Flight Surgeon Course (FSC) Module E Practice Test 2026 - Free Flight Surgeon Practice Questions and Study Guide

When pressure changes during ascent or descent, the middle ear needs to equalize with the cabin pressure. If the Eustachian tube can’t do this effectively, a pressure difference builds and strains the tympanic membrane, causing ear pain and a sense of fullness. This disruption also affects how sound is conducted, leading to muffled hearing or temporary hearing loss, and tinnitus from the abnormal ear canal vibrations. If the inner ear is affected by the pressure shifts, vertigo can accompany these symptoms. Taken together, ear pain, fullness, changes in hearing, tinnitus, and sometimes vertigo are the hallmark signs of ear barotrauma during altitude changes. Other symptoms like nosebleeds or chest tightness aren’t typical indicators of this condition, and headaches can occur for other reasons but don’t define ear barotrauma.