flying...worst case scenario

[MHandMB 0]

Ok, I'll admit it: I'm a nervous flyer. Something strange happened to me several years ago on a flight to NYC, and I've been a nervous wreck ever since. I've had 3 transatlantic flights since then, plus a flight to Hawaii, and I've been in panic mode each time. The best thing that helped me was when my dog flew with me and I was worried about her. It took some of the focus off of my fears when I had someone else to worry about. Otherwise, I've tried lots of things which have helped minimally, but which may be a big help to you.

I've gone to this website: www.fearofflying.com. They have a pilot turned psychologist who has little blurbs, as well as a chat area with other fearful flyers. I also bought the book The Fearless Flier's Handbook: Learning to Beat the Fear of Flying with the Experts from the Qantas Clinic It helped me a bit with learning more about aviation and about safety issues.

Good luck on your trip, Doodle. Just think about how great it will be once you finally get there.

[SoL. 0]

worst case for me would be if someone near me got air sick! Instant panic attack for me!!! I am such a puke-o-phobe!

OMG this is awful, it happened to me one time that I was on a flight and somebody was really air sick and using all the baggies around....The noise, the smell.... Was a real disaster!!!

Also, being on a 10+ hour flight with a screaming baby it's not very pleasant either. That's a worst case scenario for me!

[Ladylethal 12]

Ouch! I was in a 7 hour flight from São Paulo to Panama City with 5 children, two of them babies, 3 of them screaming. I had a huge headache by the time we landed.

[mRx 16]

worst case for me would be if someone near me got air sick!

Oh i recall my flight from Germany to Atlanta, i was pukin out my nose in the bathroom and the flight attendants were trying to knock down the door because the plane was 3 mins from landing. Never eatin euro-plane food again. Damm Crepes!

[forchika 4]

Funny you should post this!!!!! Just reminded me of my experience it was wonderful I really enjoyed my flight to Africa!!!!! I was a first time flyer in which my first flight was 8hrs from Atlanta to Paris and the connecting flight was 6 hrs from Paris to Lagos. The most memorable was the take off I remember the plane taking off and my eyes got as big as a fifty cent piece the guy sitting next me was enjoying this as he laughed. With the plane elevation my ears were stopped up most of the flight just seemed like I had pressure in my ears. Did not enjoy the layover on the way back home I was in the airport in Paris for 8hrs.... I hope to avoid that next time. You will be fine, have a safe flight.

[Mags 112]

Worst case scenario? Anybody seen Airplane? Well, you want to hope that the pilot doesn't eat the fish....and if there is a girl on a gurney at the back of the plane having Kumbayah sung to her.....then you are REALLY in trouble.

Seriously, I enjoy flying. The worst thing that could happen to me is being sat next to a really smelly person. 9 hours next to someone reeking of BO (or worse) would be my own personal nightmare.

[TracyTN 237]

Mags, we're just alike (including the BO person! LOL). I love flying. I'm endlessly fascinated. I'm one of these dorks who could happily sit across the road from a runway and watch planes come in all day. I've told my fiance if we ever run out of things to do when I'm visiting, lets just go park near Heathrow and watch. He actually lives in the flight path (depending on wind direction), and I still love hearing them woosh overhead.

Look at the sheer number of people moved daily by air travel (just not today, thanks to Denver and London, LOL) and compare that to the number of 'incidents'. Do the same with cars. You tell me which is safer.

[doodlebug 3]

This is the first time I've ever seen someone who is flying in a few days and ASKS for us to tell her stories about flying that will scare the s*** out of her!

It actually calms me. I've been on about 5 cruises and each time except for one I watched the Titanic the night before. I'm thinking of renting all of the old Airport movies on Christmas eve.

['my_destiny' 0]

Yeah I kind of wonder why they bother telling you that your seat acts as a floatation device. Is this just to give false hope to people or what? I mean while the 747 is going over 100 miles per hour nose first into the Atlantic I'm not exactly gonna breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I have my seat cushion.

Hi! I am a newbie here. I just want to say that not to think about that things because your love ones are waiting for you on your return and will be happy to see you alive.

