Anyone cope with fear of flying?

[champagne27]

Ok - we live in MA. I convinced DH that DVC was a good purchase for us with 2 young kids - even though I am scared to death of flying. (I have flown but not since kids and fear is getting worse.) I thought we would drive to FL for our first trip in May 06 which would buy me some time before flying .

Long story short - we just came back from a vacation to the Outer Banks, NC (great time!) that we drove to and from with the kids. They were great but it was a long drive and WDW will be double that - too long DH says...

He is now set on flying for our May trip. Anyone with fear of flying have coping ideas? I'm thinking maybe I can get some strong drugs, knock myself out and let DH deal with kids on the flight!!!

Love to hear any help with this one!

Thanks - champagne27

 

[Rash]

Noise cancelling headphones, a good book, closed window shade, and, straight from your user name, alcohol. And let go of your DH's leg for his sake - you have no idea how hard you guys squeeze when you're scared.

 

[Chuck S]

Valium works wonders.

 

[DisneyMomJen]

If you can fly Delta Song they have TV's which completely keep your mind preoccupied. This also helps with the children.

 

[allshookup]

If you can fly Delta Song they have TV's which completely keep your mind preoccupied. This also helps with the children.

This is what we are doing this summer because I am a complete chicken! I tried the Xanax route, but they didn't cut it for me. Just made me a little sleepy, but I was still petrified. I am really hoping a good stiff drink and the TV's will help me forget that I'm thousands of miles in the air!

 

[drakethib]

Ok - we live in MA. I convinced DH that DVC was a good purchase for us with 2 young kids - even though I am scared to death of flying. (I have flown but not since kids and fear is getting worse.) I thought we would drive to FL for our first trip in May 06 which would buy me some time before flying .

Long story short - we just came back from a vacation to the Outer Banks, NC (great time!) that we drove to and from with the kids. They were great but it was a long drive and WDW will be double that - too long DH says...

He is now set on flying for our May trip. Anyone with fear of flying have coping ideas? I'm thinking maybe I can get some strong drugs, knock myself out and let DH deal with kids on the flight!!!

Love to hear any help with this one!

Thanks - champagne27

Prayer.

 

[RayJay]

Ok - we live in MA. I convinced DH that DVC was a good purchase for us with 2 young kids - even though I am scared to death of flying. (I have flown but not since kids and fear is getting worse.) I thought we would drive to FL for our first trip in May 06 which would buy me some time before flying .

Long story short - we just came back from a vacation to the Outer Banks, NC (great time!) that we drove to and from with the kids. They were great but it was a long drive and WDW will be double that - too long DH says...

He is now set on flying for our May trip. Anyone with fear of flying have coping ideas? I'm thinking maybe I can get some strong drugs, knock myself out and let DH deal with kids on the flight!!!

Love to hear any help with this one!

Thanks - champagne27

While I have flown over a dozen times in my life, I still can't get the bad thoughts out of my head when we do, DW is the same, especially since 9/11.

I admit it, It's not my favorite thing in the world to do but..... here's what I do, first I look at the flight attendents and imagine if I worked as one, they do it everyday with no problems over and over and over, then same with the pilots, over and over and over. Then I think of the thousand of planes everyday (big ones) that go up and down, up and down, up and down, over and over and over everyday. Then I stare at my 7 year old who doesn't have a clue what's going on and I do that over and over and over.

Then I try to sleep, over and over and over, the humming helps but one little bump and my right eye opens a little, then it's back to sleep ( I dream about something stupid, like the flintstones cartoon). I do this over and over and over.

If this all fails then I have a Jack Daniels and coke, over and over and over.

Have fun, you'll be fine, live life, do something to take your mind off of it.

Enjoy your trip
RayJay

 

[melk]

My dr. gave me a prescription for Ativan that seemed to work well on my last flight. I wasn't "out of it" or incapacitated but just not as jittery as I usually am.

You could try a fear of flying course. My mother's friend took one and it enabled her to fly. They explain all the noises and sensations while flying. They say knowledge is power!

