Posted by Frank (204.111.53.53) on December 05, 1999 at 16:04:54:
In Reply to: Airplane/trigger question? posted by drummer on December 05, 1999 at 13:10:28:
Hi Drummer. I posted about this a few days ago. I was a navigator in the Air Force and got pains in the inner ear once in a while if I couldn't equalize the pressure between the inner ear and outside pressure. The eustacian tube performs this equalizing automatically unless there is a problem like an infection that blocks the tube. It's best not to fly with a cold. Cabin pressurization will likely not exceed 8,000 ft, and yawning or drinking water will probably help clear your ears. Going up is not usually a problem, even with an infection. It's coming back down, when the tube acts like a fish trap causing a presssure differential that gives you--in essence--a sinus headache. I don't believe these aches have anything to do with the cluster sequence. Too bad you can't have a couple of shots to relax. :-)