nervous flyer please put mind at rest

hi
just wanted somebody to put my mind at rest, I am flying to bgi
14th april pre econ upstairs and are worrying, I will explain.
I used to love flying and then we can back from uvf sep 04
around the time hurricane ivan.
We took off and straight away seat belt sign back on, we had
5 hours of turblence and the plane dropped quite a bit.
Ok we were sat at the back I have been told this makes it worse.
The captain never said a thing, I spoke to the cabin crew and
was told the sky was busy that night and we had to fly into the
storm rather than around it.
Its now left me a nervous flyer, we went to bgi last year with
bwia and the captain said we might hit some turblence about 4hours
into the flight I kept checking my watch.
Sorry if this sounds daft but if the captain had explained what
was going on that might have put our minds at rest.
thanks

I'm not a great fan of turbulance, although am better with it now after getting through a particulary bad flight once.
There's not a lot that can we offer to help. Still, I always think that the Pilots wouldn't put themselves in danger so they will do all they can to keep the plane in the air. Likewise, they wouldn't fly into a storm if they knew it was going to be REALLY dangerous, no matter how busy the skies were..

Have you tried VS's flying without fear courses, allegedly they're really good.

Dean

no have'nt tried the course going to see what this flight is like?
have you flown upstairs pe ? is it better?
I understand it was a air pocket that's why we dropped am I right?
sorry for all the questions

[HighFlyer]

Hi Almond

Firstly, Welcome to the forum!
All i can say is that turbulence feels a darn sight worse that it really is.

Take a look at this link. It explains turbulence really well and might help you to understand what is happening when you experience it. Personally, i find that if i understand something, im less likely to worry about it.

I was also out in BGI at the time of Ivan, i can understand completely as my return flight was very rough - although i was op-upped to Upper, so i think that helped to take my mind away from it!

Yes, sitting at the back of an aircraft is the place you are most likely to feel turbulence and movement, you may feel better requesting to sit toward the middle of the plane. Upstairs in PE is such a haven, i dont think its any worse than sitting downstairs when you hit turbulence, although the feeling of space and more room upstairs might help you feel less trapped.

If you think you may have concerns on the flight, i would suggest taking things onboard to occupy yourself (Game Boy, magazines, papers, puzzles etc). My cousin is a very bad flyer - and thats without turbulence! She cried (literally) the entire way to MCO. You might also choose not to sit next to the window?

Most crew onboard are very good if you advise them that you feel a bit uncomfortable about flying, they will tend to pop back to you now and then to check that you are ok.

Information on Virgin's Fear of Flying course can be found here if you want to check that out?

Thanks,
Sarah

thanks

Flying upstairs does feel slightly better, yes..

Dean

I am the same - I especially hate taking off - almost have a panic attack and want to get back off the plane and I also have a fear of turbulance (I never ever ride rollercoasters because I hate that feeling in your stomach). We also flew into a storm when flying into MCO and had an aborted landing which was really frightening - loads of people were being sick. I never sit at the back of the plane because of this (always tell them at check-in that I have a fear of flying and wish to be as near the front as possible). I have found sitting upstairs in PE a lot better than being downstairs and am much calmer. I also take Bachs remedy which you can get from Boots which really helps.

Almond, Welcome to the Forum.

As crew I can assure you the the Flight crew will do all they can to avoid any forcasted turbulence (As it means they have to work harder !!) Seriously my advce would be similar to Highflyer take stuff to occupy yourself, Avoid window seat and dont sit near the back (which in premium you wont be anyway.

Flying on VS to BGI you will 99.99% be on a 747 and Boeing say the wings can theroetically bend up and touch so even though you see them flexing its quite safe.

tell the Groundstaff they can often arrange for boarding first or last depending what you feel will help. Tell the cabin crew who if seats and crew permit they may even sit with you for TO/Landing if required. they can expalin a lot of the noises such as dings,dongs, engines whirring etc...to put your mind at rest.

