Motion/Airsickness (Barany Chair)

[Guest teeteetee]

Well I guess this is something you can't fix. Atleast as far as I know. Anyways, I NEVER get car sick, sea sick, or air sick. Never. I'm a roller coaster freak too. Usually I tend to just go on one, get off, and run to the next one. After more than a few rides it starts to disorient me, make me wouzy. I don't care, I keep riding them until I can't bear it anymore. Hell sometimes I'll come home feeling wouzy but it's always worth it. Anyways, I guess when it comes to those things my stomach will tend to be a ###### every once and a while. You guys think I'll have problems at UPT or worse yet in a fighter?

[Guest navobd]

In most cases with motion sickness as it relates to flying, the cause is usually a mental one (being nervous) and will usually subside once you adapt to the flight environment. Your body doesn't normally get twisted and turned upside down and when your body feels one thing and your eyes see another that tends to cause some whooziness. Once you are exposed to it a few times and are comfortable it should pass but if not it could be an obstacle, but there are some options out there to remedy it. Best of Luck.

[Guest AirGuardian]

As Navobd stated, once you are acclimated to the aircraft you will have it sorted out. A few rides will get you feeling better. If its a tweet than the heat during the summer will be the biggest issue. Some have felt a little clausterphobic with all the headgear, etc. Wouldn't worry about it unless it occurs more than a few times. They may subject you to the "Barony"(spelling) chair which is basically spinning the crap out of you in a swivel chair I kid you not! The survival folks rather enjoy maxing the puke out of you! You shouldn't get sick anymore after that crazy contraption. Good luck!

[mmkk111]

Have any of you guys had big problems with airsickness? I'm going through UPT at Whiting Field with the Navy. I've been sick on 6 out of 7 flights. I've gotten meds from the flight doc and made it through one flight, but got sick on my flight today (27 Feb) with the meds. I've taken all of the advice from the flight doc (eating 1 hour prior to flying, getting enough rest, slow movements in the cockpit, sucking on the O2, etc....), but it doesn't seem to work. I'm going to see the Doc again on Monday and I'm assuming they'll spin the crap out of me.

I was just wondering if anybody here on the board has had any abnormal experiences with airsickness. I never got sick during IFT, which is why I'm surprised I'm having a problem now. I can make it through about 90% of the flight and then it happens on the way home when we pick up course rules. Also, if the IP demos a maneuver and starts yanking and banking, it gets me all stirred up.

It's getting very discouraging. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks all, sorry for the long post,

Mark

[Guest F16PilotMD]

One word - relax.

Most humans get some sensation of motion sickness. I'm convinced that it's a result of your brain sensing motions that you can't correlate to an action on your part. That is, when you are used to the sensation that you feel by pushing the stick one way or the other, it doesn't bother you AS MUCH (note, I didn't say AT ALL) when you feel the same sensation caused by another person pushing the stick. This is why kids get car sick...they don't drive, so they can't correlate the motions they feel with an action like turning the steering wheel.

Okay, so look at your situation in that vein. You should expect the sensation (i.e.: nausea) and not panic when it hits you. Breathe deep, maybe on 100%, concentrate on flying the jet well and don't worry yourself sick by worrying IF you will get sick. At baseline, you're going to be nervous because you are in pilot training. Turn that nervousness into flying a perfect jet not fretting over ralphing.

The good news is that most people get over this. Some get spun and spun and spun in the torture chair. I personally get sick as hell in the back seat of the Viper when I'm not flying...but I don't puke. Why?....again, partly because I'm comfortable with what's going on but mostly because I don't panic. I do just what you should do...relax, breathe, concentrate on the mission and not on whether or not I'm going to puke.

Yes, I realize this is much easier said than done...but so is going to pilot training. You'll be fine. Hang in there.

[Guest AirGuardian]

If its during the warmer season when most do tend to get sick, try to freeze your plastic water(hopefully) flask(if it stills issued?) and place it in your leg pocket. You'd be surprised how it keeps your mind off things and it helps you to focus on the cool/frigid leg sensation since the T-37 doesn't have much of a AC at Grd level. Just a note which helped a few of our guys(including myself) during the hotter months at CBM.

[Tone deaf]

If you're serious about making this a career, you should consider getting some civilian aerobatic experience to help you deal with the airsickness problem. Flying high performance, light aerobatic airplanes will most likely get you sicker faster than flying a jet or turboprop. Invest some $$ now and salvage your chances for a military flying career. Also, there are some treatments for airsickness (not approved for military flying) that don't involve drugs and consist of a wristband with some sort of electrical stimulation. If all else fails, it might be worth a shot. It could provide a psychological boost to get you over the problem.

