I’ve been flying skydivers on weekends and I am having problems with plugged ears. Does anyone have a cure that won’t affect flying? I used menthol crystals in the past when i had this problem but when i went to the pharmacy they said i needed a prescription now. I’ve tried the holding the nose and mouth closed routine to no avail. Thanks for any help.
Chew gum?
Nope. Gum does not help either.
Well, why are your ears plugged in the first place?
Excessive ear wax?
Ear infection?
Water?
Not sure why, My guess is allergies but i have no other symptoms. I drop from 11,000 to 1,000 at over 2,500 fpm and they are plugged for 2 to 3 days after.
Is the plugged ears always been this way or something has changed?
If something changed, I think im4point thoughts need to be checked out by a doc to find you relief.
I’ve been flying 26 years and I get it every now and then. Menthol crystals in hot water always made it go away with no side affects.
I knew a guy who had ear problems so bad he was started to lose his hearing. He went to the doctor. All he had was wax buildup. Simple solution: when you take a shower allow warm water to go into your ears to keep the waxy buildup down. Don’t let the full force of the water go in, though. Tilt you head and guide the water in. Alternatively, squeeze warm water from a wash rag into your ear.
Maybe this will help find you relief?
In the past i tried the warm water with no luck. I belive it is more of a tube problem but with the cost of Docs these days I have not been able to have it looked at. I still hear fine and no other problems.
I’ll check it out, Thanks
Not a problem. Though you have me curious, why the rapid descents? I’d hope you beat the jumpers to the ground with a standard descent rate?
My ears start popping around 1000 to 1500 fpm descents so I can’t imagine dive bombing terra firma like you do and what it would do to my ears.
Its just the rate I come down at. Im at 15 inches and still in the green speed wise. Some times its only 1,500 to 2,000 if the air is not smooth. When flying jumpers Its up and down quickly. The tandems no problem beating down by a long shot but not the AFF’s
Yeah good excuse. Don’t pay the few hundreds of dollars now to see a doctor but in 10 years you will be paying more when you are deaf. Cheaper to prevent it then to fix it.
I can’t argue with you.
Gotchya, it’s technique so you can get more sorties in I C and that is where the revenue begins 
In my last video I posted in the video thread, I included Jumpers away transmissions over the unicom frequency toward the end of the video, and I referenced them as “meat bombs”.
I give y’all credit as that would not be my kind of fun in flying! Be too hot down this way to wait for loading and unloading!
It’s been some of the most rewarding flying i’ve done. The expressions from the tandems after they are done is sometimes unbelivable.
You need to look into the possibility of taking some form of antihistamine that won’t affect your flying but will unclog your sinuses and ear canals.
Yeah, I know, that’s a short answer for a long term problem. But as you well know (or should) eustachian tube problems can affect your piloting as much as drug side effects.
Go to your local pharmacy and discuss the problem with the pharmacist. While you’re there get an ear wax cleaning kit and use it, can’t hurt.
I’ll give it a shot this afternoon
Thanks
Good luck with it.
The key is to find something that will effectively fight off any allergic responses you’re experiencing that result in clogged tubes and canals, but at the same time won’t have any deleterious side effects.
Everyone reacts differently to medications, I hope you’ll have success finding something.