who on this great forum has a fear of flying? i'm not fond of flying at all. the takeoff is kind of a rush but once 30,000 feet in the air i have anxiety beyond belief. i prefer the window seat though.

My dad was a pilot, and he flew us on all kind of trips in his Cessna, so flying in a big plane doesn't bother me at all. I usually sleep the whole time. The little planes can get a little scary though.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
My dad was a pilot, and he flew us on all kind of trips in his Cessna, so flying in a big plane doesn't bother me at all. I usually sleep the whole time. The little planes can get a little scary though.

you were desensitized at an early age. i'm too anxious to sleep although my longest flight was only 3 hours.

Originally posted by RX-GR8
who on this great forum has a fear of flying? i'm not fond of flying at all. the takeoff is kind of a rush but once 30,000 feet in the air i have anxiety beyond belief. i prefer the window seat though.

I don't know if this will help, but cruising at altitude is actually the safest phase of flight. Pilots think of speed and altitude as money in the bank. To some extent you can convert one into the other and both into time. During cruise you have ample amounts of both. It's when you run out of both that you're in trouble. Low and slow is the most dangerous time. So maybe you can relax for most of the flight and just get worried during takeoff and landing... :)

I do not have any fear of flying, although at one point I did have cause for reflection. The helicopter that I had been flying on made an emergency landing in a farmer's field shortly after my stop. No one was hurt but it did get me to thinking.

I have flow since then (both fixed and rotary wing) without hesitation.

I'm not scared. I have no choice. If the Marines says get on that plane, I get on that plane. :)

I am a flight intructor and teach the extreme wealthy to fly high end turbine aircraft. It is not flying that scares me it is these rich guys with no skills flying jets that scares me.

the first time i flew i was scared too death ,it's not flying that scares me it that sudden stop.the fisrt time i had 3drinks in the airport lounge and kept drinking on the flight it was not that bad .on the flight home i didnt drink thinking it not that bad ,until we hit turbilence then things got rocky.you quessed it i order a couple of drinks an thinks were fine . so now when i fly i have aleast 3 drinks before take off.

I use to be scared..but then i got my license and fly with my mom a lot...it's a lot nicer to be on a jet than my plane...it's a little 172..talk about scary!

im not really afraid of flying, but im a realist about it...god never intended 60 tons of metal to stay up in the air for any length of time...hehe...i always remind myself of this everytime i get on a plane

Originally posted by MazdaspeedFeras
im not really afraid of flying, but im a realist about it...god never intended 60 tons of metal to stay up in the air for any length of time...hehe...i always remind myself of this everytime i get on a plane

exactly.

Originally posted by MazdaspeedFeras
im not really afraid of flying, but im a realist about it...god never intended 60 tons of metal to stay up in the air for any length of time...hehe...i always remind myself of this everytime i get on a plane look at a battleship how does it stay afloat

35000 tons of metal wasnt meant to sit on top of water either :p

...i do understand the concepts of flying and also of displacement in water....im just making the point that the original intention for steel and aluminum was not meant to be in the air, or to sit at the top of water. :cool:

Originally posted by MazdaspeedFeras
im just making the point that the original intention for steel and aluminum was not meant to be in the air, or to sit at the top of water. :cool:

Well, if you want to get picky - the original intention for steel and aluminum was to remain in their original iron ore and aluminum oxide raw forms! Since it's people who refined them, people can determine the intention for those refined products! :D

No fear of flying here - my father was a private pilot since I was 6 (Beechcraft Bonanza V35). I soloed on my 16th birthday, and flew for a few years before suspending my flying activities due to cost. I've yet to resume, but have tried soaring (gliders) a couple of times, and that's what I'd love to take up. Maybe in a few years...

The flying is the easy part - it's the weather that gets scary when you're flying!

Regards,
Gordon

I love flying, especially in a little turbulence. I hate bad turbulence though, because then it gets scary!

