Fear of Flying - Help me ?

[Cableguy]

Right , i NEED to get on a plane soon or else things are gonna go sour with work and home things.

However thing is im petrified of the things, had a panic attack at an airport once.

Ive never boarded a plane in my life, but ineed help with doing it now. People simply saying "ah its the best thing since sliced bread" wont do it. I need something serious , counceling/hypnotherapy/course of some sort.

If anybody has any suggestions or knows anyone thats conquered their fear im very interested to know how it went.

Thanks.

[empsburna]

I have to fly in the UK a couple of times a month, and I thought I was the worst case in the world when it came to it. Cold sweats, the shakes - tinky winky nasty.

go and see a quack and get a fistfull of valium

[Cableguy]

Someone else recomended valium , is this really as good as people say ?

[The Tahiti Manalishi]

Start with looking at the statistics. Simple fact: It is by far the safest way of travelling.

Think about it:
Go to the airport and park under the path where the planes start and land. Count the planes for one minute. You will probably se more than 10 planes land / take off in one minute at a large airport.

Multiply this with every minute the whole day. 10X60X18 (18 busy hours approx.) equals: 10800 take offs/landings

Multiply this with the number of large airports in the world.

I know this is not a totally true mathematics, but it's not that far away. Anyway, it's a hell of a lot of planes, and very rarely any incidents!

[Cableguy]

Im not scared of dying , or being out of control. I cant even put my finger on what scared the crap out of me about it to be honest.

[empsburna]

Someone else recomended valium , is this really as good as people say ?

I never got that bad, but two of my mates swore by it to get them on a plane for the first time (one of the was a 22stone rugby player in tears at the airport - it isn't pretty)

[John W]

I ain't getting on no plane fool

Sorry dude, couldn't resist.

[turbosam]

go and see the doc and get him to give you some valium or some other full on drug thats going to make to relax to the point of "everythings ok man" yanks use valium all the time so cant be that bad or have lots of sleeping tablets like they use to give mr t in the a-team lol

[Cableguy]

PMSL , git.

[fergy7197]

sounds like a fear of the unknown especially since u aint been on a plane before!!!

valium is good, knocks you right out.
give it a try!!

[C-J]

Flying don't bother,its the crashing bit.

[mg-richard]

buy one of those flying experience things where you get a ride in a light aircraft,
might help or atleast pin point what your scared of plane/ or the airport

[brad]

have u tryed going to birmingham air port and watching them take off and land??? may help a bit maybe?? or going to a light aircraft airpost and asking nicely if u could juts sit in one???

[xr4x4]

I ain't getting on no plane fool

Sorry dude, couldn't resist.

dam...i wanted to say that...!

[POWELL]

Mild beta blockers, slows the heart rate and i was prescrided them to help me stop loosing it at work . dosent knock you out but will help.
Also im not keen on flying but i always find reading something helps!

Girlfriend always takes the mickey out of me as she reckons i look like im gonna cry when we take off , once your up in the air you ont even think about it

[Grant620]

Have a couple of drinks.
Sorted.

[xr4x4]

sounds like a fear of the unknown especially since u aint been on a plane before!!!

valium is good, knocks you right out.
give it a try!!

when would you take it tho? surely they wouldnt allow you on the plane if you where comatose.

reminds me of a lee evans sketch where he takes sleeping pill before his flight and it gets delayed... very funny.

[paul888]

Conquer your fear and take a flying lesson not as expensive as people think,once you've taken control of a plane and flown it you'll look at it a different way.

I was a bit of a nervous flyer but after flying a plane its not a problem anymore.

But if you cant get on a plane or near one hypnosis i would go for.

[victor3]

Forget knock-out drops! Tell the stewardess that this is your first flight and to give you that extra bit of care, i.e, to fold your trousers carefully!! (only joking .... )

Strive to enjoy your first flight.

Try and get a window seat so that you can visually relate to the sensations. Everything will be fine; just close your eyes for a few seconds and think of the sensation that millions of people have had countless times and how this will be your first time.

Keep looking out of the windows like a passenger in the back seat of a car.

