I think you're right, Jim, although some people will never get used to the
movement of small aircraft.
Around 10% of students with whom I fly are airsick. If they are unused to the
environment it's almost inevitable that they will feel queasy, but I do try to
build them up gradually with manoueuvres to help them develop resistance to
such queasiness. If they get to the vomit stage it's a backward step and they
will take longer to get used to aerobatics, for example.
But one of our aviation medics told me around 12 years ago that sickness was
caused by a mismatch between the body's balance mechanism and the visual cues
that it uses for orientation. If what you see does not match what you feel
reports will be sent to your body's vomit centre (is there such a thing?) and
you will almost certainly be sick. I teach my tyro aviators to be alert to
prickling of the forehead and feeling warm as warning that their body is not up
to the manoeuvring. If they wish to avoid approaching that stage they should
ensure that they keep their eyes out of the cockpit, noticing their orientation
and trying to match the movement of the aircraft with the sensation of movement.
But about the only thing you can do inside an airliner is look out at the
horizon, if it's visible.
Chris
On 28 Dec 2012, at 20:55, Jim Nichols <jhnichols@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I think the airsickness thing depends on conditioning. My young family
> traveled frequently in small airplanes after I received my license in 1958.
> The kids grew up with it, and were usually asleep shortly after takeoff.
--
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