FEAR of flying. . . .how do YOU cope?

[QuettaKid]

Haven't been on an airliner in 8 years. All of a sudden I am gripped with what I am sure are totally unnatural fears. Any advice?

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. I admit to medicinal help.

I take two Vicodin and try to fall asleep before take off.

[johnnie]

2. .

[QuettaKid]

3. oh I forgot to add, drinking is not an option. nt.

.

[johnnie]

5. .

Kidding. Honestly, I have no fear of flying. I hate heights, but I do ok in a plane and without drinking or drugs...lol.

[commander bunnypants]

4. Ativan

0.5mgs

CB

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I've been like that ever since 9/11

Odd because I live in Kansas City. But I think watching those awful pictures a million times is what did it.

Sometimes I look up at planes flying overhead and just see them expload in midair.

Now I have to fly back to Spokane in June and I'm wondering how I will ever make it.

[QuettaKid]

7. I mean , I know statistically

my odds are great in a plane....think of the thousands and thousands of takeoffs and landings daily.....and we hear of an accident maybe 2-3 times a year?

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. Probably don't even have an accident that often.

I know it is still the safest way to travel. Doesn't help me much.

I don't like heights for one thing and then I think its the feeling of having absolutely no control over my own destiny.

I wish I could just get to Spokane on a train but I can't be gone that long. I love trains.

[Missy Vixen]

8. I just met my new friend Xanax

I was scared to fly BEFORE September 11th. It is an absolutely paralyzing fear.

The doctor finally talked me into some pharmaceutical help.

I'll be flying tomorrow. I will conquer this fear once and for all :woohoo:.

You can do it. Think of all the places you'll be able to go to.
Julie

[WolverineDG]

9. If the flight attendants start screaming

you're in trouble. If they aren't, nothing's wrong. :) Works for me.

dg

[elehhhhna]

17. That's exactly how I see it!

Hi Wolverine!

[WolverineDG]

21. Heya Elehhhhna!

:hi: I got that advice from my mom, who was absolutely terrifed of flying. Unfortunately for mom, she was once on a flight where the flight attendant DID scream her head off...turbulence was so bad, she got thrown hard against the exit door & thought she was getting sucked out of the plane. :scared:

dg

[DrGonzoLives]

11. Don't fly

I'd sooner walk than strap myself into an aluminum tube deathtrap.

Seriously, trains are great to ride, you get to see the country side, it's relaxing...what's not to like?

[radwriter0555]

12. Tranquilizers are EXCELLENT.

It's all in your head, after all.

[Coventina]

13. I can only offer empathy. I hate flying as well.

I hate everything about it.

Of course, it doesn't help that I'm on the "hassel to fly" list and always have my bags searched and it's always a hassel to check in.

I hate airports, they are my idea of hell. High stress environment, horrible traffic. Lousy food. Uncomfortable chairs. Everyone acts like a jerk.

Then you get on the plane. Like getting in a metal coffin. Knowing that the airlines are practically broke. Where are they cutting corners?

No control over your destiny at that point.

Crowded, germy. Everyone goes from being a jerk to being a psycho. Don't want to pee on the plane because I don't want to take off my seatbelt and use the horrible bathroom.

It all sucks.

[anarch]

14. drugs

[Road Scholar]

15. I took up flying to combat the fear. Actually got my private pilot

certificate. Somewhere, don't ask me where, I learned to face my fears. Sounds a little corny I know, but maybe, flying more will subdue your fear. I'm not saying get your pilot's license, but I am saying the more you fly, etc, etc. Good luck. :shrug:

[cobalt1999]

18. Same here

I hadn't developed a real fear, but was becoming more nervous. Started taking lessons and it does make you realize how much control the pilots have even when the plane is bouncing around. Get way to get over a fear of flying.

[AlCzervik]

16. ny-quil about 30 minutes before you board.

deep breathing and bring a good book.

[democracyindanger]

33. My friend swears by ny-quil and

a screwdriver.

[AlCzervik]

37. i'll try that next time, ny-quil with a screwdriver chaser.

[jukes]

19. if you nd to fly often

see a professional. there are therapies/meds that can help.

