First lessons in a couple of weeks! Uh oh...

gurisudenko

gurisudenko

New Member
So I finally got settled into a nice, stable aviation/professional flight program at St. Cloud State University. I can't recall being happier in my entire life, and I love my classes.

On the other hand, lately I've been apprehensive about my first few lessons. I just don't know what to expect. I talk with my aeronautics/prof. flight professor about it all the time and apparently it's normal to be nervous - but I think honestly I might end up yarking on my flight instructor during my first lesson.

Is there anything I can do to limit my capacity to get airsick, or does anyone have any advice they can offer generally? I need help calming down about this.

This is so exciting and so scary at the same time.
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AZ to St. Cloud eh? How's the climate change treatin ya?
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You ought to take a little road trip up here some weekand and the UND crew will show ya how it's done!!
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I had the same fears before my intro ride, but right after takeoff they were all dispensed. I was so excited i forgot about getting sick. In order for piece of mind i asked the instructor prior to lesson if he had any "barfbags" available. Just so it wouldn't REALLY suck if i puked. I think that helped. Also, there are wristbands that you can purchase from any local drugstore. I used to get airsick every time i flew when i was younger on airline flights. Once i got them i have never thrown up since on a plane. None of the over the counter motion sickness drugs worked for me, but the bands worked wonders. Even if you do get sick, your stomach will get used to the feeling of flight eventually, and it always helps to look at the horizon. Good luck!
 
I learned to always have barf bags available. It wasn't me, but one of my observers. Though it was my fault, it was kinda bumpy that day and we were doin a practice ILS, but I was kinda forgetting about the whole rudder thing so he was being swung around quite a bit in the back there. Moral of story, always have barf bags, make sure your passengers (and yourself if you think you need them) know where they are.
 
Well, if you have trouble with airsickness, this guy seems to swear by a particular brand of wristbands: http://jetcareers.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=229177&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

The night before my intro flight last November, I was nervous as heck. I was slated for a morning ride in a Diamond Eclipse the next day, and I'd never been in a small plane before. We got to the airport about 20 minutes early...when the instructor showed up and he showed me how to do the preflight check, the nervousness started going away...by the time we were off the runway, I wasn't nervous at all. Infact, I was having the time of my life!

So, just keep smiling...these things pass fast
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I find that when the wheels leave the ground, anything that was on my mind is gone. There is just me and the job at hand. It is such an incredible feeling on that first flight that you should just relax and enjoy it. The mind is powerful. If you worry so much about getting sick, you may just because you spend so much time thinking about it. I also heard that eating apples prior to the flight is good. Is it true? Well the mind is a powerful thing.
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Wait an hour before you go flying -- kind of what your mother told you about swimming when you were a kid, you know?

Why? By then, your stomach will be empty.

Make it two.

And for God's sake, relax. Ain't nobody been able to solo on their first flight!
 
Thanks guys!
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Oddly enough, when I was younger I used to get nervous before I took airline flights, especially if it involved a smaller aircraft. But I did find that once we took off, everything somehow disappeared and flying was the coolest thing in the world.

Changing climates was interesting...65F when we took off from PHX, then -12F when we landed at DLH. I made it to St. Cloud State a week later and then I caught the flu.
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See if your flight school will allow you time to familiarize yourself with your airplane. That is, thoroughly walk around and examine the exterior, making sure you understand everything you see. Next is, spend time sitting in the cockpit. Again, understand everything you see, that is, find out what things are that you don't understand. Touch things. As funny as this sounds this will help you overcome a lot of confusion and disorientation from a first lesson.

You should do that until you feel very good about it.

The first step to feeling comfortable in any machine is being comfortable and familiar when it's not moving or running.
 
St.Cloud....What a change from PHX! Well, welcome to Minnesota! You'll like flying around MN. The controllers at MPLS Center are pretty friendly. Never really had much trouble getting the approaches I want. You should like it at St. Cloud now with the new tower. You may make it down to my apt. FCM on some of your flying. Its a prety busy GA airport with training and business traffic. Welcome and it shouldn't be cold much longer.
 
Well, on the plus side you don't have the heat or humidity (in FL's case) to help ya get sick. Just take it slow. Follow Tony's advice on the meals, make sure there's a bag on board "just in case," and tell your instructor what's going on. It's kinda embarassing, but it happens to almost everyone. It's MORE embarassing if you fill the bag than telling your instructor to take the controls and fly level for a bit.
 
Well, its your dollar ride, key word being “ride”. You are just there as an observer, who gets to go through the motions, all while your CFI does the hard part. Within 5 flights I’m sure you will be doing very good, and absolutely sick of turns, stalls, pre flights, and much more. You will look back and wonder what you were worried about. Good luck!!
 
Just don't worry about it, sit back and relax. Eat about 1-2 hours before your flight and remember that if you do start feeling sick to let your instructor know about it and ask to open a window or if it is too cold for that turn on the cabin air vent and let them fly the airplane for a minute. If you dont feel better after a few minutes return back to the airport. Remember you are just geting started and most instuctors are expecting something like this. If you have a good instuctor they will be understanding and will try to come up with ways to make you feel better.
You should try to do what flyover said to get familiar with the airplane.
As my instuctor always said "If its on your mind that you will get sick than you will." That is very true.
 
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