Have a safe flight all the time.

[chri'stina 190]

doodle...I said in the poll you started about the best seat on the plane how I was afraid to fly. I was very nervous and was actually nauseas the day of our flight. I couldn't eat anything. I had not been on any plane in 18 years, since the age of 4. So even if I was flying to the next state over, I would have been nervous.

On the flights, I was one of those people who paid very close attention to the emergency video they show before the plane takes off, and looked around wondering why no one else watched.

As TracyTN said, I also have been fascinated by planes for awhile, but I was nervous about them instead of excited.

Well, my dad was with me when I went to India so maybe that helped me a whole lot. It's embarrassing for me to admit on VJ that on the first take off I was so nervous that I had to hold my dad's hand. Or I held his forearm. I did that for 2 take offs on the way to India until the plane would level, by the 3rd I was ok.

You will be ok!! It may sound morbid but for me the worst case scenario was death and how did I feel about that. I had to come to a point of surrender, and say(well I'm a Christian so I know not everyone would say something like this), I surrender to whatever will happen to me while flying, if I die, what does it really mean...and for me it did not mean anything bad. And once I accepted that I was not afraid of death itself, I had to let go of my fear on the plane. I had to remind myself that people fly every day across the world.

I know it's easy for people who like flying to say not to worry about it. But I know the fear that can happen, but I always feel like if I could have conquered it, anyone can. I was not so bad that I needed any medications though, I just prayed in my head for a little while til I felt ok.

By the time you are flying for awhile, you will feel normal. Like you are on a bus.

Well I don't know if this helped at all!

[doodlebug 3]

Thanks. I'm not at all afraid of death. It's the whole dismemberment thing I don't look forward to, or eyes popping out of their sockets...things like that. I don't really like pain is what I'm saying.

yeah I get more afraid during take off and landing and when there is mucho turbulence. When it's level and not shaking I'm pretty fine...like on a bus.

[mRx 16]

I dont think its as much of a fear of flying as it is a fear of putting your life in someone elses control.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Landing gear not being able to retract in and moronic pilot who tries to fly it all the way despite of that.

[doodlebug 3]

Landing gear not being able to retract in and moronic pilot who tries to fly it all the way despite of that.

That would be bad if we knew from the moment of take-off that the landing gear wouldn't work. 6 1/2 hours of intense fear knowing when you will die. Yup. Good one.

[Dr_LHA 3]

I've done a lot of flying in my life and when you do you pick up some bad experiences. Thankfully I'm still alive though. Here are some examples:

Flying UK -> Brunei as a Kid, Dad looks out of the window and spots that the engine is on fire. Stewardess "Oh don't worry sir, that is perfectly normal". 30 mins later we're emergency landing in Dubai and the engine gets replaced, but we're not allowed off the plane because we don't have the right shots. So 7 hours sitting on the runway in Dubai, in a tin can, with the doors open for A/C.

Flying to Washington Dulles from LAX, the plane I was in suddenly lost cabin pressure. This resulted in the pilot needing to make an emergency dive down to 13,000 ft, where the outside airpressure is high enough that we wouldn't need to breath oxygen. My ears popped about 13 times during that descent and we emergency landed in Vegas. One guy was so badly affected by it he was taken off the planee on a stretcher. The light point of this was I found out Tony Bennett was on my plane, who must have been wondering what he can do to get away from Vegas.

Flight from Madrid to LAX, two hops. First plane, taxis onto the runway, then stops and the pilot announces we can't fly due to a "funny smell". Everyone has to get off and they get a new plane. Take off and arrive 6 hours late into Atlanta. In Atlanta, get on the airplane and go to take off, after taxing for what seems like 30 minutes, the pilot announces we have to get a new plane because of a "funny smell" (again!). 6 hours later I'm packed onto a plane full of angry people, one of which attempts to punch me because I told him that - no you can't have my aisle seat (him being tall wasn't a good reason, I'm tall too). There's almost a riot on the plane when the stewardess announces the movie will be $5, the movie is quickly made "free".

I've got some more, but if I tell them you might not fly again!