The first thing that you will notice after taxiing down the runway and straightening up is how quickly and smoothly you accelerate.

Fook! Wish my car could go like this!!

You'll hit about 200mph and then leave the ground.

Then you'll be quite surprised how steeply you climb for the first 45 seconds or so. Neither of these sensations are scary, just surprisingly 'more' than you may expect.

When you get about 1000ft off the ground ('cars seem like dots'-level), you will actually start to feel quite euphoric! At 30,000ft, about 6 miles high, you won't be able to take your eyes away from the window. Cloud patterns or scenery below, you'll probably be rivetted.

Landing usually has a very slight bump, no more than a decent pot-hole in the road. When you land, the volume will increase as the braking will engage.

These are all sensations that I remember from my very first flight a few years ago and TBH, after the first, I was hooked!!

[dreaddan]

would any of these help?
http://www.flyingwithoutfear.com/atfof/
http://www.aviatours.co.uk/action-plan

[shen]

Right , i NEED to get on a plane soon or else things are gonna go sour with work and home things.

However thing is im petrified of the things, had a panic attack at an airport once.

Ive never boarded a plane in my life, but ineed help with doing it now. People simply saying "ah its the best thing since sliced bread" wont do it. I need something serious , counceling/hypnotherapy/course of some sort.

If anybody has any suggestions or knows anyone thats conquered their fear im very interested to know how it went.

Thanks.

Flying isn't fun it's boring for the most part...however here's some points that will help...Apart from the statistics of just how safe flying is.

you will NEVER drive a car that gives the acceleration a plane does on take off... WOW what a rush and is really something to look forward to any time you fly.

The view is rather fantastic...get a window seat!

The feeling of weightlessness just on takeoff is also rather cool and I think you'll enjoy that too.

Nobody has a fear of flying... they have a fear of falling.

A bit like a rollercoaster only much safer...you'll be nervous before but sure as hell wanna do it again when you have.


The only things to be afraid of on a plane are these...

some annying kid in front who keeps putting his chair in your face.
some annoying kid behind who keeps kicking you in the back.
a fat person in the seat next to you taking most of your seat as well as his/her own.
they run out of drinks.
the in flight film is -Love Story- or -Frankenfish-
the flight attendant is a gay man and not a tarted up pornalike.

any help?

Don't take drugs or get leathered...you won't need to. Why become more afraid of your feelings than the actual flight...in essence that is what you are saying you're not wanting to confront.

If none of that really helps just remember this....read it a few times..

Fear = The thought that You will not be good enough to cope with what You Imagine will be the outcome of a specific scenario or event.

[fergy7197]

sounds like a fear of the unknown especially since u aint been on a plane before!!!

valium is good, knocks you right out.
give it a try!!

when would you take it tho? surely they wouldnt allow you on the plane if you where comatose.

reminds me of a lee evans sketch where he takes sleeping pill before his flight and it gets delayed... very funny.

fair point paul lol i can just see his missus dragging him onto the plane out of it lol

[618ireland]

have u tryed going to birmingham air port and watching them take off and land??? may help a bit maybe?? or going to a light aircraft airpost and asking nicely if u could juts sit in one???

Don't go near a light aircraft if you have a fear of flying. A small 4 seater thing (driver + 3) was the first plane I was ever in. Fairly horrible experience. Since then I have flown loads of times. Every 2 nd weekend when I worked in Leicester for 3 months, Mexico (12 hours) and loads more trips to England. Never once was bothered about being in a real plane. Seems as you had your incident in an airport are you sure it's flying and not airports you have a problem with ? Would it be worth booking the cheapest return flight you can find to anywhere and try it with a good friend in the knowledge that if you don't get on it doesn't matter as you are only going for the flying experience. Removing the need to get to the location could ease the stress considerably and make it more do able. Just a thought that came into my head.

Or just book a one way flight to somewhere near you and get the train or bus back.

[Null_Byte]

Well, earlier this year I got on a plane after 18 years of not flying - was more nervous of the customs than the flying. Then in the space of four weeks I covered about 20,000 miles by air on everything from a 747 to a prop plane.

