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Fear of flying!

HeavyJazz

HeavyJazz

Supporting Member
Jan 26, 2013
3,602
6,170
Central Virginia
#1
Who has it and how have you dealt with it? I always loved flying until about 3 or 4 years ago where some stress overload just threw my into a panic attack and I had to get off. Tomorrow will be the first time since where I'm willing to try it again. Have meds if need be, but who wants to "need" that?!
 
#2
I did not fly at all for about ten years. Now i do it at least three times every year..and i enjoy it. I do drink a beer or two before take off and it helps a lot. Im never going back to where i was. Good luck! Remember that your imagination is much worse than how its going to be. Sit by the window and say to yourself that you are very lucky to see what you are seeing.
 
#5
funny,my cousin says the same thing.

Im not much of a fan of flying anymore things being what they are today, I will when Im pressed for time otherwise I much prefer the drive. I figure once your up in the air your just along for the ride so have a cocktail and make the best of it
 
#8
Don't know whether that's too late for you, but I suggest to fly with someone you can talk the whole flight away with. That keeps your attention away from frightening scenarios in your mind. If you have a choice take a seatrow near the wings - that keeps you away from watching the ground move and is the best place in case of any turbulences.

edit: I also suggest to stay away from alcohol or other drugs before the flight. It just makes you sick - me at least. The problem is in your mind, not in your body.
 
#9
I am not afraid of heights but I am a white knuckle flyer. I think it is a control issue.
Lately I have been doing better. Crossword puzzles seem to help me. Also, making friends in flight helps if they are willing to talk. I met an older trumpet player on a flight to Seattle. Hey played with Turk Murphy and a lot of other jazz bands. He had lots of great stories. He was headed to Seattle for a gig.
I took an 11 hour flight to Tl-Aviv two years ago and had no problems. We used our air miles and flew business class plus I took an excedrin PM and slept most of the way. The same on the way back.
 
#10
TheBass said:
Don't know whether that's too late for you, but I suggest to fly with someone you can talk the whole flight away with. That keeps your attention away from frightening scenarios in your mind. If you have a choice take a seatrow near the wings - that keeps you away from watching the ground move and is the best place in case of any turbulences.

edit: I also suggest to stay away from alcohol or other drugs before the flight. It just makes you sick - me at least. The problem is in your mind, not in your body.
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Sitting near the wings is a good idea.
In my opinion whatching whats going on outside is much better than just thinking about it. If you are really afraid of flying you WILL think about it :) I personally hate it when people talks to me on a plane, bacause i like to follow whats happening. Im only talking if i can help someone who is more afraid than i am (there is always one) And ..i know this doesnt goes for everyone, but to me a drink or two makes me relax and really enjoy it all :) But of course if you cant behave, you should not drink at all..never ever.
 
#12
slobake said:
I am not afraid of heights but I am a white knuckle flyer. I think it is a control issue.
.
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For most people who are afraid of flying it is a control issue, or to put it better, the lack of control that you may feel sitting in a pasenger seat. I once had a fear of flying and now I am a pilot. There is a cure. I would suggest that you check out your local small airports and find a Cessna flight center. For $75 you can take an introduction flight were you sit in the left pilot seat and get to fly the plane. The instructor will take off and land but you get to do all the flying in between. Of course he will be giving you guidence along the way. After the flight, you will have a much better perspective on what is going on in the cockpit of an aircraft and feel more comfortable flying as a passenger. After I did the above, I fell in love with flying and lost my fear. To give you a cockpit perspective here is a 2 minute video of my wife and I landing a plane.


Edit. The most dangerous part of flying is the trip you make in your car to and from the airport.
 
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#13
slobake said:
I am not afraid of heights but I am a white knuckle flyer. I think it is a control issue.
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Same here. Most plane crashes happen within a minute or so from take off, so my ritual is that once I feel the wheels leave the ground I count to 100 slowly. If I make it past that I figure my odds of survival are pretty good.
 
#14
I used to have to fly for my work and was fine except for the last 8 months I worked this job. I developed a fear of flying so great that I had to take Xanax. After 8 months I got a different job and that ended the problem.
 
#15
Damn, I thought this thread was gonna be about the book!

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MatticusMania said:
flying is a breeze. its like being on a bus.
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There's a moment during almost every airplane flight I'm on where I look down the aisle towards the front of the plane and recognize that I'm basically sitting in a stretch minivan.
 
#16
odin70 said:
I did not fly at all for about ten years. Now i do it at least three times every year..and i enjoy it. I do drink a beer or two before take off and it helps a lot. Im never going back to where i was. Good luck! Remember that your imagination is much worse than how its going to be. Sit by the window and say to yourself that you are very lucky to see what you are seeing.
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Not sure about sitting at the window. Anyone remember that Twilight Zone episode? (Sorry, no help)

I was on a flight that had a near miss incident out of Charlotte a bunch of years ago that spooked me big time. Took me awhile to feel comfortable, but I still get a little tense until we reach altitude. Nothing I can say will distract you except maybe to concentrate on that happy place and remember to breathe for the first five minutes or so after takeoff (and before landing).
 
#17
I like to sit closer to the front of the plane. Maybe it is my imagination but the seats in the rear of the plane seem to respond more to turblulence than the front seats.
My wife understood my fear. She has serious rodentophobia so I told her "Imagine yourself locked in a small narrow room full of rats. There is no place you can go you just have to sit there and endure it."
She said "Really, it can't be that bad." :eyebrow:
I said "Yes it is" but she still doens't believe me.
 
#18
It is generally about being trapped. You can stop a bus or car and get off....you are trapped in a cigar tube and can go nowhere. Combine that with control issues and you have a recipe for a bonafide, Marge Simpson panic attack. Window or aisle seat, board first or early and control your luggage situation. Focus on the outside if on a window, or soothing music if on the aisle. Breathe in on a four count through your nose, and out on a four count through your mouth, eyes closed.
Good luck....if these don't work....two Xanax.
 
#20
fhm555 said:
The odds always favor the seats back toward the tail.
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Yep...thats why the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder, more commonly know as black boxes, are positioned in the aircraft's tail. The best ride is just over the the wings. That's were all three aircraft contol axis, (pitch, roll & yaw) converge so you will have less motion in normal flight and also during unstable air conditions. Of course everything has a downside and in this case note that the fuel is stored in the wings.
 

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