European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 3, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Amp photos by l. Emmett Lewis or. Instructor operator Kent Harrington right Seta up the scenario for a Black Hawk copter simulator that will take pm lots Michael Hancock far left and Randy Kirkland on a training a a flight at Fuege Horst Cavern in Hanau West  in shape helps reduce ill effects by Janet do Agostino / medical writer a a. A a h helicopter Pilot Felicia French s stomach can Start churning just at the thought of sitting in front of a simulator screen. A i dread it Quot said French an army Captain who has tried numerous ways to overcome the feelings of nausea and dizziness she experiences from using a flight simulator. Chief warrant officer 3 Roger fix has never Felt any discomfort from using a simulator. Quot the More i use it the More i ,&Quot said fix who has trained on simulators for More than seven years. Quot i enjoy the different  French and fix Pilot un60 Blackhawk for the 421st medical in evac in Darmstadt West Germany their jobs require 20 hours of simulator training a year to practice combat flight Maneu vers that cannot be replicated with real aircraft in peacetime. Several pilots interviewed at the 421st say it is not uncommon for helicopter pilots to suffer from simulator sickness although symptoms vary in Type and severity. At the 421st, pilots have Learned to Cope with simulator sickness by educating themselves and by helping each other. A everybody knows it s Here. We All Deal with it but it s not officially a problem Quot said chief warrant officer 2 Sharon a Snow an instructor Pilot. Snow said when she attends a simulator session with a Pilot she needs to know if he is prone to simulator sickness and How sick he might become. Snow who sits at a console behind the Pilot can vary the simulated flight scenarios so that the Pilot is less Likely to become ill. A the causes of simulator sickness Are poorly understood but the illness appears to be related to the conflict from putting the mind through a grueling flight while giving the body none of the stressful forces that would occur if the flight were real according to a new York times article. The problem has become severe enough that the army Navy and Marine corps now restrict their pilots from flying real air planes for periods ranging from six to 24 hours after a simulator session because of flashbacks visual distortions and physical to your health disorientation reported by pilots according to the times. Signs that signal to Snow that a Pilot May not be feeling Well include yawning burping fidgeting and Lack of attention. These can Progress to More severe discomforts. Symptoms of simulator sickness can Range from mild discomfort or displeasure to headaches dizziness fatigue nausea and vomiting said or maj Gary Matteson aviation Medicine consultant for 7th medical come in Heidelberg West Germany the term simulator adaption syndrome More accurately describes simulator sickness said Matteson and or. It. Cof James Stevenson command flight surgeon for the . Air Force in Europe. While some pilots might experience discomfort during and after using the simulator they would not describe themselves As being sick they said. A simulator sickness Seldom becomes severe because lots can simply Stop Emhe simulator when they feel discomfort Matteson said. Quot its not a situation you can t  but Snow said some pilots May be reluctant to admit they Are not feeling Well. Capt. Tracy Wyatt battalion flight operations officer at the 421st, is not one of those. He prefers to Tell the instructor Pilot and the co Pilot before a simulator session that he is susceptible to simulator sickness. This helps the instructor choose flight scenarios less Likely to make Wyatt ill in the beginning of the training period which usually lasts four hours. Simulator sickness or syndrome actually refers to the feelings of disorientation a Pilot experiences after the training session Stevenson said adding that it is these feelings that can be a threat to flight safety. Quot the discomfort does not occur so much while you Are in the simulator it s when you get out and feel. Unsteady on your feet Quot he said. A pilots who suffer from simulator sickness. Sometimes have difficulty driving Home after a session because of this disorientation or discomfort said Wyatt. Pilots who Are not affected by the simulator will drive for those who Are affected he said simulator sickness has been found to occur More frequently in simulators that have complicated display screens with a wide Angle of View and that include some Type of simulated motion Stevenson said. Safe pilots do not usually suffer from simulator sickness because most simulators used in Europe have a Small simple display screen and do not have the capacity to simulate motion he said. Pilots also spend limited amounts of time using simulators. Therefore Safe pilots Are not restricted from flying after simulator training he said. The policy for army pilots is different. Pilots at the 421 St cannot Fly their aircraft for 12 hours after using helicopter pilots take a break Between flights on uh-6q Blackhawk simulator. Page 16 a the stars and stripes tuesday july 3. 1990