I have an irrational fear of flying. I made a fool of myself on a flight back from Corfu. What can I do ?

Question

As soon as the plane took off I started to feel bad. I was acting like Dustin Hoffman in the Rain Man. I was keeping my head down, fiddling with the earphones, jerking and jumping on my seat. I even told my wife at one point that I thought the plane was slowing down. Irrational, I know, but at the time I really felt it was happening. I would love to overcome this as it will affect future holidays with my family, as, the way I feel at the moment, I may not be able to take a plane again. Any advice would be greatlt appreciated. Thank You.

Answer 1

They say the best way to overcome a phobia is to confront it head on. In your case I personally would try to take as many flights as possible in a short space of time. I too felt exactly the same way as you about flying at first, but after two or three flights later, my irrational fears subsided. All I kept saying to myself on one of my maiden flights was, "it's not my time to die, I've the whole of my life to look forward to, this is NOT my destiny" - well words to that effect. That's the crux of your problem by the sounds of things, you're not actually scared of flying, you're scared of dying.
Talk to the person sitting next to you on your next flight, hopefully it's a loving relative that will understand your predicament more than a stranger might.
Good Luck, you'll look back at this phobia one day and wonder what all the fuss was about, believe me.

Answer 2

Everyone has some fear of flying because it isn't natural to be in a 150,000 LB aircraft at 30,000 feet gong 500 MPH. I used to be very afraid of flying but the more flights I took the better it got. To avoid air turbulence the pilot will slow his airspeed. If something happens that you thinkk is unnatural ask the flight attendant about it; they are trained to make you feel at ease. The best thing to do is get back on a plane and try not to think of things that could happen; read, look out the window at the beautiful sky and the ground below and realize that if its your time to go try and scream louder than everyone else.

Answer 3

Make sure you are distracted while you fly. Take a novel along that you can't put down or watch the movie and you will forget that you are on a plane. Your senses tend to trick you when you are on a plane because the inner ear cannot distiguish between gravity and turning, acceleration, and deceleration and they disagree with what you see out the window.

Facing your fear is that best way of overcoming it. I used to be afraid of heights, but by going to high places I have mostly overcome this fear. (By the way, I fly planes for a living).

The pilots do the best job they can to make the passengers comfortable on the trip and flying is the safest way to travel.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

First off, it's not an irrational fear. if you were'nt a bit scared (like the rest of us) then you would need to see a therapist! the aircraft whilst in flight is constantly changing direction, altitude, speed etc. just like a car does on the motorway. when you are at 39,000 feet in an aluminium tube travelling at 500mph, these variations take on a new meaning and any changes in motion or sound can be momentarily scary. once you accept that this will happen, then it will get easier for you. modern aircraft are exceptionaly safe and reliable. so try not to worry.

have a nice flight

Answer 5

Was this your first flight, if so understanable, the more you fly the less scary it becomes. I have been flying for many years , no i,m not a pilot. Sometimes i get on a long flight and think nothing of it, other times i get a bit nervous even on a short flight. So try flying more often, and don,t for get the flight crew also likes to think they are safe.

Answer 6

Take an anti-anxiety med like Xanax or maybe a muscle relaxor like Flexoral about 45 minutes beofre you take off. Wash it down with a couple of $7 airport beers. The air is thinner when you reach altitude so you'll probably get pretty sleepy and doze off through the rest of the flight. Works well for many ,many of us!

Answer 7

Next time just have a nap when your up there. After all there's nothing you can do about it when you're 5 miles up.
If you fall at 120m.p.h straight down it will take you just 2 1/2 minutes to land.
Anyone can fly,it's the landing that causes the most difficulty

Answer 8

Boots used to do some stuff called TRAVEL CALM.

Get some. Take it half hour before the flight. Get a beer or a G&T or 2. You won't care after that.

The next thing to do is do it more often until you don't need the alcohol and anti histamines.

It works.

Answer 9

God, I think I sat next to you once on a flight back to the UK from Toronto..... did you keep jumping in your seat grabbing hold of the armrests every time the plane jolted a little and gasping, eyes wide open and a bit scarey looking? If so, you scared the living shite of me and actually managed to convince me that the plane wasn't going to make it..... please don't fly again! And if you do, please stay away from me and stop asking me "what was that?"

Answer 10

Help IS available. www.flyingwithoutfear.info

www.flyingfear.co.uk

I know this might sound insane but why don't you consider a short half hour flight in a light aircraft with an instructor.
This will give you a more interactive and insight into the workings of a aeroplane and might therefore give you a better understanding of the physics of flight and mechanical nature of an aeroplane.