 

[Buttercup]

I used to have a terrible fear of flying. It just got worse and worse every flight. I'd be okay until I got near the plane and fear would bombard me. But I would fly anyway. Just gut it out. I had to. WDW is way too far from AZ.

One thing that helped me tremendously is similar to what RayJay said. I would look at the flight attendants, and if lucky, see the pilot, and tell myself "they just came to work today, this is nothing to them...they didn't come to work today to die". I know that sounds harsh, but it was comforting to me.

Landing was always the hardest part for me. I'd buy a tube of mini m&m's. I call this "landing candy". I open it when we are nearing landing and I eat one at a time and just think about the chocolate. Chocolate is the ultimate comfort food. Tasting it and smelling it helps.

I feel my fear was more of ignorance...complete lack of understanding how a plane stays up....or complete lack of mechanical comprehension...complete lack of faith in technology...and a stong belief in gravity. Many times I thought learning how it all works would ease my fear.

I know you're not going to like reading this... but I have overcome my fear of flying. We flew home from WDW a couple years ago and I had to face my fear dead on. Our flight was diverted, emergency landing, firetrucks, everything. I was amazed at how the crew handled the situation...completely impressed. I was so relieved after that flight. Happy we made it and released of my fear. We had to take off and fly home shortly afterward.

I have since flown to Japan and Germany. Something I never even considered doing prior to that flight. Facing my fear was terrifying but also a gift. I think Melk is right...Knowledge is power. I still don't know why planes stay up, but I do know what the crew is capable of and what they'll do to land safely.

The other thing that always helped me is I would remind myself that getting on the plane was my only way to WDW and I would be so happy once I got there. It was always always worth it.

Buttercup

 

[donald...really]

I was the same as you, with a fear of flying that was getting worse. We booked a trip to Paris, so I knew I needed to do something to get over my fear. I bought the book Flying without Fear by Duane Brown:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._xgl236/102-7327585-0296104?v=glance&n=507846

I read it ON the plane on the way to Paris. I got about half way through the book and decided I was no longer afraid to fly. I have been fine ever since. As someone else mentioned, knowledge IS power. Once in a while I will get a moment of anxiety, but nothing major. Since I read the book, I have flown to Italy, London, another trip to Paris, Hawaii (twice), Las Vegas, Arizona, St. Thomas, Miami, Texas, New York, Philadelphia, and more trips to WDW than I can count.

I also bring a portable DVD player with me and watch a movie, and that helps keep me occupied. And the flight to Florida is the perfect length of time to watch a movie.

 

[MLK-RI]

This may be off point if you already have tickets etc. But we've taken Amtrak to WDW a few times. It was partly the excitement and adventure of an overnight train trip and partly not comfortable with flying.

We've taken the drive to Lorton, VA (from RI) and boarded the Auto-train with our car (no car rental necessary in FL - sort of offsets the price). The auto train was definitely a step up in service if not all that much different in comfort from the regular overnight train.

The overnight train is a connector to NYC or Washington DC and then a sleeper to Orlando. We felt the sleeper room was worth it (you still don't get much sleep with the noises etc.) for the space and more privacy. Many people do the trip in coach though.

The downside from flying is the added day it takes up on each end of your vacation, although if you were considering driving - same thing right?

The auto-train lets you off in Sanford, about 1/2 from WDW. The non auto train you can choose Orlando or Kissimmee? We went to Orlando and had Tiffany Town car pick us up there and it was flawless.

Link to one Amtrak thread on Transportation board Or just go to the Transportation board and do a search from Amtrak.

After saying all this - we are back to flying this year, simply to avoid the loss of that day on each end.

Anyway - just another mode of transportation to consider.

 

[aero99]

I don't know if this helps or not but I'm an aerospace engineer and although I am not afraid of flying, I constantly have to reassure my mother so this is what I tell her:

1) Flying is a LOT safer then driving. One of the reasons we don't have personal air vehicles (think Jetsons) is because of the current fatality rate we have with cars. No one would accept that rate up in the air.

2) Trust me, the pilots and staff want to live as much as you do. They have the training and the experience to get you there safely.

