Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is typically not a factor in a powered parachute, as the engine is behind the pilot in the typical PPC pusher configuration. However, since CO is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, you need to be alert to exposure prior to flight.

Dehydration is the critical loss of water from the body. The first noticeable effect of dehydration is fatigue. A powered parachute pilot is particularly susceptible to dehydration, as they normally fly in an open cart, often exposed for hours to the direct rays of the sun. If dehydration occurs and water is not replaced, fatigue will progress to dizziness, weakness, nausea, tingling of hands and feet, abdominal cramps, and extreme thirst. It is highly recommended for PPC pilots, especially those that fly in desert regions, to carry an ample supply of water and to drink regularly, regardless of whether or not you feel thirsty. When you begin to feel thirsty, the beginning stages of dehydration have already started.

One of the biggest misconceptions is the myth that over-the-counter drugs may be taken before a flight. A non-prescription drug does not mean it is free of side effects that may affect your faculties. Consult a physician about mixing flying with any drugs. Many medications such as tranquilizers, sedatives, strong pain relievers, and cough-suppressants have primary effects that may impair judgment, memory, alertness, coordination, vision, and the ability to make calculations. Others, such as antihistamines, blood pressure drugs, muscle relaxants, and agents to control diarrhea and motion sickness, have side effects that may impair the same critical functions.

Pain killers or over-the-counter analgesics, such as Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), Tylenol (acetaminophen), and Advil (ibuprofen), have few side effects when taken in the correct dosage. Flying is usually not restricted when taking these drugs. However, flying is almost always precluded while using prescription analgesics such as Darvon, Percodan, Demerol, and codeine, since these drugs may cause side effects such as mental confusion, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and vision problems.

Regulations prohibit pilots from performing duties while using any medication that affects their abilities in any way contrary to safety. The safest rule is not to fly while taking any medication, unless approved to do so by an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).

As powered parachutes are not pressurized, atmospheric pressure changes will affect pilots flying to high altitudes. Atmospheric pressure decreases as you ascend, and increases as you descend. The pilot’s inner 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 anything 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 infection, 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 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 effective 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 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 suffocation, and drowsiness can be some of the first signs. Hyperventilation may produce a pale, clammy appearance and muscle spasms compared to the cyanosis and limp muscles associated with hypoxia. As hyperventilation progresses, you may then feel tingling 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 unexpected or extreme encounter with a thermal or turbulence may unconsciously increase your breathing rate. These situations and the associated feelings tend to increase the rate and size of breath, which then results 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.