Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Fear of Flying

2»

Comments

  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 4,126 Mod ✭✭✭✭Locker10a


    Preusse wrote: »
    Flew from Dublin to Berlin yesterday for the first time in over 12 years. It was grand. I am so delighted with having taken that step.

    Well done for getting through that! It take alot to face you fears, and now you did it!

    Wishing you many happy flights in the future:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,427 ✭✭✭Dr Strange


    star-pants wrote: »
    Well done Preusse! :)
    Locker10a wrote: »
    Well done for getting through that! It take alot to face you fears, and now you did it!

    Wishing you many happy flights in the future:D

    Thanks guys. I had my wife with me for moral support :)

    And Jedward! They were sitting behind and across from us.

    The return flight is a couple of weeks away but if it goes well again and if I feel really good I might hop over to Manchester later this year just to keep going.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Well done buddy! :) Congrats. I think you build up this thing in your head that you're going to hate it, and then it turns out to be ok. I drop some calms to help me get past the take-off. It's really only the take off that scares me... Don't like leaning back that far.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,429 ✭✭✭✭star-pants


    Preusse wrote: »
    The return flight is a couple of weeks away but if it goes well again and if I feel really good I might hop over to Manchester later this year just to keep going.

    That's the thing, if you can do it a few times spaced out, you'll hopefully get more confident with each one :) the fact you're even considering your next flight is a great sign!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Pablo Sanchez


    Preusse wrote: »
    Flew from Dublin to Berlin yesterday for the first time in over 12 years. It was grand. I am so delighted with having taken that step.

    Amazing! Great to hear, its been 12 years for myself and i was delighted to read your post.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 3,427 ✭✭✭Dr Strange


    Amazing! Great to hear, its been 12 years for myself and i was delighted to read your post.

    I think what helped me was that it was a relatively short trip (2 hrs). An even shorter one would be to Duesseldorf (1 1/2 hrs) or even over to the UK. My GP gave me a prescription for something to calm me down but I didn't take anything in the end, just a coffee.

    I can honestly say that the main thing that got me back into flying was the thought on losing out on too many good opportunities, career advancement being the major one for me, particularly if you're in the research field.

    So it wasn't the idea of being able to visit my family and friends again, or to go on a nice holiday with my wife, it was quite self-centred but I think it gave me the final kick to just get up and go.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,227 ✭✭✭Breezer


    Wow, I can't believe it's been over a year since I started this thread. Good to hear a few good news stories too!

    Just an update: I went. Took a few internal flights like I said, on some very small rickety planes... and survived, obviously! I had a few sedatives, which my mates got a good kick out of. I realise that if there had actually been an emergency they probably would have made things worse, but they helped with the fear.

    The best thing is, since I knew I could do it, I've since taken a flight with the sedatives there as backup only, and I didn't need them! :D I'm not going to pretend it was a wonderful, joyous experience, but I didn't panic, so it's a start. Planning on going off again next month: I'll bring the sedatives with me but hopefully I won't need them.

    Thanks to everyone here for all the words of support :) I'm going to unfollow this thread now, but hopefully it can keep helping other people in some small way :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 124 ✭✭Tom Cruise


    I used to have a fear of flying but i would still push myself and get on a plane every yr to go to Spain.I swear there was times when in flight i used to think i wanted the plane to land and i would get a ship home and skip the holiday.
    Then i discovered that my doc would give me magic tablets that i could take the day before the flight and during the flight and i would actually be ok.
    So my advice is go to the doc and get roach 5.....


  • Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭cabincrewifly


    I work as cabin crew, any questions I'd be delighted to answer :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,427 ✭✭✭Dr Strange


    Went back for another flight in December. Short hop to Manchester and back. It was obviously much quicker than going to Berlin.

    I cannot say that I enjoy it but I definitely go again this year (at least 2 return flights) and am getting better. Probably will never enjoy it as such but as long as I can do it it's fine. Finger's crossed.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 3,427 ✭✭✭Dr Strange


    Note: should've said that on all the flights I took so far last year my wife was with me to distract me.

    Saturday before last I went on my first solo return trip to Germany and it was actually OK. I had a bit of nerves before the flight to Germany which got worse the night before but once I was in the air for about 10 minutes it all became easier (although some level of anxiousness never left me I have to admit). The return flight was much better.

