Airsickness: “Motion Sickness in Aviation” (Physiology of Flight No 10c) ~1990 FAA Pilot Training

Pilot Training Films playlist:

more at:

Airsickness, and how it affects aircraft pilots.

“Physiology of Flight: Motion Sickness in Aviation” Federal Aviation Administration pilot training film from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute.

Public domain film from the US National Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).

Airsickness is a sensation which is induced by air travel. It is a specific form of motion sickness, and is considered a normal response in healthy individuals. Airsickness occurs when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the body (including the inner ear, eyes and muscles) affecting balance and equilibrium.

The inner ear is particularly important in the maintenance of balance and equilibrium because it contains sensors for both angular (rotational) and linear motion. Airsickness is usually a combination of spatial disorientation, nausea and vomiting…

Symptoms

Common symptoms of airsickness include:

Nausea, vomiting, vertigo, loss of appetite, cold sweating, skin pallor, difficulty concentrating, confusion, drowsiness, headache, and increased fatigue. Severe airsickness may cause a person to become completely incapacitated.

Susceptibility

The following factors increase some people’s susceptibility to airsickness:

– Fatigue, stress, and anxiety, are some factors that can increase susceptibility to motion sickness of any type.
– The use of alcohol, drugs, and medications may also contribute to airsickness.
– Additionally, airsickness is more common in women (especially during menstruation or pregnancy), young children, and individuals prone to other types of motion sickness.
– Although airsickness is uncommon among experienced pilots, it does occur with some frequency in student pilots.

Treatment

Medication

Medications that may alleviate the symptoms of airsickness include:

– meclozine (Antivert, Bonine)
– dimenhydrinate (Dramamine)
– diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
– scopolamine (available in both patch and oral form).

Pilots who are susceptible to airsickness should not take anti-motion sickness medications (prescription or over-the-counter). These medications can make one drowsy or affect brain functions in other ways.

Non-pharmacologic remedies

A method to increase pilot resistance to airsickness consists of repetitive exposure to the flying conditions that initially resulted in airsickness. In other words, repeated exposure to the flight environment decreases an individual’s susceptibility to subsequent airsickness. Recently, several devices have been introduced that are intended to reduce motion sickness through stimulation of various body parts (usually the wrist).

Natural remedies

There are numerous alternative remedies for motion sickness. One such is ginger, but it is ineffective.