As somebody else mentioned get a window seat, the view is great - sit behind the wings if you can, its A) statistaclly safer and B) you get a view of the wing, as a technical minded chappy I find it fantastic to see the flaps and such in operation, although try to ignore the bit where the wing flexes like mad! In short, enjoy the experience.

Flying is a great feeling - the worst part is being couped up for 13 hours on long hauls, so stretch your legs every so often and try and get comfortable.

If you can go for a short haul flight so you get the experience but none of the boredom. My first flight was a 30 minute hop to the netherlands. Small prop planes are the worst, but the city hopper ones are probably the best if your worried about flying, a 747 can be a bit daunting.

The trick is really to relax and let go.

[Roger Red Hat]

50 quid mate ill meet you at the air port and give ya a left hook followed by an uppercut...

should be out for the count ill wheel you on the plane my self

tbh ive never been on a plane properly.

the only plane ive been in i jumped out of...so i dunno what landing is like :S

[Punx0r]

Therapy? Much easier to just stop being a fanny! Ok that's only a joke Loads of people fly without problems and many are complete pussies in eveyday life. You shouldn't have any problems.

Conquer your fear, be master of your own destiny etc.

Snakes completely freak me out but I'd be prepared to handle one if I trusted the keep (this thing isn't dangerous) and trying to forget instinct/reflex and rely on logic.

IMO after being hassled and treated like cattle through security hopefully you'll be too pissed off and distracted to worry about the plane

[munky]

Therapy? Much easier to just stop being a fanny!

best advice so far.

Man up, get on a plane. Its not rocket science.

[shen]

Loads of people fly without problems.


Snakes completely freak me out but I'd be prepared to handle one if I trusted the keep (this thing isn't dangerous) and trying to forget instinct/reflex and rely on logic.

Snakes on a plane mother fu**er!!!

[Null_Byte]

Loads of people fly without problems.


Snakes completely freak me out but I'd be prepared to handle one if I trusted the keep (this thing isn't dangerous) and trying to forget instinct/reflex and rely on logic.

Snakes on a plane mother fu**er!!!

Dammit, I was going to say that...

[Ben Cole]

Have some faith. I've been in air traffic control for 9 years now. Think of all the planes I've seen through UK airspace and I've have never witnessed a fatal accident.

Once you get on the plane and then get off, chances are you'll say to yourself "that's not so bad, I could do that again".

You might even love it.

I've flown hundreds of thousands of miles and learnt to fly myself, I still feel like a kid when I get on a plane.

[EggBeard]

Try to convert your fear into excitement, they both cause the adrenalin rush that you associate with being afraid.

I am not a big fan of taking off on planes, and as such, sit there grinning like a maniac until we are above clouds, then it seems to be fine.

Valium do work, but I am not a big fan of sedating myself, unless it is for recreational purposes!

Booze works too, but you have to be really careful about crossing over the line between pleasantly confident passenger and obnoxious cretin. They kick drunk people off planes

[Ozz]

My first time of flying I was anxious - but the more you think about it, the more stressed you get. Chill out, have a beer or 2 and relax is my offer of help. When your flying, once youve finished grinning like a cheshire cat at the acceleration of the plane on the runway & your airbourne, its like being in a parked up coach, and you dont even realise your moving.

[chrislandy]

I took a flying lesson to beat my fear, and it worked! If you can withstand a flight in a light aircraft, you can beat anything! 3 months later i flew to Austrialia!

worked for me, as mentioned before, it's not actually that expensive..

[618ireland]

In fairness I think he feels more than a tad anxious, does anyone know of any councellor or similar that deals with these types of fears ?

[shen]

In fairness I think he feels more than a tad anxious, does anyone know of any councellor or similar that deals with these types of fears ?

I once saw a documentary about a plane in distress...although the footage is probably old now there was a fellow in that who I think would be very helpful...I didn't catch his name in the film footage but here is a picture..



apparently it mentioned him gaining much experience over macho grande and possibly also had millitary experience with General Mortars.