Geniune Fear Of Flying

semi-pro waster · 15 Aug 2011 at 07:49

wilko49 said:
Well... no. The riskiest parts of a flight are take-off and touch-down, when the plane is travelling slow enough at a point of impact that you'll just break your femur (much like an emergency landing over water). Followed by burning to death in a massive blaze fuelled by several tons of aviation fuel.

You try and help out by diminishing fears and then someone comes along and crushes the hope you're giving...

I'd guess that what most people are scared of in flying is the plunging from the sky in several tonnes of metal cylinder which is no longer able to fly - if that's the case then the chances are your end will be pretty quick. If you're taking off or touching down then it's not that hugely different from a (very) high speed crash in another motorised vehicle such as a bus or a car.

Cosimo · 15 Aug 2011 at 07:51

dmpoole said:
I'm the opposite now because of Google Earth.
I no longer care about sitting by the window.

.... and it's easier to go to the loo.

SexyGreyFox · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:37

simulatorman said:
.... and it's easier to go to the loo.

and you don't get kids kicking you in the back.
Why do I always get a child sitting behind me who kicks the seat?

Energize · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:42

semi-pro waster said:
You try and help out by diminishing fears and then someone comes along and crushes the hope you're giving...

I'd guess that what most people are scared of in flying is the plunging from the sky in several tonnes of metal cylinder which is no longer able to fly - if that's the case then the chances are your end will be pretty quick. If you're taking off or touching down then it's not that hugely different from a (very) high speed crash in another motorised vehicle such as a bus or a car.

There have been numerous incidents where all the engines have failed and the plane has stayed in the air for nearly an hour before crashing or where the plane has been slowly cremated in the air from fire. Rarely is a plane crash fast, a car crash is pretty much instant in comparison.

That's far worse than any car crash!

Macky · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:44

Tefal said:
well look at the beating that plane took and was fine.

and second point you were on honeymoon with your misuses, thought the plane was going to crash and you would all die, and you didn't get arrested for public indecency when the plane landed???

You failed as a man and a husband.

You're saying he should have soiled himself?!

PermaBanned · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:49

Like i said, lightning is nothing to worry about

Scuzi · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:53

Energize said:
There have been numerous incidents where all the engines have failed and the plane has stayed in the air for nearly an hour before crashing or where the plane has been slowly cremated in the air from fire. Rarely is a plane crash fast, a car crash is pretty much instant in comparison.

The only aircraft that is going to stay in the air for nearly an hour after a 100% power loss is a motor glider.

mattyg · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:54

PermaBanned said:
Like i said, lightning is nothing to worry about

I actually thought that was footage until I spotted the bloke from ER who had his arm cut off in a helicopter accident.

And I nearly thought jeez he sure has some bad luck

PermaBanned · 15 Aug 2011 at 18:56

mattyg said:
I actually thought that was footage until I spotted the bloke from ER who had his arm cut off in a helicopter accident.

And I nearly thought jeez he sure has some bad luck

Haha, the actual footage is pretty poor quality tbh, else i would have used that

Blinkz · 15 Aug 2011 at 19:22

Did someone call?

Happy to hear that I helped some of you with worries in the past, happy to answer any queries people have now!

Flying is definitely worth it, if just for views like these:

Xein · 15 Aug 2011 at 19:59

I also have a fear of flying, its different to the OP as I haven't been on a plane since I was 7 and I'm now 18, I don't know what I'm afraid of as I haven't been on one in a while and that's what I thinks causing the problem.

I start to think that when I'm sat on the plane the floor would fall through or something stupid like that.

But as others have suggested in the thread I might buy a 30 minute flying lesson or something similar

albert · 15 Aug 2011 at 22:25

Blinkz said:
Did someone call?

Happy to hear that I helped some of you with worries in the past, happy to answer any queries people have now!

Flying is definitely worth it, if just for views like these:

I'm the OP and I don't find this view very nice at all. To much distance between your feet and ground.

Cleeecooo · 15 Aug 2011 at 22:45

Blinkz, what sort of planes do you fly?

Energize · 16 Aug 2011 at 03:43

Scuzi said:
The only aircraft that is going to stay in the air for nearly an hour after a 100% power loss is a motor glider.

In the right conditions many small aircraft are capable of doing that from only 15,000ft.

Cliste · 16 Aug 2011 at 06:41

Energize said:
That's when this happens.

Wow, what a pilot. Legend!

Scuzi · 16 Aug 2011 at 13:33

Energize said:
In the right conditions many small aircraft are capable of doing that from only 15,000ft.

Gliders? None of the small aircraft I fly can do that. Please enlighten me

Clav · 16 Aug 2011 at 13:57

My friends daughter is a really bad flier and just had to endure a transatlantic flight (well technically 2). They got her a few sessions of hypnotherapy before going and it really helped her.

Admittedly hypnotherapy isn't going to work for everyone but might be worth looking at.

Broadie · 16 Aug 2011 at 14:52

To quote Spike Milligan:

"Flying isn't dangerous....crashing is dangerous"

Hope that helps OP

converse_uprise · 16 Aug 2011 at 14:54

OP, really though, if your fear of flying is that bad then visit the doctors. They will prescribe you something that will relax you, probably diazepam. Sit back, and chill out.

Scuzi · 16 Aug 2011 at 15:09

http://www.aviatours.co.uk/

This course comes highly recommended by some colleagues of mine who have been involved with it. I might be attending it sometime in the near future so I'll know better after that.