Fear of Flying

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I was a frequent flyer up until 2 years ago when I took an internal flight in the US from LAX to Las Vegas.What a complete nightmare it was.We hit some bad turbulence 20 minutes into the flight,I thought we were going to fall out of the sky(impossible I know).My drink flew up in the air,passengers were screaming & by the time we landed in Vegas I was a nervous wreck.My other half has persuaded me to fly direct to Vegas this time for our 10th wedding anniversary,we are flying in 5 weeks & I feel so nervous.
Does anyone have any tips?

I had a really bad start to a flight out of JFK at night, so bad that even the FA's had to sit down. It is irrational and turbulance feels a lot worse than it is, but I have never been so scared and was convinced it was going to fall out of the sky.

Wouldn't say I'm nervous of flying but I do tell myself every time I get on a plane that they really are the safest form of travel and there are so many failsafe devices on them.

I also think of just how many planes are in the sky at any one time, bad news is very very rare.

dean

[Decker]

Hypnotism? Shame you're not UK based (http://www.flyingwithoutfear.info/) but there must be a local equivalent?

[Pete]

Cuzzer,

Welcome to the forum. I once had a pretty bad flight too, travelling from London to Antwerp on Sabena. It was very rough, and although I had also been a frequent flyer, I was still a bit shaky for some time afterwards.

It's a bit late to get onto the 'flying without fear' course that VS organise, since you're off in 5 weeks - but might be worth looking into.

Personally I have come to cope with turbulence by understanding the huge tolerances built into aircraft design. If you've every seen one of those documentaries on Discovery where they are testing new aircraft, you can see them bending aircraft wings to destruction (and the amount of bend in them before they finally give is incredible). These days I sit back and enjoy the ride; and unless the cabin crew is screaming 'Brace, Brace!' I figure there can't be any problems. Just don't order the soup if it's getting a little choppy.

Seriously though, keep telling yourself the chances of anything going wrong are so slim that you've got more chance of tripping over and cracking you head open at check in than anything life-threatening in the air. If it does get a bit rough, breath deeply, relax and remember the aircraft can take *much* worse than this. Try to take your mind off it by watching the inflight movie or doing something that requires your concentration.

Pix

Well as a matter of fact, I used to love flying before this incident. I couldn't wait to get on a plane,esp the 747.The experience I had on the Vegas flight just knocked me for 6.If I have a smooth flight out in June I'm sure I'll be fine!

[mitchja]

VS has that excellent 'Flying without fear' audio channel on most of their IFE's. Even if you are not nervous it's very good at making you relax - it even sent me off to sleep on one occasion going to NYC

Regards

Hi Cuzzer

I once had a roller-coaster ride on a flight from Taipei to Narita. Sensibly I was drinking red wine!

The FA's were seated in front of me as I was in an exit row, and seeing I was getting nervous she told me that, in the history of aviation, a plane has never crashed due to turbulence.

I still think of this when the ride gets a little choppy, and as pixuk says, enjoy the ride. Only this time with a glass of white!

Cheers

Hey Cuzzer,

I have this irrational fear of flying,i flew to Boston last year to see a band play (CKY anyone heard of 'em??) and meet up with some internet buddies and the best way to conquer fear is alcohol and those little Kalms tablets, had numerous whisky and cokes and about six of these little fellas, 3 hours into the flight and i was staring out the window in wonder at the clouds, i felt as stoned as a hippie at woodstock! The plane could have crashed and i would have still been as happy as larry!!
Get yourself some of those for your flight to Vegas and you won't even know you're flying, although technically, you'll feel as though you're flying, in the wasted sense of the word.

By the way, after just re reading this post, i've made myself out to be a complete stoner, i'm not, just scared of flying! Spent the return flight back to LHR in tears and rigidly staring at skymap!

[RichardMannion]

I've had some tubulent flights and have been through a thunderstorm too - it is quite harrowing at the time but afterwards I am fine. Everyone is different.

Remember that air travel is the safest form of transport going, and have you seen how they stress-tested the wings on a Boeing? The angle they can go to is unreal....

Nice advice there from JetGirl! - I know a few of us have made full use of the Champagne or cocktails in the Clubhouses before our flights!

Quick question though, what did you do when they switched the SkyMap off at the commence of the (scheduled) descent?

Thanks,
Richard

In response to Richards question - I'm usually ok with landings, i tend to enjoy the bumps, banks and feeling of descent and knowing i'm almost back on land. The thing that scares me the most is not being able to see whats going on but hearing loads of stuff, like the engines being put back up to full power or wondering exactly how much height we lost after being buffeted by turbulence in the middle of the atlantic or how people can sleep whilst i'm awake crapping my pants!!!!
Skymap is a godsend but can also be hell, i loved being able to check our altitude, speed and outside temperature but the little timer that says London - 10million hours away, that doesn't help

Hi Cuzzer

A subject very close to my heart! I too was a frequent flyer up until 5 years ago and had in fact at the time just started having flying lessons. I was on a flight returning from Thailand when the plane went through a storm. Like your flight, people around the aircraft were screaming and crying. Not fun... I flipped out and ended up been given a sedative and having the co-pilot coming to see me to calm me down. Embarrassing now!
I didn't want this experience to stop me flying so 2 months later flew to NY with Virgin and had a great flight with no problems. Unfortunately 1 hour into the return flight I started to have a panic attack and ended up sat(on the floor)at the front on the aircraft on oxygen. I said then to myself that I would never fly again. From this second bad experience I then had a rough few years with daily panic attacks and became agoraphobic.
Fortunately I'm recovered now but haven't flown again yet... I'm booked to fly to L.A. alone in July with Virgin. Sure I'm a bit nervous but I know I'm flying with one of if not the best airlines. I won't let it stop me seeing the world any longer. As Pixuk says, the amount of stress modern aircraft can take is amazing and you're much more likely to crack your head at check-in! I read every book I think on modern aircraft safety and find the more knowledge I have then the more relaxed I feel. Maybe this wouldn't work for all people though.

