Fear of flying

[Heavingonajetplane]

I have a fear of flying..but this year I am determined to fly!

If you had a fear of flying how did you over it?

Thanks

I’ve never got over it, but I love holidays so I force myself to get on a plane. I’m usually a sweaty wreck by the time we land, and that’s after having a few drinks.

Let the flight attendants know you are worried; I did this last year for our honeymoon. They were all great, and halfway through the flight the captain came and spoke to me! He was brilliant and so kind.

Also, I had a lot of g&t's!

I'm not sure I'll be flying again anytime soon though, my fear is too great. It's horrid. Mine is due to the fear of death since my BIL died last night. Before that I didn't mind flying!

I wear earplugs during takeoff. It's the only way I can relax if I can't hear the revving of the engines during takeoff. Once we're at cruising altitude I take them out. For years I also thought sitting in the aisle seat was the only way I could cope. Turns out I was wrong and I can actually cope a lot better by having a window seat. I think not being able to see also increased my fear of Flying. All I need to do now is find a way of getting to sleep on our next Flight. Haven't flown for more than a couple of hours for the last 6 years and our next one is a 6 hour Flight

Currently on holiday in Sri Lanka as a nervous flyer and somebody who didn't fly for 10 years. I did the virgin flying without fear some years ago which was helpful. The only thing though that really gets me on a plane is Valium. I just totally relax even turbulence doesn't phase me. I couldn't get on a plane without it.

Well done👌 I haven't flown for decades either, need to early summer

For years I was nervous of flying, I would become anxious when up in the air, not so much on take off or landing. I didn't have time to do a course so I looked for other suggestions. I read a book called Soar it's a little outdated but has some really good ways of coping. I'm not an avid reader but I read this book and since I have not been too bad at all. I use some of the techniques should I start feeling anxious but now I feel calm all flight.

Namenamechange or anyone else, what did this mean ?
Take Vicks’s it’s helps me to focus and stop panicking - I did ask earlier but nobody replied and I don't know what they mean. Vick tablets, chest rub or on your nose 😊

A combination of doing it a lot, Flightradar24 and BigJetTV YouTube channel. Doing it - because I didn't want to let it limit my travels, Flightradar24 - because I can see there are thousands and thousands of planes in the air at any one time and the chances of anything happening to one of them is vanishingly small, and BigJetTV - because I can see that even in the stormiest of conditions planes are continuously taking off, flying and landing safely, and I have learned a lot of the technicalities about how they do what they do. Ships are not designed to be tied up in harbour, and planes are not designed to be on the ground!

I suffered for years, and couldn’t fly to see my family who live in the US.
i also couldn’t go on the tube, and trains were starting to be tricky, too.
as soon as the doors shut, or could be shutting, that was it…
I then couldn’t get past the boarding gate etc.
i took a fear of flying course that involved a 45 min flight, with the course leaders and psychologist on board. I think it was a BA one.
I still get some anticipatory anxiety, and use the ‘Lovefly’ podcasts
when I went on the course, I spoke to my gp who also prescribed low dose diazepam, which I did not take, but still carry some with me for long flights.

One of my relatives developed a real panic about flying, quite suddenly. They wanted to overcome it because they really wanted to travel.

It was about loss of control, and a strong fear caused by some of the sensations you feel. What worked was learning a lot of detail about aircraft and flying. There's tons of info online including on YouTube. They learned how an aircraft flies, what all the moving control surfaces are doing, what the lights and sounds are, etc. They also did a lot of watching take offs and landings. So instead of being frightened they're looking at the wings and lights, and understanding the sounds.

Two chimes: we've reached 10,000 feet.
Rumbly noise and the ride feels different: the flaps have been extended for landing. Rumble, clunk and the ride gets noisier: the landing gear has been extended. It's feeling bumpy: that's because we're closer to the ground. Understanding what's going on helps with the feelings of being out of control: instead of wondering what's going on and what the noises are, they're following the normal sequence of the flight, which is reassuring.

I've always loved flying, they still don't, but they get over the bits they like very quickly.

I find smelling a strong smell helps with panic..vicks vapour rub on a tissue!

@Pedallleur

They have to fly a prescribed route and can't deviate from it or move up/down without permission.

I think for the sake of the really nervous flyers that comment maybe needs caveating a little bit, because waiting for permissions isn’t always the safest thing to do.

For example if the pilots can’t immediately negotiate weather avoidance with controllers (it happens) and the safest course of action is to maneuver PDQ (e.g. turn off the cleared route to avoid thunderstorms) they’ll turn and sort ATC out later.