OK - you asked for flight fears....

[nmgirl98]

Flying into DCA later this month from west Texas. I haven't flown in about 5 years and that's for a very good reason. I am scared to death to fly. My palms get sweaty when I think about it and the closer we get to flight date, the more I start to panic.



I can't not go. It's my best friends wedding. We've already booked, etc and to not go would be...well...unthinkable.



Help? Tips? Ideas? Please?

[jfrenaye]

I do not have any practical advice for you but to let you know that flying is one of the more safe modes of transportation out there. Maybe take a single cocktail to take the edge off if you drink, but not more. Explain your situation to the check in agent and you might get an upgrade :)



I assume you are not flying Northwest--they used to have a program for fearful flyers, but I don't think you have the time to enroll.



Finally, DCA is one of the most beautiful airports to fly into. Get a window seat on the left side of the plane and be sure to watch your landing--you come down the Potomac with all the monuments of Washington--and right now to boot it is the Cherry Blossom Festival--absolutely stunning--day or night!

[WarmWaters]

This helped me enormously:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=books&n=507846 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0451167228/qid=1112818538/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/104-7400602-5797538?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

[vickiburton]

I admit I'm a white-knuckle flyer. The hardest parts are take-off, landing, and cruising at 35,000 ft with no visible means of support. The left side of my brain says it's the safest way to travel; the right side of my brain says "you're all gonna die!"

[silver cloud]

I've tried without success to get my hubby to fly. He had a bad experience once and "won't get back on the bike."



I'm of the whoop it up and laugh my arse off as our plane was sliding sideways coming into Detroit. I absolutely love flying. I love everything about it except getting stuck in seats that don't recline. ugh.



Besides, I truly believe that when it's my time to go...well it's my time to go. Doesn't matter if I'm in a plane, in the shower, watching tv, etc.



I hope you're able to get past your fears of flying. It's really the best mode of transportation. I wish I could help!

[sardine]

Having worked for ten years as an International Documentation Specialist for a large computer company, which has since changed hands twice, I routinely booked anywhere from one to thirty air shipments per day. "Do the math," as they say, and you will be shocked at the number of air shipments that I have put on airplanes and sent to all points on the globe.



Can you guess how many shipments I lost in airplane crashes? ZERO! NOT A SINGLE LOSS! :o The closest I came to a mishap was a shipment that was traveling on a UAL flight that blew a cargo hatch door over the Pacific Ocean. My shipment arrived safely the following day.



I, too, believe in an "appointed time." Lighten up and enjoy life to the fullest, as life is not a dress rehersal!



If you are absolutely unable to get past your fears, consult a physician, and get a prescription for an appropriate medication that will relax and/or put you to sleep for the duration of the flight.



Happy flying! :) :)



sardine

[deangreenhoe]

Good advice. Sometimes just knowing the statistics is the best way to overcome fear of flying. For example:



DEATH BY: YOUR ODDS

Cardiovascular disease: 1 in 2

Smoking (by/before age 35): 1 in 600

Car trip, coast-to-coast: 1 in 14,000

Bicycle accident: 1 in 88,000

Tornado: 1 in 450,000

Train, coast-to-coast: 1 in 1,000,000

Lightning: 1 in 1.9 million

Bee sting: 1 in 5.5 million

U.S. commercial jet airline: 1 in 7 million



The source page has some good info: http://www.anxieties.com/flying-howsafe.php



As an agent I've ticketed tens of thousands of passengers and know dozens of agents who have done the same. I've never known anyone who has booked a passenger on a fatal flight. Commercial pilots and flight attendents have a much longer life expectancy (based on work related fatalities) than a huge list of other occupations you may think benign...like farming! Or being a plumber. :wink:



My favorite statistic is that if you took a flight every day of your life, on average it would take 19,000 years before you experienced a fatal accident on a commercial airliner.



Put me in the air any day. It's safer than taking your shower before the flight. 8)

[Jeanie821]

Not too many airlines serve food any more, but that's what I would be afraid of.

[DCTravelAgent]

I'm a Travel Agent and I am in the air fairly often. I do have "issues" with take-off and landing. After 9/11 I got on a plane on 9/18 and went to Jamaica for a Travel Agent FAM - quite a few agents cancelled - they were afraid to go. I thought, "If I can't do this, I need to find another career." I just grip the arms of the seat tightly during take-off and landing.

[deangreenhoe]

I do have \"issues\" with take-off and landing.

Gee, that's my favorite part! I find it thrilling. Of course, I'm a weirdo who enjoys turbulence and gets bored if we don't have at least a few dips and bumps along the way. 8)



Modern aircraft can endure about 10 times the force of even relatively rough turbulence. If you are belted in, it should be the least of your worries. :wink: Pretend you are getting the thrills of a carnival ride with the admission included as part of your ticket price.

[IslandJacks]

We have lived in several large cities over the years. The scariest part of the trip is the drive to the airport!!! I always heave a sigh of relief when I enter the terminal ... I made it there in one piece!

[terry]

No need for a shrink to intervene here. You folks are doing great jobs of counseling one another.



Terry

[rampo]

nmgirl98's trip is now over, but I'm surprised that no one warned her of the special rule for flights into and out of DCA (Washington (Reagan) National Airport) where no passenger may leave his/her seat within 30 minutes flying time of the airport. Flying in, the pilot usually makes an announcement about 5 minutes before the ban goes into effect, and then at least half of the passengers decide that they can't possibly hold it for the next 30 minutes and head for the head.


postscript:

Son of a gun, just after I posted this, I opened today's Washington Post and there is the announcement that the 30-minute rule for DCA will be lifted next week.

[Guest]

I hate to fly as well..

My sister's of the "when it's your time, it's your time" philosophy.. but I always say "well, I don't have to help it along!"

[lameline]

i can sympathize.
i am a commercial rated pilot, and i HATE flying in the big huge "busses", becauseI AM NOT IN CONTROL!!!!!!
i always sit in the exit row for the sfo-hawaiian islands trip, and usually have a nervous laugh with my seat mates because percentages for surviving an over-water landing are about nil. i almost died in a motorcycle accident 5 years ag6, so i consider every day after that one is a gift.
regarding a rough landing: pilots have a saying--"every landing you walk away from is a great landing!"
regarding rough air: think of the bumps as potholes in the road. it won't break the plane, you won't crash because of them. "you're just 4-wheelin', now, baby!!"

if you can resist not back-seat flying (i can't), enjoy the ride!!

[Kairho]

I'm also a commercial pilot but don't have any concerns (any more!) or problems sitting in the back.

However, my flight instructor, also a close friend, now is an FAA Inspector and flies a LOT in cockpits. But when we travel together for leisure he is close to a basket case! I've been with him as he waits for all other passengers to disembark and then he asks to see the captain to "point out" a few regulations (minor) which had been violated on the flight! Funny...!

[Paul]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]Originally posted by jfrenaye@Apr 6 2005, 06:06 AM
I do not have any practical advice for you but to let you know that flying is one of the more safe modes of transportation out there.* Maybe take a single cocktail to take the edge off if you drink, but not more.* Explain your situation to the check in agent and you might get an upgrade :)
I assume you are not flying Northwest--they used to have a program for fearful flyers, but I don't think you have the time to enroll.
Finally, DCA is one of the most beautiful airports to fly into.* Get a window seat on the left side of the plane and be sure to watch your landing--you come down the Potomac with all the monuments of Washington--and right now to boot it is the Cherry Blossom Festival--absolutely stunning--day or night!
209

[Carlo]

Coming out of West Texas, I seriously doubt Northwest was an option. Around my part of West Texas, the choices are Southwest or American. Maybe Continental, depending on the year. And since only Southwest flies real jets, that's not much of a choice.

I think it's nice of all of you to try to reason with those of us who fear flying. But those of us who are afraid know there's no reasoning with the fear. I've heard all the stats, I know Southwest's safety record, and still I'm convinced the wing is going to fall off at 35,000 feet. I tried the Xanax route, but I think I'm going to have to find something stronger next time I get on a plane (maybe I can find something that turns me into a zombie). Otherwise, I'll drive, thank you. Or cruise...

