Concern over flying?

[dsnymomof4]

We flew down for our trip in 2002 - I was worried about 2 things - hijacking and crashing. However, it was our childrens first time flying and I didn't want them to feel anxious so I had to keep my fears to myself. This year we drove 20 hours and I decided one thing - I'd rather deal with my fears and be there in 2 hours! We are flying down in December and while those fears will still be there until we land, I also try to think about how many successful flights there are every day and how they say flying is safer than driving, etc. Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[KristiKelly]

We flew down for our trip in 2002 - I was worried about 2 things - hijacking and crashing. However, it was our childrens first time flying and I didn't want them to feel anxious so I had to keep my fears to myself. This year we drove 20 hours and I decided one thing - I'd rather deal with my fears and be there in 2 hours! We are flying down in December and while those fears will still be there until we land, I also try to think about how many successful flights there are every day and how they say flying is safer than driving, etc. Good luck and have a great trip!

I feel this exact same way. I'm extremely nervous about flying next month. We usually drive and I'm just as nervous about the people doing 100 mph down I-95. I worry even more when DH gets the mindset "well they're doing it" or he tries to beat last years' time . Men! We are travelling with 3 kids this year, DS8, DD5 and DD will be 3 monthes. 1 hour 40 min. on a plane will be much easier and *hopefully* less stressful than 10+ hours in a car.

 

[POB14]

I love to fly; lots better and safer than driving. I know, that doesn't help.

My wife, however, is a bit of a white-knuckler. Surprising to me, in that she flew a LOT more than I before we were married. Anyway, she does a couple of things:

1) Dramamine. About a half hour before departure. Calms her stomach down and removes that end of the problem. Needless to say, she doesn't eat before a flight.

2) Keeping occupied with the kids. Including, but not limited to, being brave to keep them calm and set a good example. Amazing what you can do if you're showing your kid how easy it is .

3) Squeezing my hand really, really hard during takeoff and landing. No complaints here!

Kind of combining 2 and 3, has anybody tried using Dumbo's magic feather? Seriously. Get yourself a talisman of some kind -- a doll, a photo, a Magic Dust Bunny, anything - and put your trust in it. You wouldn't believe how much a couple of Magic Paper Clips have helped me get through murder trials (as prosecutor, not defendant!).

 

[minkydog]

We flew down for our trip in 2002 - I was worried about 2 things - hijacking and crashing. However, it was our childrens first time flying and I didn't want them to feel anxious so I had to keep my fears to myself. This year we drove 20 hours and I decided one thing - I'd rather deal with my fears and be there in 2 hours! We are flying down in December and while those fears will still be there until we land, I also try to think about how many successful flights there are every day and how they say flying is safer than driving, etc. Good luck and have a great trip!

I also don't love flying, but I'd rather fly than drive for long distances.

This summer I had to go to the old homestead on the outer banks of NC. It's easily a 14hr drive from here. I had to go by myself with my two younger kids, 12 & 10. Rather than driving all that way alone with the kids, I opted to fly.

I ended up getting badly hurt on vacation and came home on crutches with my left knee in a brace. Dealing with the airport was a pain,but not as painful as 2 days in a car would have been. At least at the airport they sent a little guy with a wheelchair to help us. If I had been alone and driving I don't know what we would have done.

 

[russtwinsmom]

DH is a commercial airline and an air force reserve pilot. There's a fair chance that he will be flying you to WDW! He says he flies every flight like his own kids are in the back. In fact, our kids have had hundreds of hours of flight time and he wouldn't put them on a plane if he wasn't confident about their safety. When he flies, he thinks about safety, emergency scenarios, the instruments, the radio communications, the weather and the airplane. When we drive, we think about dinner, what the kids are saying, what's on the radio...

The military spent several million dollars to train him and he has had tens of thousands of hours of flying and practicing every imaginable emergency in the air, and so has every other pilot flying every other plane up there too, including the guy next to him. Unfortunately this isn't the case with cars. How much drivers training have we all had? I'd bet that it's thousandths less that what pilots have had in a plane. How much training has the teenager in the car next to you had? Do you think he's thinking about safety?

The chances of an accident on the road are so much greater that DH was required to take several defensive driving courses in the military because they had invested so much money training him that they didn't want to lose him on the road! He's had a grea deal of security training (I'll let you read the lines on that one) and what many people don't know are the number of agents that fly with the passengers on commercial airline pilots. I'm a lot more afraid of being carjacked than hijacked.