    So, going again in about 8 weeks time I think it gets easier each time I go on a plane now. I can only recommend to anyone who feels as scared as I have been (haven't been away from Ireland for about 12 years before last year) to try and take that mental hurdle and go on short to medium length flights (my longest so far has been 2 hours, shortest about 40 minutes) and see how you get on. Have someone to go with you and make it a rewarding first trip (short holiday, visit a city or place you always wanted to visit, or, as in my case, an absolutely necessary trip to boost your career).

    I think I can safely say I am back flying now, not completely anxiety-free but it gets easier and better every single time.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 4,126 Mod ✭✭✭✭Locker10a


    Preusse wrote: »

    it gets easier and better every single time.

    This is definitely true! No doubt about it !
    Well done you ! Keep it up!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 201 ✭✭EvanCornwallis


    I had to break up with a long term partner because she wanted to travel and I can't fly. Getting from Dublin to london, I get the boat to Holyhead and then train. Horrible trip compared to a short flight, but not much I can do.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 4,126 Mod ✭✭✭✭Locker10a


    I had to break up with a long term partner because she wanted to travel and I can't fly. Getting from Dublin to london, I get the boat to Holyhead and then train. Horrible trip compared to a short flight, but not much I can do.

    Ah here thats F*ckin ridiculous! Do you realise what your missing out on? And this actually ended a relationship you had? And you think there is not much you can do? Seriously i dont mean this to sound very harsh, but get off your ass and do something about it!
    What is it exactly you dont like? have you ever flown?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 201 ✭✭EvanCornwallis


    Locker10a wrote: »
    Ah here thats F*ckin ridiculous! Do you realise what your missing out on? And this actually ended a relationship you had? And you think there is not much you can do? Seriously i dont mean this to sound very harsh, but get off your ass and do something about it!
    What is it exactly you dont like? have you ever flown?

    Yes, I was okay until I had a bad experience , then the next time I went to fly , had a panic attack on the flight and haven't flown since. It's not a fear of dying, I guess it's the thought of the drop and crash . I know it's an irrational fear and I know where you are coming from. I'm not exactly understanding towards people that have fears of things I don't. Spiders, dying , the dark etc etc


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 4,126 Mod ✭✭✭✭Locker10a


    Yes, I was okay until I had a bad experience , then the next time I went to fly , had a panic attack on the flight and haven't flown since. It's not a fear of dying, I guess it's the thought of the drop and crash . I know it's an irrational fear and I know where you are coming from. I'm not exactly understanding towards people that have fears of things I don't. Spiders, dying , the dark etc etc

    If you actually had a panic attack then it sounds like you have a pretty serious fear ! Have your tried out any fearless flying courses ? Have you gone to a therapist or psychologist about it? If not i recommend you start now! And set a goal to take a flight before the year is out!
    May I ask what your bad experience was?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 4,126 Mod ✭✭✭✭Locker10a


    Yes, I was okay until I had a bad experience , then the next time I went to fly , had a panic attack on the flight and haven't flown since. It's not a fear of dying, I guess it's the thought of the drop and crash . I know it's an irrational fear and I know where you are coming from. I'm not exactly understanding towards people that have fears of things I don't. Spiders, dying , the dark etc etc

    May i also recommend reading a book maybe! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Conquering-Your-Flying-Maeve-Byrne-Crangle/dp/0717131939

    or even this
    http://www.flyfearless.com/?gclid=CLzdofLl0bYCFU4q2wodIx0A7g

    The author of the above book is a psychologist who was also an air hostess for Aer Lingus! She use to run a flying with out fear course for Aer Lingus a few years ago and has since written the book! You should defiantly look into her worl further and i read in one of the papers recently that Aer Lingus are starting a fearless flyers course in Belfast! May be worth it!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,027 ✭✭✭H3llR4iser


    Breezer wrote: »
    Thanks for that. The thing is, if Cork isn't a 'major airport,' it doesn't really give me much confidence in the airports of former Communist Asian countries. And while I know safety checks are carried out, the fact remains that planes crash regularly, with massive loss of life.

    No they don't, this is entirely a product of your imagination. Aviation accidents and incidents are extremely rare and, in the vast majority of the cases, resolve with no loss or life whatsoever. A big chunk of the reason why some people think "planes rain off the skies and kill thousands!" is because when an accident actually happens, the media milk the story as much as possible in order to attract audience with inaccurate (often dead wrong) and sensationalistic reports.