[Left Is Write]

20. How do I cope? By not flying.

Unfortunately, that's not a very good solution.

If I have to, I will go to my doctor for help. It's that bad.

[taterguy]

22. Microsoft Flight Sim helped me

Seriously. Once you're familiar with how planes work it becomes less frightening, and you get used to the way they move

[gollygee]

23. I used to ask my doctor for drugs

now I have to stay conscious to take care of my daughter.

Otherwise, I'd do the drugs.

[fudge stripe cookays]

24. About 3 or 4 Bailey's on the Rocks

in the bar before boarding is the only thing that works for me. I might have a refresher on the flight if it's a long one.

And I cannot fly when it is turbulent. Period. I lose it.

[Catbird]

25. Behavior modification and dramamine

I had a fear of flying for decades. I tried getting over it by simply getting on an airplane and taking a flight. I was terrified the entire time and wasn't able to get on the return flight; I took the bus home. I finally went to see a psychologist specializing in behavior modification. I went through relaxation exercises while thinking about planes. Then he arranged for me to go actually sit in a plane while it was on the ground. I went to the airport to have dinner and watch planes. Then I took the shortest possible flight I could find with my husband. Then I took the same flight by myself, and he picked me up to drive home. After a few trips I was able to move beyond practice flights. Part of my problem was motion sickness so I started taking dramamine, which has a bit of a sedative effect as well as combating motion sickness. So now I fly regularly, although sometimes I find myself thinking that I really should be in panic mode instead of fairly calm.

There were at the time, at least in large cities, group programs similar to what I went through. Security is much tighter now, so some of the exercises and activities would probably not be feasible. But there probably are still similar programs.

Of course, who knows how long our airline system will continue to exist in its present form. Planes use a lot of fuel, which is getting scarcer and more expensive. Fear of flying may cease to be an issue for most of us in our lifetimes.

[Scout1071]

26. I mentally block it out. I just get on the plane and go.

Oh....and I rarely ever sit next to a window. If I do, I will pull the shade down for the entire flight. Aisle seats are best. Avoid seats on the wings if possible as well. These are usually the cheaper seats, so they can be hard to avoid, but do your best.

Just take a deep breath, tune into your Ipod or book, and tune out the flying experience. I fly approximately 12-20 times a year, so I have to do it quite often!

[Tyrone Slothrop]

27. I used to be a pretty bad flyer

But I've found something that works for me.

Before a trip/flight, I'll download a bunch of stand-up comedy (Bill Cosby, Bill Hicks, Lewis Black, David Cross, etc.) and put it on my MP3 player. I white-knuckle it through take-off and then close my eyes and laugh myself silly once they make the "you may turn on accepted electornics" announcement.

I've found that this approach works wonders; I almost -- *almost* -- enjoy flying now.

[Bassic]

28. I don't know.

I've never flown actually, but I will on June 23rd. I'm anxious to see if I'l like it or not.

[huskerlaw]

29. Wow...I'm really sorry

I can't imagine being that afraid of flying (but then again, one look at a spider and I'm a screeching lunatic, so I guess we all have our issues).

I really don't have any advice, just well wishes for your flight. :hug:

[trackfan]

30. I cope by not flying - haven't flown since 1983

I figure the earth was circumnavigated in the 16th century - so there must be other ways to get from here to there.

[MsAnthropy]

31. I bought a pair of sound-deadening headphones

they really make a difference--they eliminate most of the engine noise. It's like a doctor's waiting room as long as I have lots of magazines and snacks.

[Book Lover]

32. Frankly, I drink

Double shots are only a dollar extra at the airport bar. Then I can fall asleep on the plane and wake up with a light headache, which is better than the panicky alternative for all involved.

[KitchenWitch]

34. I take an anti anxiety drug

and sleep right through the flight.

[giant_robot]

36. I'm a white-knuckle flyer...

...I usually have a few beers at the airport bar before flying, if my schedule allows it. I've found the two things that best allayed my fear of flying were a plane with a bar (which I've only come across once) and an upgrade to first class. I can't tell you exactly why, but a big, cushy first class seat and a nice, hot cup of coffee in a real mug relaxed me a lot.

[bluethruandthru]

35. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it!