[millie]

:( Originally posted by nmgirl98@Apr 5 2005, 11:41 PM
Flying into DCA later this month from west Texas.* I haven't flown in about 5 years and that's for a very good reason.* I am scared to death to fly.* My palms get sweaty when I think about it and the closer we get to flight date, the more I start to panic.
I can't not go.* It's my best friends wedding.* We've already booked, etc and to not go would be...well...unthinkable.
Help? Tips? Ideas?* Please?
206

[Gesualdo]

Originally posted by terry@Jun 29 2005, 11:41 AM
No need for a shrink to intervene here. You folks are doing great jobs of counseling one another.
Terry
3201


Ahhh...if only words could make a difference in an irrational fear. Drugs - now there's the answer. A nice prescription from my doctor. Too bad drugs don't seem to work very well on me. They don't get rid of nasty headaches and they don't get rid of fear either.

I did get a laugh on a flight a while back. A group of us were traveling home from a meeting in Austin and I quipped, "Too bad I don't like the taste of alcohol. It might make this flight a little easier!"

I guess I'll just keep making excuses for not flying as much as possible. You know, there's still the possibility of one of those pat-down searches. I can refuse to fly on principle! Yeah, that's it.

[travel]

I have one word for you.... "XANAX." I fly a minimum of 20 times a year and although I'm usually fine, I still have those moments when I have a panic attack for no apparent reason....no bad weather, no recent mechanical trouble rumors about the airline, nothing like that. I just am suddenly terrified. After repeating this story to my mother many times over a period of a few years, she convinced me to try it (I hate even taking aspirin for a headache). Within 10 minutes, the anxiety lifted and I was fine. I'm sure it doesn't work for everyone, but if you have occasional panic attaks over flying, talk to your doctor. It (or something like it...there are several anti-anxieties now), just might help. For me it was that or consider giving up something I love.

[cruiser]

As a RAF navigator I hated flying in the passenger compartment of aircraft civilian or military. After I retired, it took me several flights to slowly gty over the worst of it. When I was flying as crew I knew what the pilots were supposed to be doing and what they were actually doing - not always the same thing. But I could always tell them where to go! Now I just put my nose in a favourite book and lose myself in the story, which annoys my wife because it takes a couple of attempts for her to get my attention sometimes. But that's better than white knuckles. I also anticipate what we will be doing at the other end once we get off the plane. Not so effective on the return trip when we have to go back to work.
One last thought - I've learned to take a soft cover/paper back book; because there's still room for them when the seat in front is fully reclined and they weigh less in the carry on bag.
Get a good book, or 2 or more for a long flight and I can lose the world, maybe that'll help some folks as well.

[honey2]

Sometimes it helps to take a pill for anxiety. With a27 hour flight coming up soon, I need all he advice I can get.

[Carchar]

Every few years I get anxiety attacks that last from 4 to 6 weeks. I lose weight quickly from not being able to eat (OK, that's a plus because I am not skinny,) and I can't sleep for more than 2 to 3 hours a night. Medication doesn't help because my nerves override the drugs. My therapy is to let it take its course and to just "get a grip." But no matter how nervous I am during an attack, just get me to the airport and put me on a plane to anywhere and I immediately relax and enjoy myself. Go figure!

My cousin's late father in law used to be a pilot for United. He retired after a successful career with them. But after he retired, he would not fly anywhere. On vacation, his wife would fly and he would drive or take a boat or train to their destination. Again, go figure!

[REDJIM]

Have flown, oh, just about a half million miles. No "incidents" until last flight into BWI. Landing gear malfunction requiring manual adjustment. Knew on descent that we would be greeted by emergency squads. Quite a parade to the gate!

There is talent in the cockpit, of this I am sure.

[jjjenny]

I am also afraid of flying, but I also like to go places that I have to fly.
Once the plane starts to take off, my fears leave me. But, I do have a suggestion to make your flight easier. About a day before flying, start a book that will be hard to put down. Then, while on the plane, start reading it. It will help to make the time go by.

[silver cloud]

I was talking to my husband about this thread. I reiterated my thoughts of "when it's my time to go, it's my time to go."

He almost made me spit out my drink when he said in all seriousness, "What if it's the Pilot's time to go and i'm along for the ride??"


bwahahahahah! :lol: