First time on a plane next week...thinking of cancelling

[packupyourtroublesss]

I'm 30 and never flown before.
I'm going away next Thursday with 3 friends (all flown before ) to lanzarote.
I'm terrified of take off on a plane.
I've heard it feels weird /makes you dizzy etc etc
I don't think I can do it
Can anyone tell me how it feels ?
What it's like?
Like a rollercoaster feeling ?

Reading all the comments about dizziness - I am one of those that DOES get dizzy!

Only when taking off and normally up to a point where the plane levels out at altitude but I do feel quite dizzy whilst ascending.

It's not enough to stop me flying tho, I do love a holiday!

When you're up in the air there's nothing to worry about (not that there is anyway) but I can see how the take off and landing isn't appealing. I still don't like it and we go on 2/3 holidays a year

I love it, you might do too, you will regret going if you cancel, it will be a brilliant experience for you.
life is living, don't let fear hold you back. Think of it as flying wild and free like a bird through the sky Take off and landing is very brief, take your ear pods for rest of flight, (not take off or landing)
take some sweets, wear some nice comfy clothing, shut your eyes and relax, or check plane out for some hotties !!

I love take off! Taxiing down the runway the rush of the speed then that feeling when you reach 1000ft. It's exhilarating! You shouldn't feel dizzy, the plane can seem noisy but that's because you don't know the sounds that are normal for an aircraft.

You will have a great time, a lovely holiday and your flight is only a few hours. Your crew are well trained, the pilots have extensive checklists you're quite safe.

Have a wonderful holiday 🍷

You will have a great time. Take off and landing are my favourite bits of flying

Nothing like a rollercoaster- they’re designed to scare you, planes aren’t. It will be smoother. You might feel some shakes, you’ll feel the power of the plane. You might really enjoy it, a lot do.

Once you’re on the plane you’ll realise there is nothing to worry about. You might even sleep most of the flight.

my partner backed out of our holiday last month because he’s too scared to fly and said he just couldn’t do it so I almost had to take a baby and 4 year old on my own, luckily my mum came in the end.

the only thing i hate is landing because it really, really hurts my ears but you might be fine.

Have a stiff vodka beforehand and ask one of your mates to hold your hand. You'll be fine! There will be whirring and noises as the plane's mechanisms kick in but don't worry. You'll be grand!

I don't like take off or landing, but the middle bit is ok. I hold a hand.

I haven't flown since before the pandemic started. 😳

Flying gives you great opportunities to see the wider world though. Don't pass it up.

Whatever you do, don’t drop out, it’s fine. You get the sense of going really fast, then when the nose goes up you’re obviously tipped back in your seat, but it’s nothing like a rollercoaster, more like driving very fast up a steep hill. Once you’re up there it’s like being on a bus with views. Coming down you get a sensation
of going down but it’s not a nose dive type feeling, more like a lift. Then touch down on the runaway, might be a bit of a bump, but I’ve hit worse potholes to
be fair, then a loud noise as the brakes kick in and you’re done.

if it helps my mother was terrified of flying, refused all
her life till finally, at the age of 65, we persuaded her to visit DD who lived abroad. She was sobbing with fear at the airport. Her exact words once the seatbelt signs went off were “is that it, I thought you’d feel it more”. She then went abroad every year making up for lost time and said the flight was one of the best bits.

Another one here who really enjoys the take off. It's not extreme like a roller coaster at all, just a smooth rushing feeling like accelerating in a car but 'bigger'. It's mildly and pleasantly exhilarating.

I used to get anxious on flights, especially takeoff and landings but then I started to watch the stewards. If something was wrong they would look worried so as long as they're relaxed and smiling I'm happy too.

Good luck. You'll be great! Hope you and your friends have a wonderful holiday. We'd love to hear how are you found it all when you're back. Sharing your experience here might help other people too.

It doesn't feel weird - in fact, you barely notice. It is a very safe form of travel and the only negative bit is the queuing at the airport. Millions of people fly every year with zero fuss, so just go and enjoy your holiday.

