Terrified of flying

bodice ripper

So, yeah, I organised to get to Amsterdam with boats and trains, but my boat was cancelled. My only choice was fly or don't go.

So now I am in the airport bar. Please don't leave me alone with my own thoughts...

Sabre0001

Just what you need before a flight, the thoughts of After Hours regulars!

bodice ripper

Well, if I want a good turn out at my funeral, I can only hope the thread goes viral...

clintondaly

Have another shot and a few zanax,be grand

clintondaly

B-D-P--

Be sure to have a few sups, then close your eyes once ya sit and with some luck you'll land when you wake.

AH is not a safe zone for this thread.lol

wexie

Careful on the aul booze, no harm being a little sedated but don't overdo it, plenty of time for that when you get to Amsterdam.

Best of luck, and just remember that millions of people do this every day and are absolutely fine

If you've headphones with you put something nice and relaxing on them, try to chill.

Also perhaps take aside one of the crew (that looks nice) and let them know, they may check in on you if they can.

Finally perhaps you may get some herbal (hurhur) over the counter sedative in the pharmacy?

Good luck, have fun!!!

amcalester

It's not the flying you should be scared of, it's the sudden high-speed impact with the ground if anything bad happens that you should be most concerned about.

Mr. CooL ICE

Throw together a playlist featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Buddy Holl, John Denver, Otis Redding and Randy Rhoads-era Ozzy.

artanevilla

amcalester wrote: »

It's not the flying you should be scared of, it's the sudden high-speed impact with the ground if anything bad happens that you should be most concerned about.

It might not be sudden even, it would take a while to come down from 38,000 feet, so you'll have plenty of time to think about the coming impact.

GBX

I used to terrified of flying. I'm more worried about crashing really

indioblack

bodice ripper wrote: »

So, yeah, I organised to get to Amsterdam with boats and trains, but my boat was cancelled. My only choice was fly or don't go.

So now I am in the airport bar. Please don't leave me alone with my own thoughts...

I'm usually nervous about flying - and it's always in my head. I'm mostly OK on the flight - because there's nowhere to go except where the plane is going!
When the plane lands and I go into the airport I wonder what all the fuss was about.
I'll still be nervous before the next flight! That's me.

bodice ripper

amcalester wrote:

It's not the flying you should be scared of, it's the sudden high-speed impact with the ground if anything bad happens that you should be most concerned about.

Ah no, I will have died of pure terror long before that. Planes rarely drop quickly out of the sky; there is usually some frantic manoeuvring by the pilots first.

w/s/p/c/

I used to be a nervous flyer, but then adopted the attitude of once those plane doors close, its out of my hands.

Have a drink (don't over do it), get settled when you get on the plane, pop in the headphones and relax, close your eyes you will be landed before you know it.

Final Destination is a solid diversion.

jjmcclure

Like you I was terrified of flying. Came on out of nowhere. Flying for years and then in the early 2000s I started to hate it.

Went to a hypnotist, who was more of a psychologist, and talked it all through. I started to fear flying just after I got married and my wife got pregnant. He pinpointed that a new sense of responsibility and awareness of my mortality were causing my anxiety about flying. Took a little while but now I love flying, fall asleep before the wheels go up, sleep for 8/9 hours on long haul. Actually really enjoy it now. I took over 130 flights last year, some of them on small prop planes. Doesn't bother me at all.


Still though, it is just a big metal tube flying through the air!! how the hell do they stay up there!

B-D-P--

Be sure to check the left phalange

LirW

Look at the statistics on how many people die on the road internationally VS how many people crash in planes.
The odds are highly in your favour.

bodice ripper

LirW wrote:

Look at the statistics on how many people die on the road internationally VS how many people crash in planes. The odds are highly in your favour.

You do play the Euromillions?

murpho999

You have nothing to worry about. The plane will get to Amsterdam safely.

It's actually safer than the boat and road trip you planned and also how you got to the airport.

Go easy on the alcohol, it does not really help fear.

Graces7

Op they run courses for folk who are terrified of flying..Good luck anyways and not a long flight

indioblack

bodice ripper wrote: »

So, yeah, I organised to get to Amsterdam with boats and trains, but my boat was cancelled. My only choice was fly or don't go.

So now I am in the airport bar. Please don't leave me alone with my own thoughts...

When you arrive in Amsterdam, let us know if you were as nervous during the flight as you expected to be.

LirW

bodice ripper wrote: »

You do play the Euromillions?

Gimme 130 mil now

topper75

It is a scheduled flight - goes up and down every day without crashing. It often flew over your head maybe.

But now ... now it's different... you are on board. So all of a sudden it becomes special. It's a totally different situation.

Or maybe not.

bodice ripper

LirW wrote:

Gimme 130 mil now

I believe you are more likely to die in a plane crash than win the Euromillions.

jester77

Just get to the gate on time, you don't want to be chasing it down the runway

EL_Loco

Is it your first flight ever OP?

bodice ripper

No. I used to do a lot of flying; although I never liked it. A few panic attacks and crying jags later I decided it would be best if I did not fly.

