Scared of flying - help!

[tzuhouse]

I used to love to fly. Now, I hate it, but I also refuse to let a fear like that cause me problems. There are times when driving is more convenient and times when flying is. I fly when it suits the situation and drive when that's better. Am I nervous while I'm up there? Absolutely. But, I drive in Houston every day. I figure flying is definitely safer than that is.

Mary

 

[larryz]

Millions of people get on thousands of airplanes every day. 99.99% of them make it safely to their destinations.

More people die in car crashes headed to the airport than die in commercial airplane crashes.

98% of those who are afraid to fly get over that fear after three airplane rides.

80% of statistics are made up on the spot.

Trust me, flying commercial airlines is safe. If it wasn't you'd know about it.

My three airline safety rules...
1) stay belted in your seat unless you absolutely have to get up
2) pay attention to your surroundings
3) stay off of Airbus aircraft

 

[larryz]

I always take xanax but it leaves me with a dopey hangover. Who wants that at Disney?

Seems to me that you'd want exactly that kind of hangover at Disney...

 

[mom2faith]

Atavan!! That is how I do it!!

I am immobolized with fear!! Last year on the way home, I had a full fledged panic attack!! DH could barely keep me calm and he was trying to handle a 3 1/2 year old (talk about having 2 kids instead of 1).

Just breath, get something to help (even if it just makes you drowsy and you sleep through it). Do not drink though, that makes it worse.

I manage (somehow) to fly 3 times a year at least (sometimes more). 2 times I am alone for work meetings, and I make it

You can do it!!

 

[Colleen27]

I've actually found it easier now that I have kids. Before kids, I'd be freaking out before and during the flight, and to some degree during my trip worrying over the flight home. Now, I freak out before the flight, but once we're on board I'm so occupied by keeping the kids amused and behaving that I don't think about it any more, and on the trip they keep me so busy that the return flight never crosses my mind. And with a few trips under my belt now, I'm a little less anxious every time.

It is kind of funny - when I was a teen & young adult, nothing could get me on a plane, not spring break in Cancun or skiing over winter break in Colorado. Nothing. It took WDW to convince me to face my fear. My desire to take my kids on that first Disney trip was stronger than my fear, and since there was no way we could take enough time to drive, I got on that airplane, read to my daughter, and before I knew it we were in Orlando.

BTW, as far as talking to the doctor about getting something to take the edge off, make sure you try it first to see how it will effect you. We're from Michigan too, and Detroit to Orlando is a pretty short flight. I am very, very glad my doctor advised me to try the medication in the safety of my own home before we left! If I had taken it just before departure I'd have been toast for our entire first day because Xanax throws me for such a loop. That's why I tough it out - I don't want to waste the first day of my Disney vacation sleeping off whatever I took to get through the fight.

 

[Nicoleclaw]

You can also look on youtube for videos of take off and landing. Just becareful not to watch anything that might scare you....
Flightaware.com, you can track the flight you will be taking. So you can look everyday at what time it took off, how long it was, etc. they also show maps with all the planes that are in the air at that time. It helps to see that there are a bazillion flights a day. Good luck!

 

[swisely]

OK, I am a big-time scaredy cat when it comes to flying, and I have flown quite a few times. The first time, it was in a storm and the flight attendents had to sit and buckle up it was that bad! Now, I am not sure that this incident is what has caused my anxiety, but I know it didn't help any. So, when planning our trip to Disney, my hubby, sister and sis-in-law insist that we fly rather than spend hours in the car--we live in Arkansas. Logically, I know they are right, but I hate it just the same. Now, I could ride Expedition Everest all day long. Go figure. This time, we took our 8-year-old son with us for his first flying experience. Now, he is not a thrill seeker at all! I was worried how he would deal with it and how I would be able to calm him down if need be, when inside I am terrified myself. So, I made my husband sit in the middle, me on the aisle, and our son by the window. He held my husband's hand during take-off and then played his Nintendo DS the entire time. On the way back, he slept the whole way. I'm not sure how he would have dealt with turbulence--our flights were both smooth (yay!) What a relief it was that he did so well. And I must say, I did much better on the return flight than going. It helps me to be able to look out the window. If the plane has any turbulence, I can see the horizon and it is comforting in that I know we are still up where we are supposed to be. And I do a lot of praying and reciting "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Just my little routine. I will not let my fear of flying stop me from going anywhere I want to go. And I know that statistically, it is safer than driving.

