AZFlyer

Im almost done with college and am tossing around the idea of a military flying career.

For you fighter guys, is it common for people to take a little time (within reason) for their bodies to acclimate to the physically demanding flying that you do?

Or do they tell you, 'well, you barfed once, so you're out. We cant have any barfers.'?

scrapdog

AZ - First of all, there are plenty of "barfers" in UPT. Military pilots are human too. The AF will help you "acclimate" to the rigors of military type flying. If you do have issues early on in your UPT career - they'll have you work with a aerospace physiologist to get over your airsickness. The one catch is you have to be cured of being sick before you solo in your primary trainer (T-37 or T-6). Obviously if you can't get over your airsickness in a certain time, you can't continue. In my class we had a handful of guys that got sick but only one didn't get over it and eventually washed out.

Some guys never get affected at all. That was my case. Aerobatics/pulling G's never bothered me. The one time that I felt bad was when it was extremely hot in the cockpit one summer day. But I just felt uneasy, never sick to the level of puking. You might be one of those guys it just doesn't affect.

TBoneF15

check out the "Motion Sickness" thread under "Pilot Health"

AZFlyer

Good advice in that other thread.

The part about the mental anxiety of it really hit home with me.

I used to have an issue with that after I threw up on a commercial flight. I was already ill getting aboard the airplane, and it happened before push back, so the event was not even motion related. But for a long time afterwards that day stuck in my head.

I have about 165TT now, and did experience a little bit of queasiness during my student pilot days a couple of times, but nothing worse than that.

The worst conditions I've had to endure thus far would be about an hour and a half of BAI under the hood in the middle of summer in AZ, near mountains. It was bumpy, but I was focused on the flying and had no problems.

Thanks Scrapdog and Tbone!

AZFlyer

oh...and upchucking in the cockpit of an airplane has got to be about the most inconvenient place you could ever do that!

Cooperd0g

Yeah they will totally work with you ... up to a point. If you are in advanced jet training and get to the point where you can't make it through a flight with out puking, they will eventually toss you. It happened to a friend of mine. The sent him to all kinds of extra training and tried meds and stuff, but he still couldn't make it through a flight without puking so they had to toss him out of jets to fly something else. He still got to fly, just not jets. But they really did try and work with him.

You have to remember that basic fighter jet type maneuvers, even just rendezvous until you get them right, are "aerobatic" by civilian standards. Actual mission type flying is above and beyond what is typically considered aerobatic stuff.

AZFlyer

Thanks guys.

Was also curious about a similar subject...

How is physiological health handled when a pilot is ill? As in, cold/flu/diahrea etc., nothing life threatening.

Being military do they just expect you to suck it up even though you run the risk of rupturing an eardrum or sinus damage? Or worse still....poo'ing yourself??

Silly sounding question, I know...but completely serious.

TBoneF15

No pressure to fly sick at all.

Technically you are supposed to go to the flight doc to get checked out and get put on DNIF status (Duty Not to Include Flying).

However, pilots fear docs. All the supervisors in the military are also pilots who also fear docs. Unless a dude thinks he needs antibiotics or other non-over the counter meds, he generally just does the big boy approach and pulls himself from the schedule without going to the doc. I don't need an MD to tell me I've got a cold and when it's over. Dudes are generally clawing for sorties, so if a dude pulls himself, everyone knows it's for the best and that he really must be sick. There's sure to be another dude waiting in the wings to take the open seat.

In fighters, being sick does bad things to g-tolerance and brain power, i.e. it can be dangerous to go fly. No one wants to be out there with a dude who's not 100%.

Occasionally dudes push it. I did once and got a sinus block. It was one of the most painful things I've ever felt. Not gonna do that again.

Tanker-driver

Got sick (up to, but not including violently) my first 4 or 5 rides in UPT. They sent me to the dreaded "chair". This is a torture device, in which you spin untill your airsickness is cured. Not fun, but surprisingly effective. After a few bouts with the chair, I was never bothered by airsickness again. We did have one guy wash out due to the inability to overcome it, and one more who knew he was going to heavies and swallowed puke every flight in the Tweet in order to get his wings. If you want it bad enough...

AZFlyer

Wow, so I have to ask...how in the world does intentionally making yourself sick on the 'chair' fix you? That sounds like a miserable experience, but I suppose it would be worth it in the long run.

Tbone: I too have experienced a sinus block once....and I agree with you on the pain. It was absolutely excruciating and Im certain anyone could have visibly seen the pain I was in by looking at me. And the worst part is that it seems to happen instantaneously...no gradual build up..just WHAM - intense pain.