Fear of flying... HELP?

Question

hello everyone, i live in germany and i am terrified of flying!its not that i am only afraid or scared, i am terrified!i flew to usa a few times and i flew to london. well i have no choice as my family lives in the usa!the mom i get on the plane i start to panic!and when i feel we'r take off, i feel like im gonna die.i read books about it, i thought it would help a little but it didnt, getting drunk on planes is a bad idea in my oppinion, but i took some pilly but they never help, even the strong ones don't.well i do know that driving in a car is more dangerous, but it doesnt help if everyone keeps on telling me that. taking a book or something doesnt work, bec i cant concentrate on a plane!as soon as the plane gets in any kind of turublances, i think we gonna crash or something!i wished i wouldnt be that afraid, so i could see my family more often than i do now!i really would appreciate if here are any pilots or people who know a lot about planes, who would like to talk to me! Thanks

Answer 1

Concerning turbulence in a plane, here's an analogy I've given people that have flown with me before: Hitting bumps in an airplane is no different than riding in a boat that's hitting wave after wave. It's the same thing! There are waves of air in the sky just like there are waves on a lake or river. And actually, on the kind of flight you're talking about (on larger planes that fly up around 30,000 ft. and higher), the "waves" usually only last for the first few thousand feet on takeoff, and airliners pass through the lower altitudes pretty quick. I don't know what kind of books you've read about flying, but it might benefit you to read up on what goes on during an airplane flight. A good book on aviation weather might help as well. Basically, I think it could help if you knew what happens and why it happens. Landing gear, for example: you will feel bumps as the gear comes up and locks into place and the doors shut. And at the other end, you'll know when the gear comes down (a couple of bumps, and the ride will feel a little rougher, kind of like driving on a dirt road.) I don't know if any of this helps, but hopefully, it's a start. In my experience on airliners, about 95% of the flight has been smooth as glass. The other 5% (all below 10,000 ft.) has been nothing more than "dirt roads" and "waves".

Answer 2

Turbulence can be pretty nerve-racking! I've got a friend who is a flight attendant about it, and he explained that the air has "waves" in it, just like water. Not actual waves, but pockets and layers where the air has different temperatures or the wind may be going in different directions. When the plane crosses over these different patches of air, we feel bumps or even a sharp drop. And while it may be scary, the plane is going too fast for even really rapid, rough changes in the air to actually harm it. It may be uncomfortable and creepy but it's not dangerous.

It may help to close your eyes, and count to 100 when you get nervous. Concentrate on the numbers. That should keep your mind off of it long enough for your body to calm down a bit.

You should also try to get a seat in the front of the plane. First class is of course the best but not everyone can afford that. But even the coach seats that are forward of the wings feel the bounce of turbulence less than the rearward seats. So when you check in, or when you book your ticket, request a seat as far forward as possible. It makes a ton of difference!

Answer 3

This is obviously bothering you a great deal and interfering with your life. Unless you think you can learn to ignore this and live with it (or not travel to see your family), it might be time to get some professional help. Look for a cognitive-behavioral therapist that can work with you on reducing the stress you have associated with flying. They can help you learn methods for coping with it, and possibly reduce it a great deal. I don't think anyone is going to be able to talk you out of this phobia, you're going to need practice at managing it. A phobia is an irrational fear, and the person suffering from it almost knows it makes no sense. But no amount of good advice is going to make it go away, you've got to become desensitized to it. Good luck!

Answer 4

Plane crashes are 'news' because they are *rare*. Flying is many times safer than driving. But knowing that won't change how you feel when you are on the plane.

You need someone to help you change what you have been telling yourself about plane travel (every bump means a crash, etc.), which will then allow you to confront your fear.

Cognitive therapy can indeed work, but you have to work at it. You have to want to be free of the fear more than you want to hang on to the fear. That sounds strange to say, but it is true. Our fears become part of who we are, and we resist giving them up.

When you change how you think, you can be really *free* of fear, not have to settle for masking it with drugs.

There are resources on the internet that can point you in the right direction. As a suggestion, try searching online for CHAANGE (use that exact spelling). I do not work for CHAANGE, nor do I benefit from recommending the program. It worked for me, and that is why I recommend it to others.

Overcoming fear of death is key to overcoming fear of crashing, which is what fear of flying really is. That also is possible, when one becomes aware that this life is not all there is. There is One Whose perfect love casts out all fear.

Answer 5

i suggest u read the book:
From Take Off to Landing, written by Ed Sternstein
its written for people with fear of flight and plane enthusiasts.
It addresses all the fear problems of flying (most of which are ridiculous, like if their was a hole in the plane...) by the way: all planes are designed by law to be able to fly with a 20ft radius hole in the fuesalage, sometimes even a 40ft radius hole.
I read the book, it helpd a lot.

Answer 6

Turbulence used to scare me, too. But it doesn't do anything! It is like the waves that the person above me talked about. If you want to reduce turbulence, don't fly in the middle of the day, fly when it is the coolest at night. Sun creates turbulence.

Answer 7

You're not afraid of flying - you're afraid of dying.

If you confront and resolve your fear of dying then your life will change for the better in many more ways than just making it easier to fly.