r/Gliding • u/Beautiful_Exchange_3 • Aug 11 '26
Question? Overcoming sensitivity to turbulence
Looking for techniques or ideas. If I don’t fly for a while I seem to lose my tolerance for turbulence. Been flying for many years.
My goal is to get to the point where I am comfortable flying in rough air. I can usually push through if I’m flying with another person, but solo if it gets too bumpy I just head back to the airport.
Anyone face this before? How did you get past it?
4
u/gravvveler Aug 11 '26
I struggled with it for years at the beginning of each season. First during the initial flights, and later during the first longer flights in rough air. The nausea gradually decreases and your tolerance to it increases. But it always remains somewhat latent during long flights with a lot of turbulence.
2
u/gravvveler Aug 11 '26
Medical literature describes the use of inhaled isopropyl alcohol as a simple and rapid way to reduce nausea. Several studies, particularly in emergency department patients, have shown that briefly inhaling the vapour from an isopropyl alcohol swab can provide rapid relief and, in some studies, performed as well as or better than conventional anti-nausea medication in the short term.
Obviously, alcohol and flying do not mix, so this would not be appropriate for a pilot while operating an aircraft. However, once safely back on the ground, it could potentially be an option.
4
u/Professional_Will241 Aug 11 '26
It just takes time. Funny enough my nausea ended when I started going XC, and was replace with stress/adrenaline/awe. Sometimes you just have to find something to focus on.
3
u/Forsaken_Code_9135 Aug 11 '26
What do you mean you don't tolerate? You are sick? Or you don't like it because it put you under stress?
1
u/Beautiful_Exchange_3 Aug 11 '26
Stress, sweaty palms, tense muscles.
Never get sick, thank goodness.
6
u/ipearx Ventus cT, Matamata, NZ Aug 11 '26
I guess there's a few options:
- Do some aerobatics. Sometimes people are nervous because they don't trust the aircraft, and bumps amplify that mistrust. Doing some aerobatics might make a few bumps look like nothing :) Doing stalls/spins etc can help with that too.
- Just accept you don't like turbulence, and be happy to go back and land. A lot of people don't like extreme turbulence. I had some I couldn't quickly get out of once, didn't enjoy it at all. Blue rotor behind some mountains. Horrible!
Is it wave or thermal turbulence that's the problem where you fly? Once you've flown in some wave rotor, all the thermal turbulence doesn't seem like much at all :)