3) If you are still worried about flying then do 2 things: 1) fly southwest. They only fly 737's. There ground crew and flight crews as a result know it inside and out since that is ALL they work on. 2) get a seat on the wing. It is the most reinforced area of the aircraft (due to the big metal spar used to keep the wing attached). If you were to have a rough landing, this is one of the safest places to be.

Btw, I fly any airline, any type of airplane.
Melissa

 

[blossomz]

I completely understand as I too am a fearful flyer. I get an Rx for xanax each time. It makes me feel completely relaxed. I take it about an hour before we leave, which helps with the nerves as they increase while waiting! I also found that now I know much better what to expect and stick with Southwest or US Air because "I know" how they work and they fly from local airports. Because we are DVC and we frequent WDW I have become more acustomed to what to expect and feel and with the xanax I do fine. It also helps if you haven't flown in a while to visit the airport /airline and just get used to being there. Go have lunch, watch the planes, talk to attendants etc. ANd best of all, I keep focused on where we are going and the fact of the matter is that if I don't stay on that plane, I won't be at WDW! Good luck..you'll do finE...it's Disney!

 

[Patty3]

I also have a fear of flying. It does not stop me from flying, but I hate it. It is the turbulence that scares the heck out of me. Last summer, flying to SanFrancisco, the turbulence was so bad, we really bounced around for quite a while. If the flight is smooth, I am ok. What can I do about the turbulence fear?

 

[Pinmaniac]

This is what we are doing this summer because I am a complete chicken! I tried the Xanax route, but they didn't cut it for me. Just made me a little sleepy, but I was still petrified. I am really hoping a good stiff drink and the TV's will help me forget that I'm thousands of miles in the air!

I too am petrified of flying. For me two Xanex and (sometimes) a beer usually works, but I am of NO use to anyone on the plane - usually pass out although my wife says that on our last flight from FL to CA during the transfer in Houston I did seem coherent (don't remember the flight).

 

[TW1]

 

[magicmouse2]

I have flown many times and the flight from UK to the USA Orlando is 9hours. Just this year I have started having bad dreams about plane crashes although I enjoy flying. I wonder if I am developing a fear of flying ?

 

[goofy4tink]

Another fearful flyer here. But, I think I have a handle on it. I've been flying much more often now and my dd is usually with us. I don't want her to have the same fears I have so I'm trying to deal with it. So....fly either Song or JetBlue. Those individual t.v.'s are wonderful. With the headphones on you can't hear a lot of that plane noise. Then, be well rested before you fly. Being tired makes me more anxious.
I have found the 'fear of flying' site to be very helpful. I just can't remember exactly what it is called at the moment but a pilot runs it and has lots of great info there. My favorite piece of info?? THat planes like the turbulance!! And that it is really hard for a plane to fall out of the sky!! He also tells you what to expect as far as noises, funny movements, etc. that the plane will make, especially upon take-off and landings. I have actually found myself counting down to particular take-off noises!!

Try to stay calm and relaxed. I no longer feel sick to my stomach at the thought of even being at the airport. Do I enjoy flying? No, not so much. But when I look at the time it will take me to make the drive from Mass, and what those costs will be, well, the $250 airfare and the 3 hr. flight seems so much more reasonable. And the train isn't very economical. It will take you at least a day and a half, almost 2...and the cost is high unless you are only sitting in a seat the whole time. And that's no way to start your WDW vacation.

 

[CharlesTD]

In 96 my wifes family took me to WDW and we flew I had never been on a plane before and was scared to death I had a few drinks at the airport and even that didn't help. Flying is one of those things you will either hate or love but you never know untill you get on the plane. Good luck and hopefully you like if not it makes flying anyplace else after this much worse.

 

[spiceycat]

this website has helped lots of people.

http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com/

I just bring my book and my DVD player. if you like to read and can get lost in a book - that is a BIG help. If you can't then go with the above website.

I don't do well on drugs - prescription or non-prescription.

if nothing here helps - go to the transportation forum on this website and put in 'fear of flying' - there are bunch of posts over there on that subject.