ner ear does not always have a means to adjust its
contained air pressure to the outside or ambient air
pressure. When the pressure in the inner ear is any -
thing different than the outside air pressure, the result
can be pain as the eardrum bulges outward or inward
in reaction to the pressure differential.
To resolve this condition you need to equalize the
pressure via the eustachian tube that leads from the
middle ear to your mouth. One method of doing this
is to pinch your nostrils shut, close your mouth and
lips, and blow slowly and gently in the mouth and
nose. This procedure forces air up the eustachian tube
into the middle ear. If you have a cold, an ear infec -
tion, or sore throat, you may not be able to equalize
the pressure in your ears. A flight in this condition
can be extremely painful, as well as damaging to your
eardrums. Hence, flying is not recommended if you
have an illness with symptoms around the ears, nose
or mouth.
Fatigue
Fatigue is frequently associated with pilot error. Many
pilots do not want to readily admit that fatigue could
be a detrimental factor to their flight skills. Some of
the effects of fatigue include degradation of attention,
degradation of concentration, impaired coordination,
and decreased ability to communicate. These factors
can seriously influence a pilot’s ability to make effec-
tive decisions.
Whether you experience physical fatigue from a lack
of sleep or physical work, or mental fatigue from
stress, you should consider staying grounded.
Hyperventilation
Hyperventilation occurs when you are experiencing
emotional stress, fright, or pain, and your breathing
rate and depth increase although the carbon dioxide
(CO2) is already at a reduced level in the blood. The
result is an excessive loss of carbon dioxide from your
body, which can lead to unconsciousness due to the
respiratory system’s overriding mechanism to regain
breathing control.
The typical symptoms need to be recognized and
should not be confused with hypoxia, which shares
some indicators. Lightheadedness, feelings of suffo -
cation, and drowsiness can be some of the first signs.
Hyperventilation may produce a pale, clammy ap -
pearance and muscle spasms compared to the cya -
nosis and limp muscles associated with hypoxia. As
hyperventilation progresses, you may then feel tin -
gling in the extremities, then muscle cramps; cramps
that can be become severe and painful. If you don’t
correct your breathing, your brain will override your
consciousness, and cause you to faint, while the brain
regains control of your breathing.
Hyperventilation can occur when a pilot feels an
excessive amount of stress, fear or anxiety. An un -
expected or extreme encounter with a thermal or tur -
bulence may unconsciously increase your breathing
rate. These situations and the associated feelings tend
to increase the rate and size of breath, which then re -
sults in clearing too much CO2 from the body.
The solution is to relax and slow down your breathing.
This can be accomplished by talking or singing out
loud, or breathing into a paper bag which keeps fresh
oxygenated air from further reducing the CO2 in your
system. Symptoms will rapidly subside after the rate
and depth of breathing are brought under control.
Hypoxia
Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen. There are many forms of
hypoxia that are beyond the scope and need for dis -
cussion in a PPC manual, but the results from oxygen
deficiency are the impairment of the functions of the
brain and other organs. Symptoms include headache,
drowsiness, dizziness, euphoria, and blue fingernails
and lips.
The most likely cause for a PPC pilot to experience
symptoms of hypoxia would be flying too high. Un -
less you are a private pilot with a powered parachute
rating, you need to stay below 10,000 feet where you
will have less chance of experiencing hypoxia in a
PPC. However, if you are acclimated to sea level con-
ditions and climb above 8,000 feet, you may feel the
effects of hypoxia. The longer you stay at altitude,
the greater the effects of hypoxia will be. In addition,
recent consumption of alcohol, smoking, and some
medications will render a pilot more susceptible to
disorientation and hypoxia. If you question your con-
dition and consider hypoxia to be a potential problem,
you should fly at lower altitudes and/or use supple -
mental oxygen.
Motion Sickness
Motion sickness, or airsickness, is caused by the brain
receiving conflicting messages about the orientation
of the body. The inner ear—specifically the vestibular
system—is reporting one spatial orientation, and the
eyes are communicating a different scenario. This not
only causes confusion in your thinking, it may pos -
sibly create vertigo or spatial disorientation. It often
causes vomiting and a debilitating feeling. V omiting
is due to a nerve that is connected from the brain to the
stomach. When confusion or disagreement occurs be-
tween the eyes and the orientating vestibular system,
vomiting may erupt.
When symptoms of motion sickness begin, get back
on the ground. In the meantime, avoid unnecessary
head movements and keep your eyes on the horizon.
