingly high. Is it really fair to expose the CFI to almost-certainly contracting the virus? If I were a CFI (and I'm not) I think if a student showed up all congested, sneezing and with nose running like a faucet, I'd cancel the lesson and tell him/her to come back when they were well.
 
"depends"

I've done it, and would do it again depending on the severity.

But when in doubt, well there's never been a flight in peacetime that HAD to go.
 
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