The Real Cure for Air Sickness

Here's your scenario:

You have been dreaming of soaring through the skies your whole life. You are one of the chosen ones that can’t help but look up anytime you hear a plane fly by, and after years of waiting, it’s finally your turn. It’s the day you get to do your discovery flight. 

You get the airplane ready to go and FINALLY get into the air. The first few minutes are elating, and you are the master of the ship. You get to operate the controls as you make turns and change altitudes, but something’s wrong. As the plane banks and changes speed you start to get nauseous. It feels like you’re getting a little dizzy, your skin starts to get clammy, and your stomach is starting to do backflips. You check your forehead with the back of your hand quickly, but your temperature seems fine.

Your instructor notices that you’ve gone a little quiet and sees your face get pale. They ask if you’re feeling ok and you tell them you’re not sure. They assume controls and ask you to close your eyes and lean back in your seat as they turn the airplane back to the field. Your discovery flight is cut short for air sickness.

But that’s not the end!

It's a Common Problem

All too often, we hear horror stories of potential flight students going on their first discovery flights like this and getting sick. This is entirely normal and happens more often than you might think. Around 15% of new students struggle with air sickness at the beginning of their training.

Here’s what’s happening in your body. The brain, like an airplane, requires several different systems to deliver information. The system that controls balance is called the vestibular system. Located in the inner ear, this system is comprised of 3 pairs of semicircular canals and 2 sacs, called the saccule and the utricle. The semicircular canals hold a fluid that moves when the head turns. This means they are sensitive to gravity and tell the brain whether you are standing up or lying down. They send this data to the brain, but sometimes the brain gets confused.

In an airplane, you feel like you’re moving, but your eyes tell your brain that you don’t appear to be going anywhere. The opposite is true as well. After being on a boat for a while, you can stand still on dry land but still feel like you’re moving.

BUT THERE IS HOPE! This just requires training your body to get used to these sensations.

Air sickness affects everyone differently. Even super-experienced pilots may get air sickness from time to time.

The Solution for Air Sickness

Unfortunately, there is no overnight cure for air sickness, and most over-the-counter medications designed to treat it are prohibited by the FAA. But there are some proven ways to mitigate it as you progress through your aviation journey. Dietary supplements, copper bracelets, chewing gum... Forget all of that. They're nothing but placebos.

1. First and foremost, understand that your tendency toward air sickness is temporary. With experience, you will develop a tolerance. Patience is the real (and permanent cure).

2. Be honest with your instructor about how you’re feeling. The worst thing you can do is try to “push through it” and keep training while you’re feeling terrible. At that point, no knowledge is being transferred. When you are feeling ill, it is time to end the lesson and get back on the ground.

3. Heat is one of the biggest contributors to air sickness. Avoid training in the hottest parts of the day. Instead, try and fly either early in the morning or later in the evening while the air is calm and the temperature is cooler.

4. Keep the vents open. Fresh, cool outside air will help. If you open the vents because you're starting to feel sick, well, you already lost the battle. Head back to the airport and land.

5. Eat light and stay hydrated. A heavy meal will not feel good if your stomach starts tying itself in knots.

6. Don’t jump right into “unusual attitudes” and “steep turns.” Nothing in the ACS requires those to be taught right away, so ease into the dramatic stuff. If these are triggers for your air sickness, push them off to future lessons.

Your goal is not to win a fight with air sickness. Your goal is to complete your flight lesson without feeling nauseous to begin with!

Now that you know what’s going on and what you can do to fight it, don’t get discouraged.

The worst part of air sickness is the fear of becoming sick again. This can make it hard to be enthusiastic about your next lesson. 

If this is something that’s happening to you, you’re in good company. Keep your lessons short, do everything you can to mitigate it, stay positive, and keep flying!

About the Author

Nate Tennant is a CFI, CFII, & MEI with a decade of aviation experience. He has held Captain positions in both the Part 135 world and the Part 121 industry. He started working for Gold Seal over 9 years ago and has since become the Chief Operating Officer, while maintaining his “side hustle” of being a pilot for a major airline. On top of that, he spends his free time volunteering as an FAA safety rep for the Atlanta FSDO.

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