Avoiding dizziness

[Ed Carlaw]

Hello to all, it's been quite some time since my last post. In my last post I was just returning to flying after a 30 year hiatus. Well things haven't gone as planned. In my quest to get back flying I've hit a stumbling block. Even after many go arounds I cannot overcome getting dizzy after only two, three, or four laps. I've tried various things but to no avail. I suffered a broken neck back in the 70's and quit flying after that. After all this time I thought my brain would ignore what my eyes were seeing. Trying desperately to return, any suggestions? Thanks, Ed.

[Bob Hudak]

While spinning around look at a stationary object(person,tree or car)and let your peripheral vision see the plane. It only takes a couple seconds to quell the dizzy spell. Try practicing with a broomstick handle and spin in circles. Also don't forget the secret to long life... breath in, breath out !

[PJ Rowland]

Watch the model closely.

[Ed Carlaw]

Hey Bob, the spinnin around thing I get, it's the breathin part that's got me confused! Anyhow I'll the broomstick idea. Thanks, Ed.

[Ed Carlaw]

Hey PJ, I`m also guessing that line length would also be a factor, the longer the better? Is there a threshold to this witchcraft?

[Tim Wescott]

Hey PJ, I`m also guessing that line length would also be a factor, the longer the better? Is there a threshold to this witchcraft?

Fly 1/2-A for a bit -- then your 35 powered airplane will seem sloooooow.

If you remember how to do a lazy 8, you can also just stand in one spot and do that for a while.

[Ed Carlaw]

Thanks for all the ideas. The troubling part is that I help teach a bunch of kids every year about controline flying. It`s pretty embarrassing when the guy who`s supposed to teaching can`t even stand in the circle long enough for a complete flight. Anyhow thanks alot, I`ll try all the suggestions and keep plugin along, Ed.

[Paul Taylor]

Hey Ed,
Here is one thing that helped me. I got in the back yard and my son and I just turned around. The wife stuck her head out the back door and asked what we were doing. My reply was we are practicing getting dizzy. It helped.

[Ed Carlaw]

Hey Paul, did you just keep going even after getting dizzy and worked your way out of the dizziness or did you have to stop and regroup and go again?

[Paul Taylor]

Turned until I got dizzy. Stopped and did it again. The more I did it the less I got dizzy.
I don't get dizzy any more when flying. But at the start of every flying season when I go inverted for my 6 laps in the other direction I still get a little dizzy. But by mid season it almost gone.

Just keep at it for a week or so. It gets better. I will say it is hard turn with kids. I did that one year at Kid Venture.

[Ed Carlaw]

Thanks Paul, I`ll have at until I get out from under this vortex. Happy Flying,Ed.

[PJ Rowland]

Occasionally - I get dizzy coming into the Inverted flight segment of the pattern. Which is weird considering Ive done thousands of patterns, every now and then I get a little dizzy going inverted.

That could help when your dizzy, flip it over..

[Ed Carlaw]

Hey Ty, the only medical problem might be the lack of gray matter above my eyeballs,LOL,Ed.

[John Fitzgerald]

I have recently come back to flying, and only get dizzy when I fly clockwise (inverted) more than a few laps.  When that happens, I get back upright and fly a couple of lazy eights and the dizzies go away.  It helps to only load a couple ounces of fuel for the first few flights.  I had not flown in seven years until last fall, and was able to fly inverted on the first flight.  It comes right back.

[ChrisSarnowski]

Hi Ed,
 
Here are some things that helped me:

1) Fly in open area if you can, no trees, buildings etc. in  background. My first flights were in a tree enclosed area and I fell down after 2-3 laps. Took some time to overcome dizziness in that place!

2) Practice turning around in your living room to get used to the feeling. Stretch your arm out and look at your thumb as you do it. You can go slow (say 10 seconds per rotation) at first then work towards 5 seconds per rotation (lap).

That's my 2 cents.

-Chris

[Andrew Tinsley]

Hello Ed,
Sounds like a real pain! I just never get dizzy and what is more, I don't get seasick (useful if you sail in rough conditions!). I thought that PJ's idea of watching the plane to the exclusion of all else would help, but I presume that you have tried that.
I think that dizziness and sea/travel sickness may have the same physical basis, all down to the inner ear. As an experiment, you could try taking a travel sickness pill. Mind you most of them tell you not to operate machinery after taking one! So if you do give it a try, make sure that you have someone to start your engine for you. I don't want to finish up being sued if you get your finger in the prop!

Regards,

Andrew.

[John Stiles]

Hi, Ed....I had my back and neck both broken in the 70s......I can identify with what you're goin through. It took me quite some time to get over it when I started back flying, so to keep from falling down I put up a pole in both my flying fields. This method lets you walk around at arms length from the pole and not be concerned with balance so much. After about a year or so of flying like this, I stopped getting dizzy. I probly can do without the pole now, but I don't think I will. Too many of my new pilots like it, and it keeps them pinned to the center of my field.

[Bob Reeves]

With a couple exceptions, the only thing I see when flying is the airplane. Exceptions are setting up for maneuvers, I'll spot the judges before starting into a reverse wingover and pick something in the background for intersections, other than that you could put a naked blonde on the outside of the circle and doubt I would notice.

[jim gilmore]

Focus on the airplane and try not to look at the moving background. It is the moving of the background that makes one dizzy. It is a form of vertigo.
Like having just parked your car in a parking lot and the car next to you starts pulling out.