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Low time Pilot, New (to me) RV, motion sickness

I had noticed in early stages when i was training, that coming off a nav I might feel sick, as soon as I was in the mind set of pattern work, I would forget about it. That being said, pattern work at my strip will not be possible for too long, as its a little grass strip with a few fly neighborly issues.

Well if there is a towered or other airport nearby you can go there. MacKay is probably too large for comfort at this stage.

As you seem to be near the coast, if you don't have a place for convenient T&G's, then I would fly inland. The water/land interface can create some bumby air.
 
So I'll add my $.02 here. I've always had a motion sickness problem since I can remember. I'd get sick in the back seat of cars, on commercial flights, especially on boats in any kind of waves. It seems it was just the way I was built; ingrained in my DNA so to speak.

When I was 17 I got the flying bug. I set up my first lesson and headed out to the airport. Before the lesson I was very concerned about getting nauseous so I thought about how I managed it before and remembered that deep breathing seemed to settle my stomach somewhat. So I decided that was my back up plan just in case.

So up we went. Initially the lesson went well as my new friend, CFI Lambert Stallard (great pilot name!) took me through straight and level flight, turns, climbs and descents. I was loving every minute of it until I got the sweats and that light feeling in the pit of my stomach. Oh great, exactly what I feared would ruin an otherwise fantastic experience.

Ha! Little did my body know that I had a secret weapon to use against its treachery! No way was it going to ruin this great adventure for me, for I had prepared! The slow steady deep breathing began. Inhale.....exhale.....inhale.....exhale.

I started feeling a little better, so we continued with the lesson. However, I didn't take into account just how sneaky and underhanded my own body could be and what tricks it had up its....uhh...sleeve.

After a few minutes, I started feeling a light tingling in my fingertips. Then it started in my toes. I ignored it at first, so my body ups the ante. Both feet start tingling and so do both hands. It's getting harder to move my fingers as well. Slowly, the muscles in my arms are starting to contract and pull them closer to my body. Now I'm getting a little concerned.

I figured it was time to mention this to the CFI. He gave me the bag and said "Don't miss". I can barely hold the bag up to my mouth with the severe muscle contraction, but I manage. Lambert takes control of the airplane and we head back to base. About this time my legs decide to mimic my arms and I'm curled up in a fetal position unable to move my arms and legs much if at all.

Then is suddenly dawned on Lambert what was happening. He laughed and told me to hold the bag over my mouth and breath in and out of it. I was unknowingly hyperventalating with all my deep breathing and experiencing the extreme results of doing so.

We landed and taxied in. By the time we got back to the tie down I could move my arms a bit more and the tingling was starting to subside. I was completely drenched in sweat too. It was a good ten minutes before I could get out of the airplane and make my way back to the FBO.

I went home thinking about what happened and wondered if flying just wasn't for me. Well, two days later I went back for another lesson and it went off without a hitch. No hint of nausea. Four months later I got my private.

I still get sick every once in a while, but it's always associated with some apprehension beforehand. I'm pretty convinced it's all in my head (pun intended).
 
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