I'm still scared to fly...

[offtheice]

Im supposed to fly in a few weeks. Im scard. Im afraid the plane will crash. I will get so nervous Ill be sick to my stomach.

We drove to Disney from Cleveland in December. The drive was way to long, miserable and exhausting.

Ill take my chances on dieing.

Here is something for you look at ..


Which is safer flying or driving?
Fatalities per million trips Odds of being killed
on a single trip
Airliner (Part 121) 0.019 52.6 million to 1
Automobile 0.130 7.6 million to 1
Commuter Airline (Part 135 scheduled) 1.72 581,395 to 1
Commuter Plane (Part 135 - Air taxi on demand) 6.10 163,934 to 1
General Aviation (Part 91) 13.3 73,187 to 1

Sources: NTSB Accidents and Accident Rates by NTSB Classification 1995-2004 DOT Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1995- 2004 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

 

[offtheice]

I'm not worried about plane ACCIDENTS! I'm worried about terrorists doing something on PURPOSE!

Then maybe you better stay in that little farm house and never leave. .Come on , this is exactly what they(terrorists) set out to do . You could run to the store in your little town and have the samething happen to you by a local who is a terrorists. .Is your town that backwards that you think Terrorists are not from the USA ??? my god . I live right between 3 major cities . phila, dc and nyc .. One dirty bomb in any of these cities and the right jet stream , I am dead. God has a reason when we go . Hiding in your farm house in little old usa isnt going to stop you from dying .. You have a better chance of a metorite landing on that house in rural usa then a terrorist holding up your plane. iI am not trying to be mean to you ,but wake up ..

 

[perd]

If you have a little uneasiness, that's okay. Reassure yourself, stay calm, and get on the plane.

That's all it is - uneasiness, not a phobia. Nothing that would stop me from getting on the plane, just an uneasy feeling.

 

[WillCAD]

iI am not trying to be mean to you ,but wake up ..

Well, whether you were trying or not, you succeeded.

Wake up! Telling somebody who is afraid of something to "stay in that little farm house and never leave" demeans their fear, and by extension, demeans the person feeling the fear.

That's all it is - uneasiness, not a phobia. Nothing that would stop me from getting on the plane, just an uneasy feeling.

In cases of simple uneasiness that are not true phobias, simple relaxation technique can be of help. Re-reading a FAVORITE book, listening to your FAVORITE and most relaxing music, watching a GREAT movie on a portable DVD player - all of these things can take your mind off your uneasiness and help you get through.

Just don't be tempted, as so many people are, to use drugs or alchohol to stupify yourself. Using anything that impairs your judgement would not only make it more dangerous for you in the event of a true emergency, but it would make you more dangerous to others in teh event of an emergency.

If all you are experiencing is a general uneasiness, it will pass as you have more and more positive flying experiences and gain more confidence in the system and the people who operate it.

 

[perd]

Then maybe you better stay in that little farm house and never leave. .Come on , this is exactly what they(terrorists) set out to do . You could run to the store in your little town and have the samething happen to you by a local who is a terrorists .Is your town that backwards that you think Terrorists are not from the USA ??? my god . I live right between 3 major cities . phila, dc and nyc .. One dirty bomb in any of these cities and the right jet stream , I am dead. God has a reason when we go . Hiding in your farm house in little old usa isnt going to stop you from dying .. You have a better chance of a metorite landing on that house in rural usa then a terrorist holding up your plane. iI am not trying to be mean to you ,but wake up ..
.

I said I'm not phobic, I am uneasy. And I said it doesn't STOP me from flying, just makes me uneasy. And FYI, I don't live in a little town or a little farm house. I find your repeated comments to that effect very insulting and demeaning. I live in Kansas City, which is actually a rather large city. Sounds like you think all of Kansas is rural. Maybe you are the one who needs to wake up and educate yourself! Seems like your perception of Kansas is based on the Wizard of Oz and I would think you would realize it's nothing like that.

We do have one of the top school districts in the country here. They did teach me how to spell and punctuate in Kansas. Maybe Kansas is more progressive than phila, dc and nyc?

 

[perd]

In cases of simple uneasiness that are not true phobias, simple relaxation technique can be of help. Re-reading a FAVORITE book, listening to your FAVORITE and most relaxing music, watching a GREAT movie on a portable DVD player - all of these things can take your mind off your uneasiness and help you get through.

Just don't be tempted, as so many people are, to use drugs or alchohol to stupify yourself. Using anything that impairs your judgement would not only make it more dangerous for you in the event of a true emergency, but it would make you more dangerous to others in teh event of an emergency.

If all you are experiencing is a general uneasiness, it will pass as you have more and more positive flying experiences and gain more confidence in the system and the people who operate it.

Thanks! All I will have to do is take a deep breath and get on the plane anyway. What is that saying? Feel the fear and do it anyway. It's nothing I'd have a panic attack over or anything, nothing I'd need to sedate myself for. I don't tend to let things get to me at all and I will handle it okay, just with a little knot in my stomach! Thanks for your help!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Perd - if you want to be reassured about the safety measures regarding commercial airline travel ask over on the site I mentioned earlier in this thread - www.takingflight.us/forums .

There are commercial pilots that can let you know why they feel safe going to work and flying every day. That might help to reassure you.

As a frequent business traveler I can assure you that if someone tries something on a plane again then the other passengers will take that person down immediately!

Don't let the terrorists control what you do! They WANT you to be scared - don't let them win. LIVE your life and FLY!

 

[Flyin2MCO]

I say fly and have a good time!! You'll be in Orlando before you know it!!!

We all are terminally ill and have a 100% chance of dying....you'll kick the bucket someday, but certainly not in a plane.

I wouldn't worry about the evil doers targeting the mouse's house!!!

 

[perd]

Thanks for the words of advice and encouragement, everyone. It helps a lot and knowing that so many of you don't think twice about flying does calm my apprehension. And yeah, if I worry about flying then I might as well worry about Disney too - cause they hate that too. So I'll not worry about either! Thanks again!

 

[HelenePA]

ME ME ME ME I'm afraid! I've flown two times since 9/11. Once not by choice... I was in a car accident. If you dont like bumpy feeling like your going to crash rides stay clear of helicopters! 2nd time was least year to New Orleans. My dear friend was finally pregnant after 10 years of trying... So I bit the bullet and booked a flight to see her before the baby came. I gotta say I thought having a window seat would be the worst thing... turns out I liked watching it all. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought and I was happy to get off that plane once we landed!! I do still have fears not so much crashing this time. traveling with 3 little ones has me worried about other things. getting kicked off the plane, crying in hotel rooms, meltdown on the planes in the air... yep my advice is take kids you'll worry about other things than flying!

 

[goofy4tink]

Do I enjoy flying? Nope, not at all. We also flew right after 9/11...it was a bit unnerving to say the least. All those armed guards in the airports!!!
Anyway.....I figure the chances of a terrorist taking over the plane I'm on are slim. I mean, do you realize how many planes are in the air at the same time?? It's mind boggling. And there is the plain fact that the plane really 'wants' to be in the air...that's what it's designed to do. I now worry much more about a mechanical issue than terrorists. Guess it's time to stop reading articles about the shoddy, out-of-country servicing some airlines are using!!