Scared stiff of flying!!!

[FutileBreadMachine]

Diazepam, I suppose statistics about death don't really matter, it's the fact that a plane crash is the worst way to die. So many incidents where the plane stalls and falls out of the sky or sets on fire turning into a giant crematorium where people know of their impending doom and linger for many minutes. A car or train crash on the other hand is something that happens in an instant, no where near as bad. That's what creates the fear I think. Between a higher chance of instant death, and a lower chance of an horrific nightmare experience I know which I'd choose any day.

What about if you were in a car crash and the car flipped over and you were stuck there upside down with fuel leaking out and you are like that for ages hoping it doesn't catch fire? Then it catches fire and you slowly burn to death.

Dying in a car is no picnic either.

 

[meh?]

I suffer from panic attacks, have done since I was 13. I'm not scared of flying at all its just the claustrophobia of loads of people in one place, that then causes me to panic which then causes me to have a panic attack.

 

[SickAsAParrot]

I was going to say get a copy of Flight Sim and learn how to do it yourself, but it probably wouldn't work, you can't rationalise a phobia.

I used to think I was scared of heights, but I have no problem if i'm in something like a plane or a cable car, so it's more a fear of being exposed to empty space. For example I went up the Aguile du Midi <SP> when I was younger, and I was fine in the cable car, looking down out of the windows and enjoying the views, but when it came to getting out at the top I was terrified and just clung to a wall until it was time to go down again.

I also was hit with the same fear hiking across Morecambe Bay, it doesn't get much lower than that.

 

[Dis86]

certain carbon fire parts are now glues such as stringers but most things are still bolted and use special fasteners.

but just remember Boeing are built shoddily lol, they have fewer planes than us but require more maintenance staff to keep them up.

be sensible take an airbus

You can probably confirm this one:

I did some testing on aluminium subjected to both tensile and bending loads. We used aluminium sheets from the skin of aircraft and formed them either into beams or left them as they were but in each test there was at least 1 joint made using an epoxy 'glue'.
It wasn't the failure point in a single test, it proved stronger than the aluminium.

Hopefully that'll reassure people about the glues used.

 

[cm1179]

You will be fine. Flying is safe far safer than driving and even if by bad luck you do crash you have a good chance of surviving anyway..

yeh. i don't have a problem with flying, it's being on a flight for a total of 22 hours i'm not looking forward to.

 

[MOOGLEYS]

You can probably confirm this one:

I did some testing on aluminium subjected to both tensile and bending loads. We used aluminium sheets from the skin of aircraft and formed them either into beams or left them as they were but in each test there was at least 1 joint made using an epoxy 'glue'.
It wasn't the failure point in a single test, it proved stronger than the aluminium.

Hopefully that'll reassure people about the glues used.

The wings are bolted for maintenance purposes or if they need to remove them or the central spa for any reason. Bolted joints are also easier to maintain.

 

[valkia]

I'm not a big fan of flying, accompanied by an anxiety disorder it makes it quite eventful. However I've got most of it under control, I actually quite like flying, but the feeling of having 0 control is terrifying, I hate turbulence! . But reminding that thorough checks are done, and so on can make it easier.

 

[koolpc]

Anxiety is my problem too. Just hope the plane doesn't have an outside toilet! Lol

 

[SexyGreyFox]

What I'm saying is you can't rationalise it.

I've been facing this fear I have for years, and it's done nothing to alleviate it. It's not like you can be scared of flying, force yourself on to a flight and then go "yes, I did it, cured, there was nothing to worry about!". No, you spend every moment in fear and when you finally land you swear to yourself that you'll never do it again.

I have said this before but my eldest had a clinical phobia of frogs and a fear of flying.
The frog phobia was really bad which I won't go into here but her fear of flying reduced her to tears for the whole journey to the airport, on the plane and especially when landing.
She went to see a psychiatrist for 18 months with her frog phobia and was cured so put the things she had learned to her fear of flying and she has no problems at all now.

 

[El Jimben]

A combination of Valiim , Propanolol and booze works for me.

 

[koolpc]

I have said this before but my eldest had a clinical phobia of frogs and a fear of flying.
The frog phobia was really bad which I won't go into here but her fear of flying reduced her to tears for the whole journey to the airport, on the plane and especially when landing.
She went to see a psychiatrist for 18 months with her frog phobia and was cured so put the things she had learned to her fear of flying and she has no problems at all now.