Above all some turbulence is unexpected, so keep your seat belt on whenever seated and dont walk around when the seatbelt signs are on - Its For a reason.

try to relax and enjy the flight.

[Scrooge]

also something to remember,the crew are not going to put themseleves in any danger,so you are safe as well.

thats true jetwet... dont get paid enough for that !!

Sage words milehigh.[y]

There is no way to get around turbulence and as others have said, the only thing you can do is to try and ignore it.

Remeber that planes do this kind of thing all the time and that there is no way that the crew would ever want to put themselves in danger.[8D]

Cheers,
VS045

hi
just want to thank everybody for support, feel so daft never been
bothered about flying before the flight back from uvf, even joe
said he did'nt want to fly again.
I suppose its just like riding a bike when you fall off you get back
on and try again. The difference is we only do two flights a year
so it takes a bit longer to get over it.
again thanks

If push comes to shove you can always see your doctor and ask for something for anxiety. Personally I have to take these for flying! Yep, believe it. I don't condone them and they are not for all (and apparently highly addictive), but they help me. When I first needed them I was taking 5 or so a flight. I am now down to half just before take off and that's it. It is probably more psychological but they help me.

Also, as you can probably fathom this one yourself. For me, flying UC does not cause me as much of a problem as flying in Economy.

Good luck, I know how it feels.

Paul

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by almond
hi
just want to thank everybody for support, feel so daft never been
bothered about flying before the flight back from uvf, even joe
said he did'nt want to fly again.
I suppose its just like riding a bike when you fall off you get back
on and try again. The difference is we only do two flights a year
so it takes a bit longer to get over it.
again thanks

This is a subject that comes up on here every now and again so don't feel daft,my wife and I fly 30-40 times a year and she still grabs the seat and closes her eyes during turbulence,while I got over it a longtime ago and just try not to laugh at the fun.

Try closing your eyes and imagining your on a roller coaster or some other ride.

Maybe if you're not totally confident with flying but not so afraid that you won't do it, you should try some short hops over to the continent that are normally pretty much turbulence free?[:?]

Cheers,
VS045

How come you don't recommend sititng next to a window if your a nervous flyer? I am not the worlds best flyer, also after suffering a horrible flight back from BGI during Ivan, and tend to always try for a window as it gives me something to look at when feeling sick.

Air sickness and nervousness do rather go hand in hand. If you feel nervous, then your stomach feels upset. And if you feel sick then you tend to become concerned that you will feel sick again on your next flight.

I guess the window preference depends on what is driving the feelings. If you are suffering from motion sickness then I would agree sitting by the window would help. It gives you a horizon to look at, or a distant object, which tends to counter the confusing signals you are reciving. If however you have a fear of flying, sitting by the window could make it worse as it would emphasis that you are at a height. On the other hand if you are claustophobic and worried about lack of control, then sitting by the window may help.

At the end of the day, I guess it is horses for courses. I think people need to look at what is causing the problem they are having.

[Scrooge]

I wouldn't recommend sitting next to the window for the simple reason that if you are seated behind the wing and happen to look out at it flexing during turbulence it may not be the best thing to see.

I get nervous during turbulence but I have found that a window seat is best as I can look out and, especially over mountains, in my head plan for upcoming bumps due to updraughts and just not be bothered. I have always felt worse not seeing what was going on outside - my imagination makes it all seem worse.

I LOVE landing which is another good reason to have a window seat - you always get to see some stunning things on approach - like the first time I saw SFO and Vegas - just stunning!

Best wishes

Paul

Suppose yeah. I get motion sickness now after a horrible flight once so tend to always go for a window seat. Turbulance doesn't bother me except for the un-nerving feeling you get when its not expected as I know planes can withstand stupid levels of turbulance.

My last flight to LA I was sick 21 times (yep I counted) purley becuase it was fairly bumpy all the way and I couldn't eat anything. Yet on the way back from SFO I was totally fine and actually enjoyed the trip.

Do feel for nervous flyers though. Its not nice at all!