    I could tell you that airplanes are, quite literally, the height of current civil technology; I could tell you that they are designed and built in such a way that the wings could sustain twice the weight of the loaded plane, or bend to a nearly vertical angle before breaking; I could tell you that commercial jets can easily land with only one engine running or even glide to safety, have double or triple controls redundancy, have two (sometimes three) trained professionals at the controls, and so on.

    However, I'm not sure that will work. What I'll do, is to mention hard, cold cash.

    Commercial Aviation in the current form (airplanes) has been around for a century; Many currently operating airlines are nearly that old: KLM is 94 years old, Qantas is 93, Aeroflot, Finnair and Czech Airlines are 90...even AerLingus is now a 77-year-old lady.
    If what you say was true, they'd never live that long: imagine the sheer cost of continually replacing crashing planes and having to constantly retrain their flight and cabin crews, whose survival expectation would be lower than that of a Roman Gladiator! This is not mentioning the compensations they'd have to pay to the millions and millions of passengers they would have killed over the decades.
    The reality is that, if the airlines are still around, it means their operations are profitable; In order to be profitable, they need to be effective - taking Mr. and Mrs. Smith from here and bringing them there safe and sound. No less. If such basic condition was not constantly met, people would cease to board planes, tickets would stay unsold and all the airlines would go bust in a matter of weeks.

    Absolute operational safety is not only a legal requirement practically everywhere, it is also in the financial interest of the airlines; Investment in aircraft maintenance is essentially money any airline will simply earn back, often with a nice overhead, through efficient and safe operation.

    To make a long story short, civil aviation is the one of the very few industries where profit goes through safety: a single incident or accident can lead to a tarnished reputation, loss of customers and loss of business. Think about this: Ryanair and Easyjet, by far the most profitable airlines in the EU, while cutting amenities and on-board service to the bare minimum in order to keep costs down can boast some of the best maintenance operations in the continent.

    So, next time you have to fly, try thinking "For THEM to make money, it's necessary to keep ME safe".

    Happy flying :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,485 ✭✭✭✭Ickle Magoo


    Locker10a, while I appreciate you apologised in advance for sounding harsh - a phobia by definition is irrational and this forum is a place where posters should be able to ask for support and advice regarding their phobias with that in mind.

    Many thanks

    Please PM if you wish to discuss this action - do not respond to this post on-thread


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 201 ✭✭EvanCornwallis


    Locker10a wrote: »
    If you actually had a panic attack then it sounds like you have a pretty serious fear ! Have your tried out any fearless flying courses ? Have you gone to a therapist or psychologist about it? If not i recommend you start now! And set a goal to take a flight before the year is out!
    May I ask what your bad experience was?

    No I haven't bothered doing anything about it tbh. I flew a lot of times no problem , I do spend time living between Dublin and London. Just one particular flight was very bumpy and I just kept getting the feeling that the plane was going to drop. Can't fully explain, but obviously I just freaked myself out.

    I was a bit freaked out , but made it home safe and sound and forgot about it. Then in the build up to my next flight months later , I start thinking about it non stop, especially at night. Then when I got on the plane , I felt pretty bad , door closed, plane started to move and I was just losing it. Got to london safe (shock) but ,was an awful experience and one I said , I'm not going through again.

    Got back to Dublin via train from london to wales and boat from Holyhead. 6hour train and 2 hour boat. Not great
    Locker10a wrote: »
    May i also recommend reading a book maybe! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Conquering-Your-Flying-Maeve-Byrne-Crangle/dp/0717131939

    or even this
    http://www.flyfearless.com/?gclid=CLzdofLl0bYCFU4q2wodIx0A7g

    The author of the above book is a psychologist who was also an air hostess for Aer Lingus! She use to run a flying with out fear course for Aer Lingus a few years ago and has since written the book! You should defiantly look into her worl further and i read in one of the papers recently that Aer Lingus are starting a fearless flyers course in Belfast! May be worth it!

    Thank you for taking the time to post those links.

    In all honesty I'm really not sure if they would help myself.
    Locker10a, while I appreciate you apologised in advance for sounding harsh - a phobia by definition is irrational and this forum is a place where posters should be able to ask for support and advice regarding their phobias with that in mind.

    Many thanks

    Please PM if you wish to discuss this action - do not respond to this post on-thread

    Obviously it's against the charter and people need to be able to post without fear of taunt and what not, but the comments didn't bother me at all. I appreciated his honesty. Suppose we are all probably not the most sensitive to phobias that we don't share.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement