terrified of flying. Tips?

[Ansur]

Originally Posted by iheartnihilism

I think that's like 80% of the problem. and it's weird, because I'm not a control freak in the least. I also don't drive so maybe never having had control of machines is what forms my distrust.. (huar?)

There's nothing to worry about. You are in a state of the art machine that is controlled by computers and software.

The smallest defect could cause the plane to crash, but there's almost no chance you would live though that and have to suffer. State of the art systems are also used by the top automobile companies, like Toyota.

Also, this industry is regulated by the federal government. Just last month the report came out about how they caught Northwest in a safety violation that had been going on for 17 years. Apparently they had been using wiring that was too small in the 747 cockpits and this could cause overheating or fires. As soon as they found out, they only flew 42 more flights before they immediately completed inspections on those planes.

American Airlines is currently facing penalties for not completing full maintenance then flying the planes despite knowledge of the error, but this fine will be much less than the one they got 2 years ago, so they're getting better!

Last year, they hit United Airlines. The FAA has proposed a $3.8 million penalty against United for allegedly flying a Boeing 737 on more than 200 trips after violating the carrier’s own maintenance policies. In April of 2008, the aircraft in question returned to Denver after having to shut down an engine due to low oil pressure warnings. After inspecting the plane, United mechanics discovered that two shop towels, instead of the mandatory protective caps, had been used to cover openings in the oil sump area during its last maintenance in December of 2007.

US Airways operated eight aircraft on 1,647 flights from October 2008 to January 2009 that violated maintenance practices and other safety directives.

Mayor Daley (Chicago) in Sept, 2009, dismissed as “not very significant”—and not a threat to passenger safety — violations at O’Hare Airport uncovered by the FAA. The FAA’s “letter of correction” cited ruts and debris on runways, inadequate training of airfield personnel and overgrown grass and weeds that pose a threat to planes by attracting birds and wildlife. I guess birds getting sucked into the engines is ok. Maybe all their pilots are experts at crashing or landing safely on the Hudson. While this may seem strange to have the mayor try to say these were not important issues, at the time he was trying to court the Olympic games and "our airport is a deathtrap" just wasn't the messege he wanted to send.

Airline________Total fines_____Fines____Warnings

Southwest.......$7,500,000..........1........... 91

American.........$5,864,000.........12......... 214

US Airways......$5,653,500...........3.......... 52

United.............$3,906,750..........7.......... 36

American Eagle..$2,002,000........23.......... 80

Alaska..............$1,117,000........36.......... 98

Northwest.........$690,550............6........ 161

Frontier.............$369,500..........14......... 18

[HumbleNarrator]

Originally Posted by william

I've flown a lot.

What you may experience:

Planes shake. Nothing to worry about.
Planes dip. Nothing to worry about.

When the plane takes off it might bank making it feel as if the plane is on it's side. Nothing to worry about. It might dip. Nothing to worry about.

Don't look out the window during landings - the act of banking looks more drastic than it actually is.

When the plane goes through clouds you'll experience turbulence. Normal.

Rain doesn't affect the way planes fly. It cuts down visibility which by the FAA makes them space the flights.

If it's windy outside your plane will experience a lot of turbulence. Normal.

Turbulence will not not affect the plane. You have to be in a hurricane to worry.

I've been on planes that have filled with smoke, almost became vertical, have dipped feet, shaken, dripped, etc... Nothing's happened.

Drunks are not allowed on planes.

I'm not a big drinker on flights. If something were to ever happen, I want to be alert. Then again, I've had a few when I've flown first. Never enough to make me drunk.

When the plane takes off, you'll feel the thrust as it accelerates.
When the plane lands, you'll feel the brakes being applied.

When the plane lands it sometimes "bumps." Normal.

Once the plane is level - 10 minutes or so into the flight - sometimes longer - most of the flight should be smooth. Then you'll hit some wind and the plane will shake. Happens all the time.

If there's a lot of turbulence the pilot will ask you to fasten your seatbelt. Normal - they don't want to be sued if you hurt yourself.

Advice:
Make a ritual - something that gives you control: "The flight will be OK if I touch every seat on my right before I sit down. If I forget to touch every seat, I'll do it on the way to and from the bathroom."