 

[rie'smom]

Prayer, a prescription of Xanax, and my daughter flying with me keep me calm. I have never taken the Xanax when I fly but it helps to know that it is right in my purse if I should need it.

 

[CLR4321]

The main things are to remember you are much safer in an airplane than you are driving on an interstate on any day. The ones up in the sky are well trained pilots, the a large majority of which are retired from the military. They have flown a lot of planes and jets and know what to expect. The pilots in other jets in the sky are also trained just as well as your own pilots are. There are 2 pilots in your plane. On the ground there is one driver per vehicle, some of which are intoxicated, on drugs, very upset, literally do not know how to drive, and semi truck drivers who may have been on the road for 20 hours straight. Remind yourself how much safer you are in a plane. Educate yourself about what to expect on the plane. You are about 12 times more likely to die in a car accident than in a plane crash. Flying is much safer, and there is nothing to worry about. Relax, take deep breathes during take-off (I myself can sleep through take-off and landing without being medicated!). If you seem scared, your kids will be too. Do not be scared! When you get to MCO, start looking for Spaceship Earth and other landmarks to keep your mind off of the descent back to the ground. Count the swimming pools! LOL! Don't worry...you WILL be ok! Before you now it, you will be pulling up to your gate and on your way to WDW!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I really dislike flying, but our car has 150,000 miles on it, so I say to myself "it is def. safer for us to fly" b/c the car would not make it from NJ to FL.

We might be getting a new car soon, so maybe a driving trip in Aug may be doable.

Good Luck!

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

What scares me about flying is the whole closed in part. That scares me to death. I have never flown and am dreading going down the "corridor" I believe thats what its called. Because I imagine once I get through that I know that I have to get back through that to get out. It all comes with being claustrophobic and I am not sure how I am going to be able to deal with it. We have a really late flight so I guess if I slept for 2 hours it would be ok, but I don't want that..lol..I just want to be able to stay calm and not have a breakdown on an airplane and then not get to go to Disney

 

[valeriemouse]

So you thought to yourself, "Hey, I'm a bit uneasy about flying. How about I research all of the most gruesome incidents in the history of air travel? I genuinely believe this will lessen the anxiety!"

ABSOLUTELY not. I had zero fear of flying. Then, after Air France a couple of monthes ago, I was reading articles about the crash, and then the subsequent crashes before it, and then before I knew it I was sucked into the wikipedia world of every single piece of airplane crash information I never wanted to know.

 

[leelip1982]

I have one word for you XANAX. I always take it when I fly in fact I need to call the dr Monday for my disney trip. He gives me a low dosage .5mg. I use to take one about 1/2 hour before I flew but I've decided flying is easier if I get a good nights sleep so I take 2 the night before and make sure I go to bed early enough to get 8 hrs. I wake feeling great and very little anxiety. I always have it on me in case I need to take 1 before takeoff. Discuss this with your dr and see what he recommends for your anxiety. Good Luck

This is what my DFi and I both do since we hate to fly. It takes the edge off.

 

[Macca1111]

I have never flown and am dreading going down the "corridor" I believe thats what its called.

Jetway.

I'm one of those who would say "well it's statistically safer to fly then drive" but I also understand that rational thought doesn't take care of an irrational fear. I think maybe your biggest motivator should be staying strong and not showing fear to your daughter - you don't want her growing up with the same fear; you want to make it easier for her, right? So focus on her flight, as others have suggested, and really think about making it good for her.

In my own experience, I loaded one of my iPods with Hawaiian music for Grandma, and with a little hand hold at the takeoff and landing she made it just fine!