Look on YouTube. Try a search such as fear of flying hypnosis. There are lots of hypnotherapies as well as talks and tips by plane captains.
Hypnotherapy works — my nervousness of flying was cured in less than 30 minutes.

It’s honestly nothing like a rollercoaster. I don’t go on any rollercoasters as I hate them and they make me feel dizzy but flying is fine. If you’re worried about feeling dizzy and/or suffer from travel sickness take a motion sickness tablet beforehand.

Takeoff is just like being in a fast car. The engine fires up and it’s a bit noisy. You gradually accelerate along the runway and then as the wheels lift off you might feel a very brief feeling like when you’re in a lift and it stops just before the doors open. Sometimes it’s so smooth you don’t even realise the wheels have left the tarmac. You’ll have to stay in your seat until the plane reaches its cruising altitude (maybe 10 minutes) and usually then the pilot turns off the seatbelt signs and you can move around. At this point you don’t really feel like you’re moving and you’ll honestly wonder what you were worrying about. You feel much more movement in a car/bus/train than the majority of a flight. Occasionally there is turbulence but just think of it like going over a pothole in your car. Flying is very safe and people wouldn’t do it again and again if it was scary.

When you come in to land it’s everything in reverse. I find my ears sometimes hurt as we descend so I suck on a sweet/yawn/take sips of water.

Enjoy your holiday! As others have said it might be worth mentioning to the cabin crew that it’s your first flight and you’re nervous. They’re really helpful and will check up on you and reassure you to make sure you’re ok. I was once on a flight with a lady in front having a panic attack and they were so good with her. I can guarantee you won’t be the only nervous passenger.

If it helps, I'm in Lanzarote at the moment and I promise it will be worth it! The weather is fantastic, food is great, sea is warm, views are epic and excursions are the best.

You must try and do the I love Graciosa catamaran trip. It was the best day ever, pickup at hotel, on the catamaran over to Graciosa for free time, then back on catamaran with free bar and lunch. Swimming, snorkeling, cayaking, music, dancing. All for €60 I think it was. Best money I ever spent!

I am also a nervous flyer and to me the worst part is the waiting. Take off is fine, no dizziness or anything (and I have problems with my ears)

Please don't cancel, you will love it!

Take offs are swift as the plane goes fast along the runway (think like driving at 80-100mph) but you may not even realise what point you are in the air as take off itself is gentle. You may feel a sense of leaning back in your seat as it climbs into the air. Suck boiled sweets throughout take off to address any ear popping. If you are really anxious ask your gp to prescribe something to take 30 mins before you take off. When you are starting descent to land (they announce it around ten minutes before landing) you may hear the wheels being readied, this is a mechanical sound particularly if you are sat over the wheels but absolutely nothing to be worried about. Take an ipad and watch a movie, your flight is around 1 movie long. Noise cancelling headphones are fab too as planes are a bit noisier than a train.

Don't cancel. You will be fine.
Take off is fast - as in, it doesn't take long.
You're on the runway, the noise of the engines increases, then it starts to roll and get faster. It then lifts off gently.

I do get a weird feeling, which looking at other people's posts on here others don't. For about 3 or 4 seconds just after the plane starts to lift off my body feels very heavy and I feel a tiny bit dizzy. BUT it lasts just a couple of seconds and then it's over. Do not cancel a holiday for fear of 2 seconds! Also, as so many people here don't have a weird feeling, it's most likely you won't either.

Then the plane continues to gain altitude fairly gently until it reaches cruising height - but you will barely notice this.

Please just go, close your eyes for take off, hold a friend's hand (I would tell them you are a bit nervous about it so they know), you will be absolutely fine.
It's like lots of things you haven't done before - fear of the unknown. I am quite bad for this sort of thing. And listening to other people's stories doesn't help because often people exaggerate for dramatic effect. I'm someone who had a horrific dentist phobia - made worse by hearing people talking about treatment - turned out none of the treatment is anything like people describe.....

"The power of the plane."

This! Takeoff is the best part! An amazing feat of human accomplishment.

Go; you might even enjoy it. I have been on hundreds of flights going back to 1973 and still get a thrill each time.