Planes are safer than the highway. You're more likely to have an accident on the way to the airport than on the plane.

The worst part of flying is onboarding and offboarding.

awesome advice and heads-ups!!! All true and important to know.

but one correction - the worst part of flying is the price and the security checks. oh, and lost baggage in a foreign country.

Actually odds of dying in a plane crash is only about 1 in 10.5 million. Odds of winning the lottery - 1 chance out of 13,983,816. So, kinda close. I figure, I'm sure as shit not going to win the lottery, so I'm not going to experience death by plane crash either.

I fly about three times a year. I had gotten pretty much used to all of the thing described above until one really rough ascent that warranted the pilot reassuring everyone that it would take a lot more to bring us down than that. This was the beginning of a transatlantic flight. For the next 9 hours, every bump made me want to crap my pants.

Alcohol and flying is not a good combo for me. I already get bad enough headaches from the fumes, canned air and crappy seats as it is.

club soda + porn on my sansa = great flight.

[lizsquiz]

I used to be an ok flyer until I had a horrific flight with a friend of mine who freaks out on planes. During take off there was some turbulence, during which time she screamed, shouted OH my God, grabbed me, clawed at the air, became hysterical and hyperventilated.

Then, the plane reached altitude, leveled off and she promptly fell asleep. I spent the rest of that flight extremely agitated and have never been the same again.

Nowadays, if I am going on a long flight, I have some wines beforehand and once on the flight I take a night-time cold tablet. They'll help you sleep without knocking you out completely (because in case of emergency I wanna be alert)

I also remember the sage words of a friendly German man I was seated aside once - covered with red wine, he said "look at what happened to me on the last flight, this is weather, it's no problem for the plane! it's just weather!"

Plus the words of some comedian who made the point that everyone who is afraid of flying, when in a plane, suddenly becomes an expert on all things aviation - as if I have any clue what noises are normal and what aren't. For a hint on what is normal or not, keep an eye on or ask to be seated near the flight attendants seats. They do this for a living and if something was wrong they'd show it in their face or behavior pretty quick smart.

For short flights, or flights where I need to be ready to work at the other end, I try to zone out by listening to KATG or the cooking channel on the plane. There's something soothing about getting a recipe for a nice beef stew that helps you forget you're a babillion feet high.

[i'minu]

two words valium or xanax.

[iheartnihilism]

Originally Posted by Ansur

...

Was that supposed to help?

Originally Posted by HumbleNarrator

but one correction - the worst part of flying is the price and the security checks. oh, and lost baggage in a foreign country.

Actually odds of dying in a plane crash is only about 1 in 10.5 million. Odds of winning the lottery - 1 chance out of 13,983,816. So, kinda close. I figure, I'm sure as shit not going to win the lottery, so I'm not going to experience death by plane crash either.

Alcohol and flying is not a good combo for me. I already get bad enough headaches from the fumes, canned air and crappy seats as it is.

We're not checking any luggage (one carry on per person right?) Canned air? Boo. Half the time, car air conditioning makes me nauseous. I found some site that gave me odds, on average, and for my length of flight, i've got a 1 in over 18.7 million chance of dying during the flight. My friends have reassured me that since those polish dudes just crashed, i've got, like, a plus 15 on top of those odds.

Originally Posted by lizsquiz

I used to be an ok flyer until I had a horrific flight with a friend of mine who freaks out on planes. During take off there was some turbulence, during which time she screamed, shouted OH my God, grabbed me, clawed at the air, became hysterical and hyperventilated.

Then, the plane reached altitude, leveled off and she promptly fell asleep. I spent the rest of that flight extremely agitated and have never been the same again.

Thanks for the lols and advice.
Hopefully i'll be too Nyquiled up to get any kind of anxiety frenzy going. Gotta say I feel a lot more at ease about, hoping i can hang on to that for the next day and a half..

[benda]

I have flown many times and I like it just a little better than going to the Dentist. I don't. But look at the freedom you will have if you drive. No car rental, Extra sleeping space if your room reservation gets lost. Ability to not be man handled (by security male) unless you want to be and have a traveling companion!