My job is supposed to be 90% travel. It hasn't quite picked up to that pace. Anyways, I am not a huge fan of flying. I have a fear of heights, so obviously I am taking the "approach your fears head on" approach. Despite my fears of heights, I too prefer the window seat. I would much rather look 30,000 feet down than to have people stick their fat asses in my face.

dag

What, exactly, are people who are afraid to fly afraid OF? Falling out of the sky like a rock? Won't happen, unless someone shoots you down or the plane experiences some kind of catastrophic failure (and that's extremely rare).

Turbulence is fun... kinda like riding out an earthquake.

And honestly, if the jet I'm in starts going down and we're gonna eat it, at least it'll be quick and painless.... a much better way to go than a slow painful demise from cancer or whatever.

Fly on! But you can keep your window seats. I like the aisle... more headroom and I can get up and walk around on those long flights. Now THERE's a legitimate fear of flying -- DVT, or "economy class syndrome".

The fear of flying is why they have bars in airports. You are soposed to drink before you get on the plane.

Originally posted by Gigolo Jason
The fear of flying is why they have bars in airports. You are soposed to drink before you get on the plane.

i do. it helps alittle.

A sedative like Ativan or Valium might help you out too, just a little chill pill. Ask your doctor.

For a long flight across country or overseas, I recommend Ambien or Sonata to just knock yourself out for 4-6 hours. 5-10 mg of either should do the trick. Then, next thing you know, it's Frankfurt!

Alternatively, chloral hydrate was the old fashioned "Mickey Finn,"as in "slip you a Mickey." Nighty night.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
A sedative like Ativan or Valium might help you out too, just a little chill pill. Ask your doctor.

For a long flight across country or overseas, I recommend Ambien or Sonata to just knock yourself out for 4-6 hours. 5-10 mg of either should do the trick. Then, next thing you know, it's Frankfurt!

Alternatively, chloral hydrate was the old fashioned "Mickey Finn,"as in "slip you a Mickey." Nighty night.

doc i don't believe in taking any medications unless absolutely neccessary.

The phrase "Fear of Flying" needs some rethinking. If you are still flying life is good. It is how you end your flight where the problem is.

I love to fly but I often get the most excited/nervious during take off and landing, these are the highest probable times an incident can occur, I am a pilot, just a private one however I do know where the real risks reside and it is very rare for anything other than turbulence to occur at cruising altitude.

I usually feel the most comfortable at cruise altitudes. In regards to the comment about the bar, youll be fine as long as you dont see the pilots there drinking with you. :-)

Originally posted by RX-GR8
doc i don't believe in taking any medications unless absolutely neccessary.
I respect that. As long as the fear is not interfering with your life, than you don't need meds.

I'm a pill pusher though. Better living through medication. :)

Its funny - I have more anxiety getting in the car as a passenger then I do on a plane.

On my last flight home (from Vegas) a few weeks ago, I was asleep before the plane even pushed off. I'm on an airliner up to twice a month - sometimes for 9 or more hours at a time.

I prefer the aisle seat. I can get up, stretch and look at all the nervous people behind me. :)

You should take a few short trips across water in a small prop airplane. You will feel much better about the heavies after that. LearnToFly.com has "discovery" flights for $25.
Better yet, jump out of a perfectly good plane sometime. Talk about not being "meant to fly"!

I got my ticket in a 152, so I don't have much sympathy for you, DrivenBySpeed!:p

The reason I do not want to fly is because my dad and uncle took me up one time when I was three and my uncle did a few "tricks" like shutting off the engine while doing a dive and cutting a loop. I was not amused and have a fear of flying now, thanks guys. I am planning on going to Germany to see a friend in a few months though so unless any of you can smuggle me onto a ship I'll be needing to get over it soon. I am also afraid of heights, but I will climb up to the top of nearly any tree, go figure. I guess I just like to be in control of my own destiny.

Flying and safety. Look at any statistics and you will see that the amount of flying deaths vs. the amount of vehicle deaths is very trivial in comparison. If you want to have a fear of any kind of travel, you should be more afraid of pulling out of your own driveway than by getting on a plane.

Originally posted by D MENAC 7
Flying and safety. Look at any statistics and you will see that the amount of flying deaths vs. the amount of vehicle deaths is very trivial in comparison. If you want to have a fear of any kind of travel, you should be more afraid of pulling out of your own driveway than by getting on a plane.

thats a misleading stat. there are far more cars than airplanes and therefore far more accidents. the thing is a plane having a problem is probably certain death but in a car a problem might not mean certain death especially in our 8. you can't roll it over. :D

Been flying all over the world since I was born (navy brat) and I'm still deathly afraid of flying.

Originally posted by ivyrose
Been flying all over the world since I was born (navy brat) and I'm still deathly afraid of flying.

interesting. you're an exception to the rule.

Originally posted by RX-GR8
interesting. you're an exception to the rule.

hehe, yeah ... that's me all around :)

Originally posted by ivyrose
hehe, yeah ... that's me all around :)

nothing wrong with that. :)

I fly out every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning on biz travel and come home on weekends. Most of my posts are from some obscure Hilton, Hampton, Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn or Marriott all over the country lately. You get used to flying, except for security with each airport having diff rules. You see and meet lots of interesting people at airport bar and grilles, especially with lots of time to kill until your flight if you miscalculate rental returns, ticketing, baggage and security checks. I'v seen every United, Continental and Delta Movie already this month, let alone read most every paperback at the terminal bookstores(All airports are the same). Find an AC outlet I'll go online.

Light chop is ok but mild to heavy "roller-coaster" turbulence sucks so I close my eyes, cupping my chin with my palm so I don't get airsick. Usually it's over the Rockies due to mountain waves and it's always bumpy on descent/final approach at 250kts. Summer flying is not very smooth(Hot-Lanta or Denver anyone?). Listening to the flightdeck with the headphones is reassuring, as there are always pilot reports of where the smooth air is. Biz travelers have it wired. It's the rookie summer vacation families/HS kids who can really jack up a flight with panic and anxiety.

Originally posted by mpt_yellowRX8
The reason I do not want to fly is because my dad and uncle took me up one time when I was three and my uncle did a few "tricks" like shutting off the engine while doing a dive and cutting a loop.

My first ever plane ride was on my 6th birthday - my uncle was a bush pilot, and he landed his float plane on the lake where my parents had a cabin, then took me up for a ride! That was around the same time my dad started taking flying lessons. When I was 8, a pilot friend of my dad's was chatting with us at our local (small town) airport - he owned a WW II Harvard trainer (http://www.airforce.forces.ca/grfx/equip_gallery/historic_gallery/wallpaper/harvard.jpg), and offered to give my dad a ride. Dad declined, but said "why don't you take Gordon up?" So, off I go in the back of this glass-canopied monster, and then the pilot starts doing loops and rolls! :D :cool: It was incredibly exciting, but I remember holding on to the sides of the seat cushion since I didn't want to fall out of the seat when we were upside down, because I figured I'd crash right through the glass canopy. :eek: :p (Yes, I was wearing a seat belt - but that was small comfort to an 8-year old! :D )

Regards,
Gordon

Originally posted by Silver04RX8
In regards to the comment about the bar, youll be fine as long as you dont see the pilots there drinking with you. :-)

Lol - they did that on The Man Show; dressed up like 2 pilots and started getting wasted at the bar in the airport. Funny as hell

Totally irrational fear of flying, just like my fear of sharks. My fear isn't so much the sudden stop but the long fall. Those poor souls on flight 800 flew on for several minutes after the front of the plane was blown off. That must have been pleasant. Too many damn discovery channel shows on the subject combined with a designers imagination equal no happy flying.

i need a vacation and i still fear flying.

I don't really have any irrational fears. When I was a kid (about 6 or 7) I went with my dad to visit one of his friends. He was a pilot and had his own cessna. He took my dad, myself, brother, and sister up in the plane. I was little and stuck in the middle of the back seat so it got boring. I fell asleep and woke up when we landed. Flying through turbulence in my father's Vans RV-4 was fun tho. Much cooler than a rollercoaster because you don't know when it will bump you.