So, now she has a 'Ribbetting' time on planes! Lol

 

[TheDesX77]

Someone I know flies light aircraft, and I remember him telling me once that jet engines are mounted to wings with titanium bolts that are about five grand EACH. Hopefully that will help reassure you that the plane isn't going to fall apart

 

[Tefal]

You can probably confirm this one:

I did some testing on aluminium subjected to both tensile and bending loads. We used aluminium sheets from the skin of aircraft and formed them either into beams or left them as they were but in each test there was at least 1 joint made using an epoxy 'glue'.
It wasn't the failure point in a single test, it proved stronger than the aluminium.

Hopefully that'll reassure people about the glues used.

Wings are still bolted but yeah you can but glue in b&q that if you stick two steel bars together the bar will break before the glue.

Bolts however are better in shear and under cyclic loading.


We use lots of glue in the carbon fibre though as every hole you drill has the risk of scrapping the whole assembly if ****ed up so it's more productive and works better (after all it's similar to the resin that makes up thecarbon fibre)

 

[Tefal]

Someone I know flies light aircraft, and I remember him telling me once that jet engines are mounted to wings with titanium bolts that are about five grand EACH. Hopefully that will help reassure you that the plane isn't going to fall apart

The titanium castings/machined loops that the forward pickup( main thing that holds the engine) on a 380 cost a few hundred grand.


Most expensive bolts I've seen cost 18 thousand each, and they were for two holds in a spar that had been drilled wrong, the train they cost so much is they have to do an entire production run and test them all to standard, so you're actually buying hundreds of bolts but only two of them got used

 

[[TW]Fox]

So many incidents where the plane stalls and falls out of the sky or sets on fire turning into a giant crematorium where people know of their impending doom and linger for many minutes.

Well, no, not 'so many incidents' at all. Excluding third world carriers how many of each of those above have happened on commercial flights in the last decade?

Oh, it's an Energize post. I'm wasting my time.

 

[norm]

I assure you there are far worse ways to die than in a plane crash. And even if you did, rest sound in the fact your next of kin get a massive compensation payout.

Seriously though, come to terms with your fate, if your time is up so be it.

 

[PhysicsMan94]

Just be glad that those MD-80/83 planes aren't in service anymore (at least as far as I'm aware) - Alaska Flight 261 is a prime example of why that plane was poorly designed as it broke one of the fundamental rules of plane design and development: "A single fault should not cause catastrophic failure of the entire plane".

The problem was the lack of lubricant applied to the jackscrew which meant that the horizontal stabiliser of the tail wing (at the back) got stuck at the top of its allowed displacement meaning that the plane was continuously pulling downwards.

Eventually, the aerodynamical load along with the stressed put on this system by the pilots (who were trying to fix the problem, but unaware of the consequences) meant that the jackscrew broke lose from the elevator causing the horizontal stabiliser to move up to a position well outside of safe limits, thus causing the plane to undergo a nose dive.

Fortunately, this design oversight has been addressed now.

 

[Jay]

1. Take your Dog to the vets. (if you dont have a dog borrow a friends Dog)
2. Tell vet the Dog is scared of thunder/fireworks.
3. Dog gets prescribed Diazipan
4. Eat the Diazipan for yourself before and during the flight.
5. Sit back and relaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[PanchoVilla]

Just be glad that those MD-80/83 planes aren't in service anymore (at least as far as I'm aware) - Alaska Flight 261 is a prime example of why that plane was poorly designed as it broke one of the fundamental rules of plane design and development: "A single fault should not cause catastrophic failure of the entire plane".

The problem was the lack of lubricant applied to the jackscrew which meant that the horizontal stabiliser of the tail wing (at the back) got stuck at the top of its allowed displacement meaning that the plane was continuously pulling downwards.

Eventually, the aerodynamical load along with the stressed put on this system by the pilots (who were trying to fix the problem, but unaware of the consequences) meant that the jackscrew broke lose from the elevator causing the horizontal stabiliser to move up to a position well outside of safe limits, thus causing the plane to undergo a nose dive.

Fortunately, this design oversight has been addressed now.

I wonder how many design oversights we will find when 3d printing technology becomes ubiquitous to replace complicated heavy components in vehicles. Did anyone hear of metal fatigue causing abrupt plane crashes in the early days?

 

[Mr Badger]

1. Take your Dog to the vets. (if you dont have a dog borrow a friends Dog)
2. Tell vet the Dog is scared of thunder/fireworks.
3. Dog gets prescribed Diazipan
4. Eat the Diazipan for yourself before and during the flight.
5. Sit back and relaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tried that but it left me feeling ruff.