 

[willise]

I've been an Air Traffic Controller for over twenty years at a very busy enroute facility (not a tower - they handle arrivals and departures around the airport only). I have also been on duty when there was a large airliner crash and a great loss of life. However, and I really want to stress this, that I would imagine I have talked to hundreds of thousands of aircraft over the years, and I have only been around for one accident.

The people working in the aviation industry are professionals to the Nth degree - from pilots to ATC to support staff. The reality is that there is a less than .005% that you will be involved in any kind of aviation incident. Going into MCO, you will experience the normal bumps associated with turbulence from CB's and TS's. Keep your seatbelt buckled! My wife always hated the way a plane turns on its' side in order to make left/right turns. Once I explained to her how an aircraft actually makes a turn, and she understood the rationale, it eased her fear somewhat.

Try to take your mind off it (I know that sounds easier than it is) and enjoy the flight. Therer are so many redundancies in the system now, especially for commercial aircraft, that you will be much safer in the plane than getting out of MCO in your rental car.

 

[summerlady]

I used to have a fear of flying too. We drove to Florida three or four times but we always ended up losing almost an entire day due to extreme tiredness, plus, it's scary, all those huge trucks on 95. Then we took Amtrak, the most mind-numbing, boring experience on earth! That only happened once because the train derailed in Virginia...we weren't hurt but some other people near the back of the train were, we were loaded onto school busses and spent 8 hours sitting in a high school gym in Emporia, Virginia before Amtrak could figure out what to do with everyone. They finally loaded us onto busses to D.C. where we were all put on another train into Newark, where we arrived at 4 a.m. the next day. Never again! I just take a Xanax about half an hour before boarding the plane and now I actually enjoy the flight. I even love looking out the window.

 

[Luisa]

A couple days before my trip, a former co-worker that still works for that company sent me alleged photos taken from one of the passengers on the Air France flight as the plane was breaking up. (I have serious doubt that these were legit). Regardless, the images were disturbing and didn't help my phobia of flying at all.

Is that the one with the people flying out the back of the plane? That one made me laugh - it's from Lost. Like many others I am not the best of flyers, but living in Australia have just had to put up with the stress of it to get anywhere. For me its the build up to the flight that is the worst, once I'm at the airport and checked in I start to calm down. You just need to think of the destination and visualise yourself getting off the plane and how excited you'll be. On the 24th November I'm getting on a plane to fly 14 hours to LA, then another 4 or 5 to NY, then a few days later I fly from Washington to Orlando , a week later its back on another flight to LA and finally another 14 hours home - bet your flight across the States doesn't sound so bad now

 

[tessiesevin]

Fying is not my favorite. But the excitement of going to Disney takes over and I don't think about to much untill we are acutually ready for take off.
And then our flight is only one hour and 15 minutes so before you know its over.


It certainly beats a 12 hour drive!!!

 

[Florida_Mom]

Well...here's what I do:

I look at all the people around me. They are sitting there, calm, not the least bit worried about the flight, and some are even sleeping. They seem so calm, so all of those noises, or turbulence, etc, are really nothing to worry about.

That, and a rum and diet coke really helps.

 

[lildeb724]

My fear of flying has always been there - After 9/11 i just felt like more people joined me in my crazy fear!
About 5 years ago on a flight with minor turbulence, my daughter was finally old enough (3.5) to realize I was scared, and I started to make her scared as well. My husband told me he would never fly with me again unless I did something. I went to my doctor and told him how bad I was on flights and he asked why I waited so long to ask him for something. He prescribed .25 Xanax. His instructions were to take 1 an hour before the flight and another 1/2 or whole pill right before I get on depending on where my anciety level was. Here is what I really do. I take one an hour before, if when we get on the plane the pilot make any sort of announcement saying there will be even slight turbulence i take another 1/2 pill. The truth is that I am still scared, but usually enough that I can hide it from my kids. When we hit even minor turbulence, I always look around wondering why no one else is freaking out. I usually feel fine afterwards but .25 is the lowest dose available.