[Guest Pilot135]

I agree with getting as much air experience as possible, but I remember going through UPT and I didn't have any time to do any civilian flying once I started. This is good advice for those who have yet to start UPT

[Gravedigger]

When I first started flying, I got airsick on my first few flights. I have two ratings and 150 hours since, but I'm worried about getting sick during military training. How can I prepare and what type of aerobatics can I expect? (this is if i even get a slot).

[Guest whairdhugo?]

It's mostly, if not all, in your head dude. You think you're gonna get sick...you're gonna get sick. You concern yourself with what you're concerned with and you're gonna be concentrating on whatever you're concentrating on. If you wanna climatize yourself, just go spin the crap out of a -52 and look at the instruments the whole time. If you can make it through that...you're fine! Happy UpChucks!

[163 FS]

In my tweet class, most of the guys said that felt sick during their first few rides and I was one of them. We did have a few that actually threw up in the jet, but they all got over it after some extra training.

Don't worry about it, you'll get use to it just like you did in your 152.

[Guest Slick1020]

I'm at UPT and in front of my classmates I decided to go first in the Barany Chair during aerospace phys class because nobody wanted to go first and possibly blow chunks in front of everyone. I didn't get sick but afterwards maybe because I was tired or something I started belching some 10 mins later. Should I have any concerns?

[Guest KoolKat]

I don't think you should be concerned at this point.

The one dude I saw get queezy the first time in the chair ended up with A-10s. One guy that didn't would add pieces of flare to his flight suit almost every ride.

If you can't help btu worry about it, learn about air sickness and some ways to help combat it.

Other than that, I suggest not stressing about it until after your dollar ride. If you "decorate yourself" on the dollar ride, then you and that chair are going to become good friends.

Bottom line, regardless if it's not adding "no-flap" to your straight-in radiocall or constantly going in your flight bag, they'll help you fix yourself.

Just remember, it's the little WHITE bag...not the manilla envelope. ;)

BENDY

[Guest Aces-High]

Just a note to add to Benders comments. They won't put you in the chair if you puke on your dollar ride. In fact you have two chances to get over your airsickness yourself. If you puke in the jet twice then they will put you on meds. The meds are awesome. I had trouble with airsickness and after three flights on the meds I was good to go. I still sometimes feel bad, but I don't puke. If you puke after the meds then welcome to the chair.

[C17Driver]

Aces-High,

I think it depends on the flight docs and the other organizations that get involved. When I was at Vance several years ago, my buddies that had airsick problems went to the chair first and then they tried the meds.

[Guest F16PilotMD]

Best way to get airsick is to worry about being airsick. Forget about it.

F16PilotMD--little white bag vet

[Guest doctidy]

the more you fly, the less airsick you'll get. Push it up!

[Guest sickels101]

Dramamine works good but technically, once you start flying in the AF it generally isn't on the approved list (that is my disclaimer). But I've know dudes who used it and I used it on my first few flights to get used to higher g flying.

I knew a guy who had a very hard time with 172s and did even worse with 37s. They stuck him in the Barraney (no idea if this is spelled right) Chair and spun him until he puked. Hell, a guy in my class puked so much in the jet he ruptured his esophagus and the barraney chair fixed him right up.

My advice, don't think or worry about getting airsick while flying and frontload your flights with Dramamine and wean yourself off if you stop getting sick. Sienna has some good advice that many people follow. Try eating anything with ginger in it (ginger ale, ginger snaps, ginger root, etc.) I knew a guard guy who chewed ginger root while flying. Go up and enjoy your flying and while flying don't think "am I getting sick yet?"

[Guest Richard Lutz]

Hey everyone. I am curious if motion sickness and alergies will effect my possibilities of getting a NAV slot. I get motion sickness since I can remember. Typically I can only do 3 rides at a carnaval before I feel like I am going to puke. I also get alergies every once and a while. I am allergic to tumble weeds (I live in a dry desert like region.) It only becomes a problem when I touch them and when I breath their scent. Will this hurt me in the long run.

[Toro]

Do a search on allergies. As far as motion sickness, it shouldn't be a problem. If you get motion sickness at UPT, the aerospace physiology shop has a tip-top program to spin it out of you.