I don't think it feels weird or dizzy but then everyone is different. Take off is a bit odd but it doesn't last that long.

Look up how many flights are taking off from say Heathrow today. So SO SO many!!! And thats just ONE airport in ONe country over the world. It's so safe. Nothing to worry about.

And if you tell the air stewards that it's your first time and you are nervous, they will be sure to look after you.

Don't miss out on something amazing because you're afraid 👐life is for living

I hate rollercoasters and even the feeling when cars go over hills or hump bridges too fast, but I'm fine with planes. There are only two parts I don't like - first when the plane turns to face the right direction after leaving the airport, it can sometimes feel like a very steep bank, and second when you go through the cloud layer, it's often a bit turbulent and feels like you're driving along a bumpy track. But with both of them it's just that I get irrationally nervous about whether something's gone wrong, not any kind of unpleasant physical sensation. Agree with everyone else that you'll be fine

Hate flying but it's worth it for holidays (and have to do it for work trips).

Ear problems usually solved by fake yawning.
I don't really get nausea or dizziness even though I'm a weakling with it all!

I do find:

Take off pushes you back, jolty and noisy.
Turbulence unpredictable and awful for me. The worry of it happening at any time is always there.
Landing juddery but relief it's over.

It all seems much less if you upgrade - and everything's better if you can squeeze someone else's hand. Good luck!

Nothing like a rollercoaster you hardly feel anything at all. It’s just like being on a train etc
your ears might pop that’s all

FleurDaisy's YouTube suggestion is a good one. There are lots of examples of take-offs and landings.

The plane starts off attached to the bit where everyone gets on (the 'gate') then is pushed back* by ground staff and the pilot and team will drive it to the start of the runway (there may be a couple of aircraft in front) so there can be a bit of a stop and start as it lines up in the queue. Once the plane is cleared for take off the engines will pick up speed and you'll move forward much more quickly to take off.

I love this bit!

The actual take off itself is often imperceptible and you'll see the angle change out the window.

Video
Here's an edited-but-mostly-real-time video of someone's journey from Lanzarote to London Gatwick earlier this year, on an Airbus A320 - push back starts at about 3m 10sec, engines start a minute later, plane starts moving under its own power around 7min as it taxis towards the runway. The plane arrives at the runway by 9min 50s and briefly comes to a stop (sometimes there can be a delay before actual take off, but not here) and the engines increase speed at 10min with the plane whizzing forward for about 25 seconds before lifting off and heading upwards until you get to about 37,000 feet.

The landing bit starts at 22:43 (the aeroplane is now lined up with the runway but still a few hundred feet up), gradually descending until it lands at 23:51 then decelerates down the runway before heading to the airport gate to let everyone off.

Have a great holiday :)
Jo

*there's a vehicle with an attachment that literally pushes the aircraft away from the gate

I have to fly lots and every flight is an ordeal for me tbh. I hate it so much and have been known to burst into tears.

I haven't died yet though.

I stare at the air stewards, if they're happy going about their business then it calms me down. I also maintain that the pilots love their families and want to see them again - it helps. Apparently I chanted "the pilot loves his wife" the entire 11 hours to Las Vegas once. My husband possibly didn't love me once we landed

Have you got headphones? Download an audiobook to your phone and listen to it during take off - it'll block out the plane noise and be a good distraction

Also drink water during take off, the swallowing action will help your ears

I think learning about the different noises that a plane makes when taking off and landing is very helpful actually in terms of understanding a little (ie "oh wheels are up now!") and there are a few other things on YouTube that you can try and identify.

I also like the PP suggestion to stare at the calm and serenity in the faces of the air stewardesses and the stewards because that also does definitely have a calming effect on me! You might get the odd bump, clunk and little "drop" here and there going up, but you will get used to it, and I always feel that the takeoff is definitely the start of my holiday or trip! It can be quite thrilling!

Listening to some music or an audio or a podcast sounds a good idea, but I have a feeling (I might be wrong, sorry) that on takeoff and landing headphones or earbuds are not allowed as they need your full attention for safety reasons - and when I say that nothing to be scared about, it's just procedure/formality.

Have a good time op.