Before he flies, DH or the first officer preflights the airplane inside and out. After every plane change, he writes a report about even the tiniest problem with the airplane and the mechanics check it out and repair it, if necessary, right away. Every airplane is regularly inspected by mechanics with hundreds of hours and experience. When do you think the care in front of you on the highway was last inspected?

If you have kids, read a book out loud during take-off and landing. It will distract your thoughts. If you are flying with a spouse or friend instead, strike up a good conversation just prior to each. Take a good book and a stack of magazines and enjoy the view. Hope this all helps, and drive safely !

 

[Nancyg56]

russtwinsmom,Thanks for the post. My DH drives heavy equipment for a local construction company, and he tells my that the road is far more dangerous than flying. It is nice to hear about the training that pilots have, and about people like your DH. I will still be nervous, but I'll remember what you said.

 

[minkydog]

DH is a commercial airline and an air force reserve pilot. There's a fair chance that he will be flying you to WDW! He says he flies every flight like his own kids are in the back. In fact, our kids have had hundreds of hours of flight time and he wouldn't put them on a plane if he wasn't confident about their safety. When he flies, he thinks about safety, emergency scenarios, the instruments, the radio communications, the weather and the airplane. When we drive, we think about dinner, what the kids are saying, what's on the radio...

The military spent several million dollars to train him and he has had tens of thousands of hours of flying and practicing every imaginable emergency in the air, and so has every other pilot flying every other plane up there too, including the guy next to him. Unfortunately this isn't the case with cars. How much drivers training have we all had? I'd bet that it's thousandths less that what pilots have had in a plane. How much training has the teenager in the car next to you had? Do you think he's thinking about safety?

The chances of an accident on the road are so much greater that DH was required to take several defensive driving courses in the military because they had invested so much money training him that they didn't want to lose him on the road! He's had a grea deal of security training (I'll let you read the lines on that one) and what many people don't know are the number of agents that fly with the passengers on commercial airline pilots. I'm a lot more afraid of being carjacked than hijacked.
Before he flies, DH or the first officer preflights the airplane inside and out. After every plane change, he writes a report about even the tiniest problem with the airplane and the mechanics check it out and repair it, if necessary, right away. Every airplane is regularly inspected by mechanics with hundreds of hours and experience. When do you think the car in front of you on the highway was last inspected?

If you have kids, read a book out loud during take-off and landing. It will distract your thoughts. If you are flying with a spouse or friend instead, strike up a good conversation just prior to each. Take a good book and a stack of magazines and enjoy the view. Hope this all helps, and drive safely !

Thank you so much for your steadying, calm words of encouragement. I was going to pare them down so it didn't take up so much room, but I just couldn't. I try to remember that every pilot has a mother and most of them have families they're waiting to get home to. So they have a vested interest in getting up & down safely, just like i do.

We need a jet plane smiley icon

 

[Hannahsmom]

Count me in as one of the "Fearful Flyers"!!! I was never a "fan" of flying, but I would on occasion as necessary, that is, until 9/11. After that there was no way I would've gotten on a plane. Ever again. Until, this last April, my husband and I booked a week long cruise, leaving out of Ft. Lauderdale. I tried everything I could think of to avoid flying. But I bit the bullet and bought the airline tickets. Trust me, it wasn't easy. I bought them through Orbitz and it took me a few times to complete the transaction. I had a hard time making myself push the button to "Purchase". I even had my doctor write me a script for XANAX. This helped a lot. I started taking them 2 days before the trip because I was having anxiety attacks. At the airport, while we were waiting to board, my husband went to the airport bar and came back with a drink for me. I thanked him and asked him if it was alcoholic. His reply, "Are you kidding? I told him to make it a double."

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I am terrified of take-off. I figure that's the best time for catastrophic mechanical failure. And I figure if the plane isn't that high then it won't glide back down, it will crash. Having said that...

I PREFER to fly after a major crash. I figure the mechanics are more on their toes after a huge crash with fatalities.

I also NEVER take any sort of medication before I fly. In the event of a survivable crash I want to have my wits about me. I always wear sensible shoes so I can flee from the wreckage. I always count the number of seats between me and the emergency exit. There was a former FAA lady on Oprah who always brought a smoke hood with her in case the cabin filled with smoke. I'm not that paranoid. I don't know where to buy a smoke hood, though I am SURE they are on the internet.