As the pilot, you should note if the passenger, who
had been talking throughout the flight, gets quiet. You
should ask “how are you doing” because getting quiet
is sometimes a precursor to feelings of nausea. Inform
passengers while still on the ground to let you know
if their stomach begins to feel “uneasy.”
Motion sickness can be the result of continued flight
stimulation, such as rapid or unexpected turns and
swinging through the PPC pendulum. As the pilot, you
will find a reduced rate of upset stomachs if you let the
passenger know, ahead of time, the flight maneuver
you are about to make and avoid abrupt maneuvers.
For new students, anxiety and stress may greatly con-
tribute to motion sickness. However, after a few les -
sons and some time in the air from the front seat, these
feelings/symptoms will usually dissipate.
Medication like Dramamine can be used to prevent
motion sickness/nausea in passengers, but since it
can cause drowsiness, it is not recommended for the
pilot.
Scuba Diving
Taking a flight, especially a high flight, after a deep
scuba dive can have some devastating results. This is
because the increased pressure of the water during a
dive causes nitrogen to be absorbed into the body tis-
sues and bloodstream. Then, when flying at altitudes
of reduced atmospheric pressure, the nitrogen will
move out of the bloodstream and tissues at a rapid
rate. This rapid out-gassing of nitrogen is called the
bends (as it is felt in the joints—the bending joints of
the limbs) and is painful and incapacitating.
A pilot or passenger who intends to fly after scuba
diving should allow the body sufficient time to rid it-
self of excess nitrogen that was absorbed during the
dive. If the appropriate amount of time is not allowed,
decompression sickness due to gases released in the
blood can result in a serious in-flight emergency.
As an absolute standard safety measure, any pilot fly-
ing near a large body of water should ask the passen-
ger during the preflight if he or she has recently been
scuba diving.
Dives Not Req. Dives Requiring
Controlled Ascent Controlled Ascent
Flights up to A minimum A minimum
8,000 feet MSL of 12 hrs. of 24 hrs.
Flights above A minimum A minimum
8,000 feet MSL of 24 hrs. of 24 hrs.
The following waiting times are recommended:
Spatial Disorientation
Spatial disorientation is not normally associated with
slow and low (non-aerobatic) powered parachute
flights. However, it is important to know that spatial
disorientation is a condition of the body’s confusion
relative to the spatial position. This commonly results
from the eyes disagreeing with the sense of balance
(the vestibular system of the inner ear) which may
be disagreeing with the postural nerve impulses from
the pressure areas in the skin and muscles. Hence, the
brain gets conflicting spatial information. This condi-
tion is sometimes called vertigo.
The recommended procedure to deal with spatial dis-
orientation is to maintain constant, straight and level
flight via the throttle and remove all control input to
the steering controls.
Stress
Stress is a strong factor in pilot error. Stressful situ -
ations are very disruptive conditions. There are three
categories of stress: environment (physical, such as
loud noises), psychological (the loss of a loved one)
and physiological (fatigue). Any of these factors can
be influential on your mental capacities, and hence
should be given consideration when begining your
medical self-evaluation prior to preflight inspection.
Any pilot experiencing a high level of stress is not
safe and should not fly as PIC.
Stroke and Heart Attack
In the event you feel light-headed or dizzy, you
should remove your feet from an input position on
the steering controls. When you feel light-headed or
dizzy, there is a possibility this could be a prelude to
a heart attack or stroke. If you are about to experience
a medical problem of this magnitude, then you could
have a seizure or leg spasms (due to the pain from the
heart attack) and therefore, uncontrollably and with -
out intention, spiral yourself into the ground if the leg
spasm induces severe steering input.
If you don’t feel “right”— pull your feet away from
those steering controls, at least until you begin to feel
better, and then get yourself safely on the ground as
soon as possible.
Medical Summary — “The Bottom Line”
Before even approaching the PPC, you must take a
moment to reflect upon your current medical, physi -
cal, and psychological condition. It is in this reflective
moment that you should begin to evaluate your ability
to safely conduct the flight. Once satisfied with your
self-evaluation, the preflight inspection can then con-
tinue. Using the “I’M SAFE” checklist is a smart way
to start your preflight before getting to the powered
parachute. Prior to flight, assess your fitness as well
as the aircraft’s airworthiness. [Figure 1-5]
Figure 1-5. Prior to flight you should assess your fitness,
just as you evaluate the aircraft’s airworthiness.