Flight jitters..

[TammyLynn33]

I flew all the time pre-kids and never thought twice. 2 years ago I was a little nervous, this year its worse and with the plane in the Hudson I was like whew planes dont crash frequently law of averages..im going to be safe. Now with plane crashing again last night. I feel really nervous...

Anyone else have issues with flying and taking kids?? I guess they are my whole world and.....

Silly Mommy like my DD2 always says..

 

[jsweeks@cogeco.ca]

Well I am glad that someone else feels the same way. This our first time flying and I was already nervous, then hearing about these 2 accidents, I am feeling the anxiety for our flight in April. My husband told me car accidents happen every day, where a plane crash is very rare. I agree with it being different when you have children and not just yourself.

 

[Ham Ham]

 

[TammyLynn33]

Ham Ham
Thanks but I know my fear is irrational..Thats why its annoying...

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

I used to not be able to fly w/out meds,
then w/ DH's patience, I got better
W/ the plane crash in Buffalo, that might
give me a relapse but we will still go
and if I take meds to fly, hey at least we'll
still go. I hear you Tammy!!

 

[LSmith]

I flew many, many times before my kids were born without any problem. After having kids the fear of my kids not having a mother and being sent to school in mismatched clothes just kept getting worse and worse.

Take off is the WORST for me. I have (irrationally, I know) decided that if there is something wrong with the plane, we'll pretty much know right away. The fear is embarrassingly huge. My young daughter squeezes my hand hard for comfort and I brace myself for the worst.

Meds DO help tremendously.

Thanks Ham Ham for the stats. I actually refer to these before flying. Not that it helps!

I do think though that is it safer than say, driving to Disney. Being on the highway for that length of time is much worse. Way more time for an accident to happen.

That said, I have white knuckled it by car to Florida 3 times in the past.

 

[Ham Ham]

I received a PM from a Diser pointing out that according to the image I posted at 13:38 there are 1.9 deaths per 100 million air miles travel but only 1.3 per million vehicle miles.

A little confusing since the image also says 1 in 7,700 chance if fatalities while driving and 1 in 2,067,000 while flying.

So depending how you look at it you can make the numbers work either way.

All numbers are are for the US and A.

More numbers pulled from an orifice.
Looks like the safest way to travel is by shark.

Found this when searching google images with "safest way to travel' as keywords.

 

[LSmith]

Wow. Ham Ham: Do you know what a shark charges to fly to Florida?? Specifically a family of four? Please quote with taxes in. Thanks.

 

[photomama]

another anxious mom!! I know the stats but still have anxiety. My dh on the other hand laughs at me all the time. But, he's one of those people who would have flown on 9/12 He also travels a lot for work, which I hate BUT alas it's his career and I knew that before we were married.

I would say try not to worry

 

[photomama]

Wow. Ham Ham: Do you know what a shark charges to fly to Florida?? Specifically a family of four? Please quote with taxes in. Thanks.

 

[Stittsville]

A little confusing since the image also says 1 in 7,700 chance if fatalities while driving and 1 in 2,067,000 while flying.

Unfortunately, that column (2) is really meaningless. Those numbers were computed by dividing column 1 -- annual deaths per by vehicle type -- by the population of the USA. But of course, far more people are driving than are ever flying.

Still, the numbers in column 3 for both cars and planes are low enough that people can still find comfort in these stats. Just stay off the motorcycles!

 

[WalkingintheFog]

I'm thinking there's a lot more people out there these days that have some level of anxiety about flying... whether it's the whole trip, the takeoff, the landing, or even the connecting airports.

Apart from any meds (which I'd rather never use flying solo), my best aids are a very engrossing book (one that makes no mention of planes!) and some word puzzles....even math problems! Focusing on something else distracts the fear. .....And I'm betting many of us are thinking a lot about Disney on the way down! Music also helps, but I don't always like to use the plane's music, because it sometimes unnerves me when the Captain interrupts to make an announcement.

Also, even tho' I know its recommended to get up and stretch on long flights, I'd rather not.... so I use the bathroom just before boarding the plane and right after landing. I'll try to drink only water on the flight, and have an extra bottle for as soon as we're ready to get off. I like to have an aisle seat so I can extend my legs from time to time, and also so I don't find myself looking out at the wings...And I often flex my ankles.

But, if anything is going to happen, I hope it's on the way back, not on the way down! I'd be more upset if my Disney Vacation was delayed or interrupted!

 

[skiloff]

I fly on average 50 times a year. Needless to say, it doesn't bother me and we can have some pretty bumpy landings where I fly, especially in the spring and fall.

My son was very nervous when we went to DW last year. We got him on the plane and at takeoff, I explained to him what would happen. I don't know what he was expecting but once we were airborne, he said, "Is that it?" That's it.

I flew home yesterday, actually, and I was watching a show on my laptop during the flight to get some information to do a safety talk at work, never thinking what I was watching and what some of the people around me might be thinking. The show? Mayday.

 

[Canbritmom]

I'm usually not nervous at all about flying, but am totally shaken up by the Buffalo crash.

We were on that flight a day earlier, coming home from Disney. I was a complete mess yesterday thinking about the difference 24 hours makes. When we booked back in November, we briefly talked about going Thursday-Thursday, but Wednesday ended up better for my work schedule.

I would still have no hesitation flying again, but don't think I'll ever get this out of my mind. We also didn't tell DS (9) about it, and I don't think he even knows there was a plane crash. He'd never get on a plane again.

Ashleigh

 

[trivial]

Nah. We last flew pre-kids, but I have no qualms about it for our next trip. Air crashes are very interesting to me, and in fact I love watching Mayday/Air Crash Investigation. But I know the statistics, and am very comfortable with them.

 

[drag n' fly]

Once it hits a little closer to home it bothers me. Dh flew Continental to Orlando on Wednesday He is coming home today on United (minus his luggage I am sure lol)

 

[hockeymom3]

My husband is very fearful of flying. The last time we flew was our honeymoon 10 years ago from Halifax to Las Vegas (through Newark). Nothing really bad happened - we were stuck for hours on the plane on the runway in Newark and so it was a delay - the flight was fine - but he has grown this fear. I have spent 10 years begging him to not drive to our vacation because it NEVER feels like a vacation in a car for days each way with 3 little kids and him!!!

So I decide in 2007 right after having baby # 3 that I am going to get a job and when I make enough money we're going on a plane - so we book this flight and he gets laid off a week later Yes, I can laugh about it - we just have that kind of luck. (At least I have a job now, had this happened 2 years ago we would have been up a creek), and now 2 plane accidents (1 very amazing survival and 1 unfortunate crash) - so I think he wants to kill me now!!!

I have tried to explain the stats to him but he figures he can survive a car crash and his life is in his own hands not someone who he doesn't know.

 

[Csaks]

and also so I don't find myself looking out at the wings...

Isn't it amazing how much those suckers move up and down. I wasn't scared just couldn't believe how much flex they have in rough air.

 

[dis_guy]

Isn't it amazing how much those suckers move up and down. I wasn't scared just couldn't believe how much flex they have in rough air.

Absolutely designed to do that. Think of the flexing like a shock absorber going up and down giving you a smoother ride. Once upon a time when I was involved with such things Boeing had the reputation for a soft ride while Douglas wings were stiff supposedly because of the company's military customers. You do not want too much bending in a fighter's wing.