Most likely nothing bad will happen. If something really bad does happen there probably won't be any survivors. I try not to let it consume me with worry. I have almost been crashed into about 8 times in the past two days driving around town, so I'm more likely to be killed driving to the airport than killed in a plane crash.

 

[skiwee1]

I've always taken Xanax before flying. What is this Ativan everyone is talking about? I take the lowest dose of Xananx but am thinking of asking for a higher dose before this trip as I always take double what I'm supposed to anyway! Is Ativan better?

 

[cstraub]

Not sure if someone posted this or not because I have not yet read the entire thread. I wanted to make you aware that there are lots of web sites like this. I used one back in 2002 and it got me to a better place with flying. I was terified for awhile but now I can deal with it soooooooooooooo much better!

http://www.fearofflying.com/

 

[SamIAm21]

Here's a great website for all you white knuckle fliers. I read this a lot, especially before flights.

http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com/intro.shtml

HA...too funny, we both posted the same website at nearly the same time!!

 

[Nank]

I'm trying not to think about it.

 

[annie1995]

I am so scared to fly. We will be flying non-stop ( thank god ), only will be in the air two and a half hours. This is our first flight ever. The only one who has flown before is my DH. Needless to say, I have been acting really brave for the kids sake, but I just totally want this to hurry up so I can quit freaking out. As of right now, the kids are excited, and I want to keep it that way. I don't want my fear to rub off on them. 20 days 14 hours and counting!! I can't wait to get there, but and scared to death of how we are getting there.

 

[cstraub]

Here's a great website for all you white knuckle fliers. I read this a lot, especially before flights.

http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com/intro.shtml

HA...too funny, we both posted the same website at nearly the same time!!

The one you posted was the one I used back then!!!! I remember Captain Stacey! LOL
I love how you can listen to the sounds of the plane on his web site and he let's you know exactly what to expect. It's free and there are no gimmics!!

One of the tips that helped me was learnign about turbulence. Once I started to think of it as the same feeling as driving on a bumpy road and that turbulence has NEVER been the cause of a crash I felt much better.

 

[Nancyg56]

I want to share a story about my Mom. This was in November 2001, right after 9-11. She was 80 years old, and had never flown in a plane. Absolutely refused. My nephew was graduating from boot camp at Paris island, and my DS was frantic trying to figure a way for Mom to see his graduation. We had finally decided to rent an RV, and make the trip in 2 days, as my Mom was not well enough to drive straight thru. When she told her our plan, she said, "I am going to fly, because no terrorist is going to keep me off a plane!" The feisty lady was afraid to fly prior to 9-11, but too stubborn to stay off the ground after.

I am going to take a page from her book, as my DH has refused to drive on this trip. I am still nervous, and after reading this thread, I know that I am not alone. I will suck it up, get on teh plane, and stop the circulation in DH's hand.

Thanks everybody for sharing your ways of getting in a plane!

 

[annie1995]

Your story gave me a little courage to fly in 3 weeks. If someone who has never flown in 80 years of her life can do it, so can I! Thanks for sharing!

 

[cstraub]

You guys can do this!!

Ponder this for a moment:

I just looked up flights for Delta from Cincinnati to MCO. There are 7 non stop flights that go there each day . Imagine 7 non stop flights there a day and that's just non stop from Cincinnati. One little airport in the whole world. Statistic's are in your favor!!

People should really be more afraid to drive than fly. I'm getting that way.

Please try the above links to help get you through your fears. They really do help!!

 

[LisaNJ25]

Yes, I hate it. Last time I was on a plane was Nov 2002 from NJ to San Francisco. I broke down and begged hubby to rent a car and drive home lol. I finally got on the plane.

When we go to Fl we either drive or take the train.

What is is bad is my inlaws live in Puerto Rico. I told hubby if they want to see their grandkids they need to fly here. Plus its cheaper for them to fly than 6 of us to fly.

Im so bad that if a plane goes overhead and is very loud and I am convinced it will hit my house.

 

[zookeeper]

The one you posted was the one I used back then!!!! I remember Captain Stacey! LOL
I love how you can listen to the sounds of the plane on his web site and he let's you know exactly what to expect. It's free and there are no gimmics!!

One of the tips that helped me was learnign about turbulence. Once I started to think of it as the same feeling as driving on a bumpy road and that turbulence has NEVER been the cause of a crash I felt much better.

I just checked out Captain Stacey's website. Thanks for the info! Turbulence : is probably what I have the most trouble with and learning about it really helped. We fly on Sept.19th for the first time with the kids...Send some pixie dust our way!