[Guest awfltdoc]

Hey everyone. I am curious if motion sickness and alergies will effect my possibilities of getting a NAV slot. I get motion sickness since I can remember. Typically I can only do 3 rides at a carnaval before I feel like I am going to puke. I also get alergies every once and a while. I am allergic to tumble weeds (I live in a dry desert like region.) It only becomes a problem when I touch them and when I breath their scent. Will this hurt me in the long run.

Allergies likely not too much a problem if treatable.

As for airsickness (From AFI 48-123v3)

A4.31.1.6. Airsickness in flying personnel is not cause for medical disqualification unless there is

medical evidence of organic or psychiatric pathology. Flying personnel should be entered into the

Airsickness Management Program, described in AFI 48-123V4, paragraph 1.2.19. to be given an

opportunity to overcome in flight airsickness. If airsickness is of such chronicity, or severity, as to

interfere with the performance of flying duties by a rated officer, their potential for further use in

rated duties are addressed by a Flying Evaluation Board. Copies of these cases are sent through

medical channels to MAJCOM/SG for review before convening a board. Continued airsickness by

nonrated personnel, after completing the Airsickness Management Program while enrolled in flying

courses, is medically disqualifying, if it is of such severity or chronicity as to interfere with the

performance of flying duties. Final determination of medical qualification in these cases are made

by the MAJCOM/SG.

In short, you should be okay.

[scawtiedog]

As far as the motion sickness goes, I was one of the worst pukers on record when I went through UPT (logged about as many sorties in the chair as I did in the Tweet) and yet I still graduated. Not sure how Nav training goes, UPT had a cut-off for how far in the program they'd let you go with airsickness before washing you out (and I pushed every limit they had), but it shouldn't affect your chances of getting selected - with most people it's something they can fix. PM me if you have more questions about motion sickness or my experiences with it.

[Guest Gumps]

There's been some weird info on the above posts, here's my experience with airsickness...

I got actively airsick in the Tweet, for a while. Here's why:

When some people fly their bodies go through waves of motion sickness. As the sortie progresses, the waves bring you closer and closer to active airsickness (puking). Thus, most students can "beat the puke" until the pattern work at the end of a sortie, where the yanking and banking combined with the most severe waves of nausea = puke. The way you beat airsickness is to train your body not to vomit when it feels the way it does when flying a jet. There are a couple of ways to do that:

-Barony chair: Doc puts you in the chair, spins and spins and spins until you puke. The goal is to get you the vomit point, and force yourself to not vomit. If you don't allow the body to vomit, it will stop reacting to the stimulus (flying) with nausea.

-Swallow your vomit afterwards and keep flying. This sucks, but most dudes in the Tweet with airsickness have done it. IPs won't stand for this, so you have to be covert.

The best thing I could tell someone with airsickness is to know the sortie inside and out. That will maximize your stick time, which means you'll be thinking of what you need to do with the jet, instead of the IP flying, at which point you start thinking of how you are going to not throw up.

For the record, I have motion sickness when reading in a car. Maybe that can give you an idea of my sensitivity level.

Good luck.

[Guest EN_STUD]

Knowing the sortie well is huge, especially since anticipating what is coming next will help combat the nausea.

Biggest thing is dont give up...I had to spin in the chair for 3 days in a row, twice a day before I got over it. Prior to that I was getting sick on just about every flight, even pattern only sorties when I was flying the entire time. I was almost to inital solo before I started seeing any progress. After the chair, I've been 100% on every flight. I also think the spinning helps to "numb" your inner ear to stimulation felt in the chair, which is much more extreme than in the Tweet.

The main thing the chair taught me was how to relax when my inner ear told my brain I am disoriented and something is wrong. Relaxation really is the key to overcoming it. Staying relaxed doesn't just mean during the sortie, it is also in the brief, as you step to the jet, as you strap in, taxi, and throughout the flight.

The anticipation of "oh shit, the IP is flying now...this usually gets me" is exactly the kind of anxiety that will manifest into airsickness.

We have a shrink at ENJJPT that deals with airsickness and performance related issues. He gave me a copy of a 20 minute track that is basically a relaxation technique used fo people dealling with airsickness or performance related issues due to stress/anxiety. I have it on my computer and can email it if anyone would like it. Feel free to PM me with an email address that can handle about a 4 MB file.

[Guest audioflyer]

I'd like to hear that track! I'll pm you my email.

I had someone on this forum tell me that something like 10% of UPT students drop out due to airsickness. (Hope I got that right). Any truth to that?