I wanted to be a pilot in high school. I took Aviation for four years and passed ground school. I understand aerodynamics. I used to love to fly. Then, something happened and it started to get more and more difficult until my last flight about 12 years ago where I had one long sustained panic attack. I kept taking Xanax until I had taken 4 times my normal daily dosage. Nothing worked. When I got off the plane I could barely walk (the Xanax). Haven't been on a plane since. Don't even like to go to the airport. I may have to soon though, I need to get to the other side of the country to see family.

[In_The_Wind]

38. I haven't flown in 11 years but I'll be back up in the air this year.

It's the airports that I don't like so I'm flying out of a very small one.
I took my first plane ride when I was 7. I wasn't even scared about flying alone.

[hfojvt]

39. I have dealt with it most of my life

by not flying. I took the train from Lincoln, Ne to Portland, Or in 1990 even though the train de-railed in Iowa and was delayed longer than it would have taken me to fly there.
Unfortunately I did have to fly to get to Deutschland so I have flown 3 times now, but even there I took the train from Burbach to Amsterdam instead of going back to Stuttgart and flying there.

[LSK]

40. i dont do it, never have, never will

I'd rather swim with sharks or vote republican. :scared:

I will quit my job if it requires that I fly somewhere.

[Magrittes Pipe]

41. Just read it, FFS.

Jong isn't that scary.

[Left_Winger]

42. I don't like to fly but I have to once a year

So my doctor provides me with a prescription because the flights I have to take are about nine hours long.

[Oeditpus Rex]

43. I don't

Fly, that is.

Strange, since I've been an airplane fanatic since... well, as long as I can remember. But I've been up only twice — the first time in a Piper Cherokee 140 when I was about 8, the second about five years ago in a Van's RV-6 Experimental (tiny little sucker).

During the latter flight I discovered that I really, really, really, really, really, really, really like the feeling of having something more solid than a fraction of an inch of alumimum/fibreglas beneath me. Couple that with the overwhelming claustrophobia that would accompany being inside a tube that I cannot leave, and it's right out.

I don't understand a "need" to fly, anyway. Whose life absolutely requires it? :shrug:

Oh — "It's all in your head" is a counterproductive and ignorant thing to say.

[Patiod]

44. My life requires it

It's part of my job, and I'd be unemployable at what I get paid pretty decently to do (focus groups and in-person interviews) if I didn't fly.

It's all in the way you approach it.

As someone mentioned, flying lessons (real or virtual) are reassuring, since you'll realize that there are really only two "dangerous" moments in flying: take-off and landing. And both of those are WAY less dangerous than pulling out of your driveway. Once you're up in the air, it's pretty much all gravy, even if you hit some turbulence.

I'm an unmedicated ADD type, and I look at the airplane it as a distraction-free place to study new materials or write reports - no DU or AirAmerica or anything else to tempt me away from work. Second, I can never relax at home - there's always SOMETHING I should be doing, some cleaning, organizing, filing, phone calls, bills, planting, wash or mending that is nagging at me. On the plane, there is NOTHING to do but read or work. Finish off the latest New Yorker or just a good book with 0% guilt.

Second, how cool is it that you can be in Philadelphia this morning, and be having lunch this afternoon in San Francisco, looking over the Bay? Or buying boots in Dallas? Or walking by the lake in Chicago? Or sitting on the hotel balcony in Ft. Lauderdale listening to a steel drum band? Is this a great time to live, or what?

Full disclosure: I didn't get my driver's license until I was 19, and then only under intense pressure (coupled with wonderful support) from my Dad, who was concerned that my terror of driving would hold me back in life. I can drive fine now, but was scared to death as a kid - so we all have our fears!

[Oeditpus Rex]

45. We do indeed

But we can't rationalize them by telling ourselves stuff like "It's perfectly safe." There's little rationality to a phobia.

The old joke goes, "I don't have a fear of flying, I have a fear of crashing." That's not always the case, and it isn't the case with me. I can't stand the feelings of (a.) little or no support, and (b.) being trapped.

Imagine being stuck on this thing for three or four hours with its glass bottom and sides. Not me, man. No way.





Full disclosure: I have panic disorder.