As far as tips go, I would not recommend long term use of sedatives but if you do feel very anxious then do see your doctor. Short term use is safe and will relax you enough to get you there without flipping out. Breathing exercises are also excellent but take practice. Get used to breathing properly in these few weeks before your trip. A little tipple can also help, but not ideal to mix with sedatives! Finally tell the cabin staff when you board the plane that you are anxious. They will do all they can for you, they're trained very well to cope with people like us!

I realise I've gone on for far too long but do try to relax and enjoy yourself. You are not alone, don't let the fear beat you. Go and have a fantastic anniversary.

Autopilot...

Hi Cuzzer (& Welcome )

I've been through the odd phase of not being a confident flyer, although that's pretty much gone these days.

Personally, I think what turned it for me was acceptance of 3 things:
1) trusting the crew's experience and judgement - they wouldn't fly the plane if they thought it was unsafe or there was any danger
2) trusting the CAA, the engineers and the plane design - the plane must be airworthy if it's allowed to take passengers
3) that there's not a lot I can do about any problems encountered in the air

That said, I do have a few little quirks (only a few? ).....I like to time the first 5-10mins of a flight so I know we're clear of the airport and any wake turbulence from foregoing flights. If there's quite strong turbulence, I like to watch SkyMap - for some reason it's calming. I do like to have a few beers too

There's some good "fear of flying" information at this site too:
http://www.airsafe.com/issues/fear.htm

VS has an excellent safety record, try and relax, enjoy the flight and have a great Aluminium anniversary [8D]

Cheers

Michael

[RichardMannion]

quote:Originally posted by jetgirl
The thing that scares me the most is not being able to see whats going on but hearing loads of stuff, like the engines being put back up to full power

I had the opposite, flew on COncorde back in Dec 2002 - glad the captain went thru the flight information with us whilst we were still on the tarmac. Basically you take off faster with the afterburner reheaters on, just after you take off you banked left quite sharply and the reheaters are switched off. The noise difference that makes, its like been at a rock concert and some pushing the mute button!

Thanks,
Richard

Reading some of your experiences on here, i understand how some of you must feel.

I beleive that understanding how things work and what makes the plane stay in the air can really help a lot of people come to terms with their fears. I was a cadet in the Royal Air Force section of the CCF at my school, which meant i had the chance to fly in Chipmunks, and later Bulldog aircraft. I learnt during these great flying hours exactly what controlled the flight of aircraft, and the principle is the same in all aircraft, big or small.

Being in control of an aircraft is something few will experience - i was very lucky, and what i learnt really does help you understand what is going on when a 747 speeds down the runway.

Something which i think will help anyone a little anxious, is bearing in mind what the plane is doing during those turbulent periods. To us, it feels like we are being shook about like ants in a cardboard tube, but the reality is, the plane is barely moving at all. Consider what the plane must look like on the outside - it is wavering slightly left and right, but that movement is scarecely worth considering compared to the size of the aircraft.

Large aircraft are built to withstand extreme movement. These movements we have all experienced are not even considerable by the standards of the crew. Although some will think that the plane is in dire straits - remember the plane is still subject to the laws of physics. Nothing will stop it maintaining its height unless it drastically loses speed - this just doesn't happen during turbulence.

It may feel uncomfortable, but it rarely is anything worth worrying about.

I have been helped quite a lot by reading the Soar board.There are a number of pilots helping out on that board including Captain Stark who has just published This is your captain speaking ( a new Fear of flying book.
I don't know how to post a link but if you put Soar Fear of flying in one of the Search Engines it will come up.

One of the tips we have been taught with turbulence is that it is rarely as bad as we think it is.Place a half glass of water on your table and watch, it does not move much at all. If you were to do the same thing in your car the water would more than likely splash out of the cup!!!

[Decker]

quote:Originally posted by jetgirl
[By the way, after just re reading this post, i've made myself out to be a complete stoner, i'm not...

Ermm, like CKY (so by extension Jackass and Dirty Sanchez and Bam and co), get high on flights - doubtless a member of the "Alliance"... what are we supposed to think?

quote:Ermm, like CKY (so by extension Jackass and Dirty Sanchez and Bam and co), get high on flights - doubtless a member of the "Alliance"... what are we supposed to think?

No No No Decker!! Although i used to appriciate the antics of Jackass, I went to see Cky the band, the only real connection to Jackass is the fact that the drummer is Bam's older brother and thankfully none of the Jackass 'crew' were present which meant there were no screaming kids wanting Bam to punch them in the face!
And yes, i am a proud member of the alliance!!
Little off topic here, my apologies to everyone [:I]

[Decker]

Perhaps a moderator will move to a new thread - "What do you listen to and why?". Thought CKY did the incidental music to Jackass? But as you say - OT - sorry all

Thank you everyone for your comments & advice,I really appreciate it.
It has helped alot.