A pilots diet?

J

jermaine

New Member
hey everyone!

I am getting ready to start my private pilot training.
All thats left is the intro flight and a few papers for me to fill out.
Now this will be my first time in any kind of cessna or diamond aircraft, or any of these small planes.

What should i eat for my first time?
I'm 20 years old, so i know I will probably be tempted to grab some mcdonalds.. Chances are that wont be a smart idea. I dont want to get sick my first time with a instructor.

I have heard many things from just eat fruit salad and garden salad the days i fly. Is this good?

what do/would you guys do?
 
a little peppermint tea and something light will do the trick..

One thing I know for sure......do not eat scrambled eggs before your long solo-x/c. :crazy:

I now know I can fly with one hand, puke in a bag, and continue on to my destination..... :panic::D
 
My rule: If it's safe to eat for a road trip, it's prolly good to go to fly.

If you feel queasy, let the instructor know. They're good at fixing it. If not, just say you'd like to go up high, and look at the scenery. The cool air will do you good.
 
Garden salad? Peppermint tea?

Dude eat whatever you want. I mean, common sense works fine. Don't go eating 2 bean burritos with cheese bc your CFI will find some way to charge you up the butt if you do.

You're not going into space. Main thing is to eat something so you don't fly on an empty stomach.
 
JEP said:
a little peppermint tea and something light will do the trick..

One thing I know for sure......do not eat scrambled eggs before your long solo-x/c. :crazy:

I now know I can fly with one hand, puke in a bag, and continue on to my destination..... :panic::D
Click to expand...

Bill says he can top that:

"Eggs for breakfast, chili for lunch, oysters for dinner, then fly a 310 from ORF to STL."

That's just nasty........ :buck:
 
I know when I took people up for intro. rides I kept a close eye on them and frequently asked if they were feeling well. Most people won't say anything about not feeling well- sometimes even after you ask them. Definitely let the CFI know IMMEDIATELY if you feel even the slightest bit queasy.
 
MQAAord said:
Bill says he can top that:

"Eggs for breakfast, chili for lunch, oysters for dinner, then fly a 310 from ORF to STL."

That's just nasty........ :buck:
Click to expand...
And Bill is still thin....AND good looking (or so the rumot goes)?? Okay....now I really hate `em!
 
jermaine said:
hey everyone!

I am getting ready to start my private pilot training.
All thats left is the intro flight and a few papers for me to fill out.
Now this will be my first time in any kind of cessna or diamond aircraft, or any of these small planes.

What should i eat for my first time?
I'm 20 years old, so i know I will probably be tempted to grab some mcdonalds.. Chances are that wont be a smart idea. I dont want to get sick my first time with a instructor.

I have heard many things from just eat fruit salad and garden salad the days i fly. Is this good?

what do/would you guys do?
Click to expand...
Jermaine....

...here's what I did for my first flight in a Cessna: Nothing out of the ordinary.

But if you're worried about being sick, then "eat light." Nothing greasy. Nothing heavy. Just something to satisfy the stomach.

Here's hoping you'll love it!!

R2F
 
I'm a pilot and developing a coffee and beer diet.

whoops wrong question.

Don't eat crap that makes you have gas. Tossing cookies will happen with most normal foods if you are sensitive to motion sickness. My inner ears suck. I can read an entire newspaper sitting sideways of an extended cab truck going down a rough country road. on the downside I'm a total klutz.
 
On my first cross country my CFI brought a plum and an apple. He told me to hand him the core after I ate the plum and he proceeded to chunk it out the window of the chezzna we were in.....look out below! For the feds reading this, I in no way condone such action and of course would've advised my cfi against it if he had informed me of his intent beforehand ;) . On our second cross country flight we had a big chinese lunch, since there was a great chinese restaurant at the base of the tower at our destination.

Personally I usually didn't eat before training flights. It's not that I got airsick, but I seemed to perform better when I was a little hungry, plus having a decent meal after the flight always seemed like a good way to unwind.
 
CPK Express. Oh wait it's your first lesson...

SeanD said:
A banana will do the trick. :nana2:
Click to expand...

:yeahthat: And a slice of bread and a little bit of water.

Whatever you do, avoid the Snickers bar and Dr. Pepper combo. Also the Wendy's Big Breakfast combo looks tempting, but on the return leg, eh not so much.
 
Another fun diet story....

Back in good old days, before they sent us to IOE on the ERJ we did a "familiarization flight", which consisted of 3 landings including with a visual, instrument, and single engine approach (simulted with one engine at idle). We did this in the middle of the night at an airport in west texas. Well, our check airman had taken my training partner and I out to dinner at a local italian joint beforehand, and I of course had the chicken parmesean complete with garlic bread and spaghetti.

So my partner goes first, and as we're taxiing out to the runway I start feeling like somethin' isn't quite right.....I excuse myself from the jumpseat and go back to the lav, made my partner and the instructor hold short for 5 minutes while I took care of business back there....we launch and he does the first approach, and the feeling comes back....on the taxi around for the next takeoff I'm feeling rough again....back I go, and another delay at the hold short line for me....I think I finally got myself straightened out after the second trip.

Moral of the story, don't eat a huge meal before a potentially nerve-racking event. At least the plane I was in that time had a lav. If I had been hired at a B-1900 operator I would've needed emergency clearance to fertilize the grass between the taxiway and runway.
 
Something no one has hit on is.... don't eat what you normally wouldn't eat. But.. eat less.

Don't go eat a crazy meal some of these wahoos are talking about right before your first flight lesson if its not what your stomach is used to... If you eat Mcd's every day then you might want to (yuck) do that but eat a smaller sized portion.

1. make sure you are hydrated with water.
2. Don't have an empty stomach.
3. Go to the bathroom right before the flight.
4. Be excited and not nervous.
5. take a large ziplock....just in case. heck take 2.

But really - just be calm, be hydrated, don't eat something different than you are used to eating (and try to not be stuffed either.)

You'll do great! Like was mentioned above, this isn't spaceflight. Do not focus inside the plane. I have a rule of thumb for any first flighter...for every 5 seconds looking at the panel I want you to equal it by looking outside for 20 seconds.

If you start feeling queasy, make sure you look at the horizon way straight ahead. Breathe. Turn the vents on and get some air.

But most of all approach it with a happy excited attitude. You'll do fine!:D
 
You want to avoid anything "sloshing" around in there if you can help it. Take some saltine crackers with you as well. If you start feeling a little sick then eat a few of them along with the air and horizon issues.
 
Eat a lot of protein, stay away from excessive sugars/carbs/sodas etc and drink a good amount of water a few hours before a flight. I always bring granola bars and water up with me- you never know when you will need it.
My mom once felt queasy and I offered her some of both and soon after she felt better. It can be hard for regional/major pilot's to eat well since they can be pressed for time and in the terminals there may only be McD's/burger kings etc eeewwwww!! Subway is just a little better although they use too much mayo in their tuna :). ALL pilot's should be eating healthy- most of us want to be flying all our lives and would not want to be grounded due to high BP/diabetes and other health-related problems. Taking vitamin C[500mg] and the B's as well as garlic can be benificial to your overall well being also. I could go on about this but alas I am tired now. G-nite!
 
Here is something I will eat right before I go up just to keep my stomach happy:)

20-0361-LME-FRONT.jpg
 
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