Props to Al! Handled it like a champ. Air sickness is a miserable experience for anyone, and I always feel bad when a student gets sick during a training lesson with me. I learned the hard way early on in my instructing career the importance of pacing flights and not rushing into certain maneuvers too early. Thanks for a great and informative video!
Wow, tough ride. I've had people get sick on sailboats before and there is a point where there is next to nothing you can do for them other than get them on the hard as fast as possible. Al hit that point pretty quickly but what a trooper, "I'd rather pass out then make you go back!" He definitely deserves another ride for taking that attitude.
Al handled that well. I had my first passenger get sick due to the turbulence earlier this year. I flew down to Duxford from up north where I live. We took off into smooth air, partially annoying as the forcast tailwind for the flight down didn't happen. But it was like glass, I have never had it trimmed out so perfectly. Anyway on route I dropped down to 1000ft AGL to do a flypast at santa pod where a friend was spending the weekend watching some racing. Hooo boy the air was choppy I climbed back to my cruising altitude but sadly fair weather cumulus were the tell tail that it was going to be choppy all the way in. She was ill a few times, I then found out she had skipped breakfast! We landed without incident, I had made the FISO aware I had a passenger that was a bit green about the gills so I would appreciate not having to go around. We were greeted on the apron by SIX firefighters and a massive airport fire truck, much to our ammusement. After some fluids and food she was fine and we had a pleasent day wandering around the museum, if you are in the UK its well worth a visit. She was fine for the flight home as the air was like glass again for the whole trip back. Oddly she has a powerboat licence and has never been sick on a boat.
I had the chance to fly, for 1 hour, the Chipmunk 017 FCYR with Andrei Tineghe on the 01 Sept 2018 as my last flight before returning my flying licence for health reason. I will never forget the feeling I experience during that time. I joined the RCAF in 1967 till 1989 as a Medic, I missed the chance to ride in one before they were decommissioned but I promessed myself that my last flight with be in a Chippie and I did it! Thanks to the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association !! I will never forget! Now I fly radio controlled plane and I have two Chipmunk and one is 017 59 inches and the other one is 013 with 80 inches wingspan! Lucky me!
I got air sick on my airplane IFR checkride on the climb out from missed to do my final instrument approach (VOR). DPE asked if I wanted to go back, but I stuck it out because we were so far along that turning around would take just as long as finishing the approach. Felt good by the time we landed. But that sucked, a long checkride 100% under the hood. I passed. Fortunately I've never actually thrown up, always was more of a dry heave. I rarely get sick as the pilot, but this high stress flight under the hood was rough. And we were at high DA in the mountains, flying at 9000ft+ DA the whole time.
Major props to Al! As far as sick passengers go, he was pretty ideal. Didn't miss the bag, moved his mic, wanted to power through, and did stick it out.
For sure - I forgot to explicitly mention in the video that I appreciate he'd moved the mic; the majority of the flight he was hard to hear because the mic was under his chin after he'd initially shoved it out of the way, and I didn't worry about correcting him on that as it was safe there :)
I was doing a circuit check today in the DA40 out of CYKF and we saw one of these butifull birds from the Waterloo War Birds while on alpha holding short of 26 love to see them
Just a few brief points. I ran aerobatic adventure flights for ten years, and there was a certain amount of bag use, plus a couple who didn't make it to the bag. Hard work cleaning out a Pitts S2a. But the quickest time to throw-up was not an aerobatic flight but a formation flight to honour our service people. Also I would avoid talking about it with a passenger any more than necessary. My guests always had the opportunity to cut short, with the offer of another flight if that helped. One person insisted on the whole deal and was last seen some hours after the flight, lying in the parking lot barfing into the garden.
I always keep bags in the RV, but last year after 44 years of flying I never thought I'd be the one using them... dam that Cracker Barrel meal in Seymour, just before doing KSER - CYKF. 🙄
It's been quite a while since I've used a bag in flight, but the zip-lock bag seems like a good idea. No need to tightly grasp the bag in order to keep the contents properly secured. Condolences to Al!
Al is fantastic. What a trooper. I saw him licking his lips and looking unsteady before the nausea. Hadn't thought about extra nausea from formation flying like that! totally understand not verbalizing things with a nervous/new passenger.
You are not alone Al, I know your misery My respect to you for finishing the flight👍 Would like to see how follow up flight went - hope that it was a pleasant experience Best regards - David
I remember getting sick in a Baron in the early 80s on a bumpy day. My brother dad and I were flying around the beautiful Transkei wild coast when I started feeling old George coming for a visit. Pilot dropped dad and I off at the airport and continued flying to probably log flight time. I was in my early teens. Once you chuck, it doesn't stop man. Don't feel bad abt it. Part of aviation and sailing.
I sympathize with him. I've never tossed my cookies while on a plane but twice I've casually checked the seat back pocket to make sure there was a bag in it but never needed them. I knew the ride into Heathrow was going to suck last spring when one of the pilots told the flight attendants to take their seats immediately about 20 minutes before landing. Maybe some Dramamine or even ginger candies would help on his next flight. Might also want to pick up some actual air sickness bags for future passengers.
I had an experience like this taking my ex girlfriend on a flying date to Catalina island. I had flown with her once before in smooth air without a problem, but just a tiny bit of turbulence over some mountains had her fighting it the whole way there. Having her hold the yoke and focus on flying level helped for a bit but once we got close to the airport there was a problem: the only couple clouds in the area were hanging out right in the approach area and there was no way in right away. She was fine until I my first failed attempt at an approach and the sinking feeling from retracting the flaps sent her over edge and we had no barf bags so she was puking out the window over the water (we were in a flight school 172) while I made 2 more circles around, feeling terrible, not knowing if I should continue or go back. Luckily the 4th attempt I was able to find a gap in the clouds and make it down safely. I felt bad for her still puking out the window as we taxied in and of course some guy was taking pictures of our plane straight ahead and I was trying to turn away to keep her from showing up in his pics…😂🤦♂️ Luckily they had motion sickness pills on the island so she was okay on the flight back. I definitely won’t ever forget that flight. Sorry if anyone took barf showers in their boat… 😅
Mixed feelings here. "Do you want to go back?" is an incredibly loaded question, in the circumstances. Passenger hating every minute of it and yet, you want to "get there".
100% - This is a great debrief of what amounts to a sort of "get-there-itis". That's why I was happy that Al was willing to publicly share his pain, so other pilots could learn from my mistake here.
Cool, thanks. And agreed yeah airsickness is no fun - I’m trying to help a few different pilot friends work through some exposure therapy to get over it so they can do aerobatics.
Years ago I used to go with a flight instructor friend on weekend coastwatch flights, every Saturday, in a Cessna Aerobat. He would do his required flight, then get up to around 5k ft and proceed to throw that aircraft around to the point i didnt know which way was up. I've never had motion sickness since. Everyone needs to experience a hammerhead, and an inverted spin. You wont be scared of anything after that.
(Not an aviator) I guess, a good codeword would be, "we're experiencing bio trouble, breaking formation!". It doesn't matter if the pilot finds something he ate doesn't like flying or if the passenger's stomach contents share the sentiment, you need to break formation and get on the ground in a somewhat expedite fashion.
@@realulli Ive seen the code brown already on the 74gear channel, demonstrating an expedited debrief. It surprises me people willingly gulps down a big lunch before embarfi, uh embarking on a small plane ride. To each their own.
Yes this sounds like a legit consideration. At our museum we offer the seats to volunteers and crew at the discretion of the PIC. This was a good learning moment for me (and the rest of us at the museum).
If I have a passenger that is feeling nauseous, I'll actually let them take the plane and make a few gentle turns so they feel in control which seems to help. Of course, you can't really do that when you're in formation.
This was interesting. Recently I was watching one of the military tubers , he had similar issue with pax, it was a multi crew cockpit. PIC kept asking rear seater if he was ok..finally ….instructor tells PIC to stop asking him as it was just making it worse. I don’t know if thats true ? But who knows.
Thanks - and yeah, Military probably has different protocols around this sort of thing, but I'd rather check in with my passenger to make sure they are not suffering. My take away from this one is that I should have just cut it short when it was clear he wasn't doing well even though he was saying to keep going.
@@FlightChops Well, he did great. I enjoy formation flight so I’ve been watching yours. Good stuff. Thanks for the reply and keep up the great channel.
Hello FC, I’m also dealing with motion sickness but want to pursue my PPL. What’s the latest method to deal with it and hopefully get 100% cured of it. Read everything from pressure points on your arm to peppermint to coke to lemon drink. I want to make my own multi axis trainer to cure myself of it! Thoughts? Thank you, Anthony
Right on - you can do it. I don't know all the answers beyond suggesting "exposure therapy". And to give yourself some hope, pick up Bob Hoover's book "Forever Flying"; beyond being an amazing aviation book (probably my favourite), he shares the story of how hard he battled against motion sickness in his early days. He went on to become the greatest pilot who ever lived as described by many of the greats.
Proud to be able to share lot's of growth and experiences in all sorts of directions of aviation - It's been over 10 years since I started the channel.
Albert is my middle name after my GF. Brother, It happens to the best of us. I have been there. Getting air sick can be trained away. It sucks to happen but your not alone. Especially if your flying the plane. Hopefully your next flight will be smooth. Thanks for sharing this video that’s incredible! I plan to do some ff training.
Props to Al! Handled it like a champ. Air sickness is a miserable experience for anyone, and I always feel bad when a student gets sick during a training lesson with me. I learned the hard way early on in my instructing career the importance of pacing flights and not rushing into certain maneuvers too early. Thanks for a great and informative video!
Wow, tough ride. I've had people get sick on sailboats before and there is a point where there is next to nothing you can do for them other than get them on the hard as fast as possible. Al hit that point pretty quickly but what a trooper, "I'd rather pass out then make you go back!" He definitely deserves another ride for taking that attitude.
Yellow birds are GO! That was certainly quite a challenge, and exhausting!.
Al handled that well. I had my first passenger get sick due to the turbulence earlier this year. I flew down to Duxford from up north where I live. We took off into smooth air, partially annoying as the forcast tailwind for the flight down didn't happen. But it was like glass, I have never had it trimmed out so perfectly. Anyway on route I dropped down to 1000ft AGL to do a flypast at santa pod where a friend was spending the weekend watching some racing. Hooo boy the air was choppy I climbed back to my cruising altitude but sadly fair weather cumulus were the tell tail that it was going to be choppy all the way in. She was ill a few times, I then found out she had skipped breakfast!
We landed without incident, I had made the FISO aware I had a passenger that was a bit green about the gills so I would appreciate not having to go around. We were greeted on the apron by SIX firefighters and a massive airport fire truck, much to our ammusement. After some fluids and food she was fine and we had a pleasent day wandering around the museum, if you are in the UK its well worth a visit.
She was fine for the flight home as the air was like glass again for the whole trip back. Oddly she has a powerboat licence and has never been sick on a boat.
I had the chance to fly, for 1 hour, the Chipmunk 017 FCYR with Andrei Tineghe on the 01 Sept 2018 as my last flight before returning my flying licence for health reason. I will never forget the feeling I experience during that time. I joined the RCAF in 1967 till 1989 as a Medic, I missed the chance to ride in one before they were decommissioned but I promessed myself that my last flight with be in a Chippie and I did it! Thanks to the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association !! I will never forget! Now I fly radio controlled plane and I have two Chipmunk and one is 017 59 inches and the other one is 013 with 80 inches wingspan! Lucky me!
Right on! I'll make sure Andrei sees this comment
Al was a trooper. Nice and smooth formation work there Steve!
Appreciated
I got air sick on my airplane IFR checkride on the climb out from missed to do my final instrument approach (VOR). DPE asked if I wanted to go back, but I stuck it out because we were so far along that turning around would take just as long as finishing the approach. Felt good by the time we landed. But that sucked, a long checkride 100% under the hood. I passed.
Fortunately I've never actually thrown up, always was more of a dry heave. I rarely get sick as the pilot, but this high stress flight under the hood was rough. And we were at high DA in the mountains, flying at 9000ft+ DA the whole time.
Well done getting through the check ride in that condition!
Formation flying is on my bucket list!
Way to go Al! You’re a trooper my friend!!
Major props to Al! As far as sick passengers go, he was pretty ideal. Didn't miss the bag, moved his mic, wanted to power through, and did stick it out.
For sure - I forgot to explicitly mention in the video that I appreciate he'd moved the mic; the majority of the flight he was hard to hear because the mic was under his chin after he'd initially shoved it out of the way, and I didn't worry about correcting him on that as it was safe there :)
I was doing a circuit check today in the DA40 out of CYKF and we saw one of these butifull birds from the Waterloo War Birds while on alpha holding short of 26 love to see them
Just a few brief points. I ran aerobatic adventure flights for ten years, and there was a certain amount of bag use, plus a couple who didn't make it to the bag. Hard work cleaning out a Pitts S2a.
But the quickest time to throw-up was not an aerobatic flight but a formation flight to honour our service people. Also I would avoid talking about it with a passenger any more than necessary.
My guests always had the opportunity to cut short, with the offer of another flight if that helped. One person insisted on the whole deal and was last seen some hours after the flight, lying in the parking lot barfing into the garden.
I always keep bags in the RV, but last year after 44 years of flying I never thought I'd be the one using them... dam that Cracker Barrel meal in Seymour, just before doing KSER - CYKF. 🙄
I don’t think anyone is 100% immune to the risk of motion sickness at some point.
It's been quite a while since I've used a bag in flight, but the zip-lock bag seems like a good idea. No need to tightly grasp the bag in order to keep the contents properly secured. Condolences to Al!
Yeah - I’m rocking a heavy duty freezer zip lock in the console at all times 🫡😂🫠
It's so cool, that I could almost see my house from your POV. That's awesome.
Have you seen us fly over when practicing?
Al is fantastic. What a trooper. I saw him licking his lips and looking unsteady before the nausea. Hadn't thought about extra nausea from formation flying like that!
totally understand not verbalizing things with a nervous/new passenger.
Thumbs up 👍 it’s tuff to watch knowing what’s going on, but you’re right about going back and watching his reaction to even talking about it.
I appreciate that
Thank so much for the book, certainly will pick it up. Anthony
You are not alone Al, I know your misery
My respect to you for finishing the flight👍
Would like to see how follow up flight went - hope that it was a pleasant experience
Best regards - David
I remember getting sick in a Baron in the early 80s on a bumpy day. My brother dad and I were flying around the beautiful Transkei wild coast when I started feeling old George coming for a visit. Pilot dropped dad and I off at the airport and continued flying to probably log flight time. I was in my early teens. Once you chuck, it doesn't stop man. Don't feel bad abt it. Part of aviation and sailing.
Thanks for sharing your insights on the airsickness topic.
I sympathize with him. I've never tossed my cookies while on a plane but twice I've casually checked the seat back pocket to make sure there was a bag in it but never needed them. I knew the ride into Heathrow was going to suck last spring when one of the pilots told the flight attendants to take their seats immediately about 20 minutes before landing. Maybe some Dramamine or even ginger candies would help on his next flight. Might also want to pick up some actual air sickness bags for future passengers.
Great formation flying with a little distraction, great job for Al to stick with it to complete the flight. Looks like a fun thing to do.
Thanks 👍
Hood in to the unusual atatudes got me after a few, I feel for you buddy, it turns a fun time into quite the opposite relatively quickly
For sure. I had a similar issue on a hood instrument lesson.
I had an experience like this taking my ex girlfriend on a flying date to Catalina island. I had flown with her once before in smooth air without a problem, but just a tiny bit of turbulence over some mountains had her fighting it the whole way there. Having her hold the yoke and focus on flying level helped for a bit but once we got close to the airport there was a problem: the only couple clouds in the area were hanging out right in the approach area and there was no way in right away. She was fine until I my first failed attempt at an approach and the sinking feeling from retracting the flaps sent her over edge and we had no barf bags so she was puking out the window over the water (we were in a flight school 172) while I made 2 more circles around, feeling terrible, not knowing if I should continue or go back. Luckily the 4th attempt I was able to find a gap in the clouds and make it down safely. I felt bad for her still puking out the window as we taxied in and of course some guy was taking pictures of our plane straight ahead and I was trying to turn away to keep her from showing up in his pics…😂🤦♂️ Luckily they had motion sickness pills on the island so she was okay on the flight back. I definitely won’t ever forget that flight. Sorry if anyone took barf showers in their boat… 😅
i really hope All gets another, more pleasurable experience at a later date !!
We'll get it done.
That's some rough duty right there. You did an amazing job handling that while in tight formation. And Al was definitely a trooper!
Mixed feelings here. "Do you want to go back?" is an incredibly loaded question, in the circumstances. Passenger hating every minute of it and yet, you want to "get there".
100% - This is a great debrief of what amounts to a sort of "get-there-itis".
That's why I was happy that Al was willing to publicly share his pain, so other pilots could learn from my mistake here.
Amen, brother. Big Mistake.@@FlightChops
@@thomasm8699 🤷♂
Really nice formation work Steve !
Many thanks! 👊
Air sickness for an aviator? Say it ain’t so! Your RV fits nicely with that crowd.
Can you clarify this one? I don’t fully understand what you’re saying :-)
@@FlightChops air sickness is terrible, I wish it on no one, and your RV with her paint job fits into that formation nicely.
Cool, thanks.
And agreed yeah airsickness is no fun - I’m trying to help a few different pilot friends work through some exposure therapy to get over it so they can do aerobatics.
Get some emesis bags. Waaaaaay better, they store easy, stay open, and you can seal them off afterwards.
I got a pack of 100 on Amazon. So far no one's had to use any though!
@AnsonChappell We use them for the kids in the car, and they work great in the plane too.
great job! what a trooper.
Years ago I used to go with a flight instructor friend on weekend coastwatch flights, every Saturday, in a Cessna Aerobat. He would do his required flight, then get up to around 5k ft and proceed to throw that aircraft around to the point i didnt know which way was up. I've never had motion sickness since.
Everyone needs to experience a hammerhead, and an inverted spin. You wont be scared of anything after that.
Hammer hard is probably my favourite maneuver!
Come to think of it, what's the codeword for a good out-putning if y'all need to relay it on the radio? "Hey, we've experienced an ellllggh!" 😅
(Not an aviator) I guess, a good codeword would be, "we're experiencing bio trouble, breaking formation!". It doesn't matter if the pilot finds something he ate doesn't like flying or if the passenger's stomach contents share the sentiment, you need to break formation and get on the ground in a somewhat expedite fashion.
@@realulli Ive seen the code brown already on the 74gear channel, demonstrating an expedited debrief. It surprises me people willingly gulps down a big lunch before embarfi, uh embarking on a small plane ride. To each their own.
Peppermint oil or an alcohol swab. The smell can help with nausea.
I had the alcohol swabs on board for that, but forgot about them. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks guy's....
Old F-4 2 Shoe🇺🇸
In some circumstances in the US, passengers aren't allowed in formation flight due to possible distractions....
Yes this sounds like a legit consideration. At our museum we offer the seats to volunteers and crew at the discretion of the PIC. This was a good learning moment for me (and the rest of us at the museum).
If I have a passenger that is feeling nauseous, I'll actually let them take the plane and make a few gentle turns so they feel in control which seems to help.
Of course, you can't really do that when you're in formation.
Al my man, if you ever read this, don't feel bad. I've made some bad decisions about not eating and flying. It will get you!
I will make sure Al sees this comment 👊
This was interesting. Recently I was watching one of the military tubers , he had similar issue with pax, it was a multi crew cockpit. PIC kept asking rear seater if he was ok..finally ….instructor tells PIC to stop asking him as it was just making it worse.
I don’t know if thats true ? But who knows.
Thanks - and yeah, Military probably has different protocols around this sort of thing, but I'd rather check in with my passenger to make sure they are not suffering. My take away from this one is that I should have just cut it short when it was clear he wasn't doing well even though he was saying to keep going.
@@FlightChops Well, he did great. I enjoy formation flight so I’ve been watching yours. Good stuff. Thanks for the reply and keep up the great channel.
How about a light breakfast?
Yes, that's what I had suggested, but I don't think he had really done that.
Hello FC, I’m also dealing with motion sickness but want to pursue my PPL. What’s the latest method to deal with it and hopefully get 100% cured of it. Read everything from pressure points on your arm to peppermint to coke to lemon drink. I want to make my own multi axis trainer to cure myself of it! Thoughts? Thank you, Anthony
Right on - you can do it.
I don't know all the answers beyond suggesting "exposure therapy".
And to give yourself some hope, pick up Bob Hoover's book "Forever Flying"; beyond being an amazing aviation book (probably my favourite), he shares the story of how hard he battled against motion sickness in his early days. He went on to become the greatest pilot who ever lived as described by many of the greats.
This channel sure has changed
Proud to be able to share lot's of growth and experiences in all sorts of directions of aviation - It's been over 10 years since I started the channel.
Albert is my middle name after my GF. Brother, It happens to the best of us. I have been there. Getting air sick can be trained away. It sucks to happen but your not alone. Especially if your flying the plane. Hopefully your next flight will be smooth. Thanks for sharing this video that’s incredible! I plan to do some ff training.
If it wasn’t bad food you’re not allowed to ride again
Serious question: Are you a pilot?
There are MANY reasons that motion sickness can hit, and anyone can fall victim to it.
@@FlightChops not anyone who rides in my planes.