I would cancel the trip, but I used to live there and have many friendships which have gone unattended.

Canis Lupus

What's to be scared of?

I remember felling this way before my first SOLO flight in 1982! I’m sure statistics won’t cut any mustard with you, but you will be far safer up in the air than anywhere down on the ground, and the journey you need to save your fear for is the next one, from airport to Amsterdam city centre. The air is an incredibly safe environment, and even in undeveloped countries where air transport can be dodgy it is usually still safer than making equivalent journey overland. Its all in the psychology. Turn your fear into excitement, flying is great fun and this warrants a raised pulse. Keep looking out the window as there’s lots to see (although cloudy today), bounce up and down yourself with the bumps and say to yourself Yippee and hope for bigger bumps! Lean into the banks, urge it to go further. You will surprise yourself at how darned tame it all is if you go for the excitement element in the brain. Fear and excitement revert closely related, and all trainee pilots have to go through it. Had to give up the flying myself due to eyesight, but I still take the odd aircraft up under supervision. Why not try a lesson or two yourself?

LirW

bodice ripper wrote: »

I believe you are more likely to die in a plane crash than win the Euromillions.

The odds of dying in a plane crash are still pretty effin low. Yes when it goes wrong it goes wrong big time but then again it's more likely you'll be wiped out on school run.

Crash = dead, Euromillions = more money than I could ever spend, pretty darn unrelated.

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

bodice ripper wrote: »

So, yeah, I organised to get to Amsterdam with boats and trains, but my boat was cancelled. My only choice was fly or don't go.

So now I am in the airport bar. Please don't leave me alone with my own thoughts...

Have you tried to google images of kittens and puppies?

bodice ripper

LirW wrote:

Crash = dead, Euromillions = more money than I could ever spend, pretty darn unrelated.

But you still get excited at the possibility. I am still afraid of the possibility.

bodice ripper

LirW wrote:

The odds of dying in a plane crash are still pretty effin low. Yes when it goes wrong it goes wrong big time but then again it's more likely you'll be wiped out on school run.

There is zero possibility of me getting wiped out on school run...

bodice ripper

Amy Short Meteoroid wrote:

Have you tried to google images of kittens and puppies?

I have the theme from Airplane! on a loop. I find it makes it harder to take my situation seriously.

bodice ripper

Flight delayed. Back to the bar.

These should make you feel much better:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46fOtLfYC4Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBca1ixoEbg

B0jangles

What is it about flying that makes you anxious? I hate it too btw - I did a trip to NZ a few years ago; I was sure it'd wear off and I'd relax and calm down at some point in the 25 hours of flying over 2 days.

Nope - white-knuckles all the bloody way .

If it's turbulence that bothers you, I found it helped to close my eyes and just pretend I was on a bus which was driving down a muddy lane, which is about as bad as it ever normally is.

wexie

Ragnar Lothbrok

Flying......pffffft........child's play.

Spiders is where the real terror is at :eek:

B0jangles

Ragnar Lothbrok wrote: »

Flying......pffffft........child's play.

Spiders is where the real terror is at :eek:

What if you're on a plane and the whole flight crew dies and the only one left who can fly the plane is a great big hairy tarantula who just happens to be on board and you have to sit beside it and act as the co-pilot?


What then???

Ragnar Lothbrok

B0jangles wrote: »

What if you're on a plane and the whole flight crew dies and the only one left who can fly the plane is a great big hairy tarantula who just happens to be on board and you have to sit beside it and act as the co-pilot?


What then???

Ejector seat

B0jangles

Ragnar Lothbrok wrote: »

Ejector seat

Fun Fact: Spiders can parachute.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keJNDG7Hu1U

Tazio

Don't worry as you can see from this photo of an aircraft cross-section you're perfectly safe within its structure.

Wibbs

Amsterdam eh? Hmmm, I fancy a jaunt with some target practice thrown in. See you somewhere over the English Channel...

bodice ripper

On plane. 1 picture of Victoria Coren =1 prayer

wexie

bodice ripper wrote: »

On plane. 1 picture of Victoria Coren =1 prayer

Had to google who she is, prayer's not the first thought she would bring to my mind

Lyle Lanley

There's nothing to be afraid of. Flying never hurt anyone.

Its impact you should be frightened of.

sjb25

A you tube channel of relaxing shows to help you forget it all

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCcLJ_5kKD7NaWAwv1HvRQ8A

Ragnar Lothbrok

B0jangles wrote: »

Fun Fact: Spiders can parachute.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keJNDG7Hu1U

Oh God, why did I watch that :mad:

Roger Hassenforder

Keep an eye on the flap things at the back of the wings, if they start moving/tilting it means the plane is struggling to hold its lift, and might start to fall out of the sky, i.e. youre probably going to crash and die.

I'd say you'll be grand though, enjoy your weekend