You know you REALLY love Disney when....

[msdroz]

Your are terrified of flying and your husband informs you that he found out the connecting flight back home is on a propeller plane YIKES!!!!!! If anyone can put me at ease about this situation, I'm all ears! I never let my extreme fear prevent me from flying (I take ativan and it helps), but this is really intimidating to me

 

[Jennasis]

Xanax!

 

[lhall7]

Well, I am not a fan of flying either. A few years ago I had a conference in Portland, OR and on the return flight home we had a flight booked from Portland to Spokane, WA on a propeller plane. I got to the gate and realized that we were going to have to go outside to get on the plane and take steps up into the plane!!! I freaked out!!! For me, for whatever reason, bigger planes are better in terms of my fears. I didn't think I was going to be able to get on it and the ladies I was travelling with just kept laughing and offering me a Xanax. Well, I am happy to say that I didn't need the Xanax and really it was the smoothest flight I had ever been on!!! I couldn't believe it! I don't care for take off, but it was so easy. I still don't like flying, but I was surprised at how this experience turned out. Hope this helps a little.

 

[Qmaz246]

Oh, is this not going to be a continuing thread about what makes us extreme Disney Fans? We usually never fly, mainly because it's too expensive, but you should be fine. But yeah....^Xanax.

 

[Starshine]

Think of it this way- if something were to go wrong, it's a whole lot easier landing a small propeller plane somewhere than it is a huge jet. I've seen small Cessna's land on the freeway if necessary!

 

[goofy4tink]

Many, many years ago, my mother, my then 8 y/o dd and I flew home from Seattle..had a connection in Newark. Ok..no biggie. At least not until they told us there was a mechanical issue so we couldn't fly out for awhile. At hour 3 of waiting, my mother almost rented a car to drive to Providence! But, they found a plane for us. Well....we were walked down into the bowels of the airport. Then, out to a bus. My dd wanted to know if we were going back on a bus!! Nope. They drove out to the tarmac, and to a prop plane. Thought I was just going to die, right there. I am not a huge fan of flying and the thought of flying in a plane with propellers hanging beneath the wings was a bit terrifying to me. But on we got...it was a very 'unique' flying experience. Got back to Providence just fine.
But, after talking to my dad, who used to fly smaller planes a lot, he told me that those prop planes are a lot safer than the big planes. He said they were 'workhorses' of the aviation world, and although the ride was a bit bumpier, we were very safe.
So...there you go.

 

[GenevieveRaqs]

I once had to take a tiny, 12-seat prop plane...in Honduras! The seats were literally held together with duct tape. There was no cargo bin--all of our suitcases were just at the back of the plane held by a cargo net. We landed on a gravel landing strip in the middle of nowhere, and there were guys with AK-47s there to meet us as we got off the plane (they were the good guys, but it was still intimidating). It was...unpleasant. But I survived! And since I'm assuming your flight is within the U.S., your experience will be vastly better than mine was! You'll be fine!

 

[wdwrich]

My wife doesn't like the turboprops either, but she did it once on a short connecting flight on our way to WDW. She got through it and we had a great time!

 

[Skywise]

Lots of drinking?

I fly quite a bit and the times I've been on turboprops were always disconcerting as well. Nothing like walking to the gate, seeing the plane and getting the "oh @#*(@!" feeling.

In reality turboprops are perfectly safe planes. A little noisier than jets and a little more sensitive to cross winds because they're lighter so you might feel some mild "sliding/shifting" sensations (much less than you'd feel on any Disney ride! ) They fly slower than jets too so the flight is actually gentler.

To contrast, I was on a jet that flew into a thunderstorm between Houston and Austin with lightning going on on either side and the plane bouncing up down left and right the whole way. I was white knuckling it the whole flight and it's only a 30 minute flight! (That and flying into Denver Colorado on a DC-10 one very windy day... It was on United Airlines and you could listen in on the air traffic radio on their headsets and all the pilots were begging for clear air so you KNOW it was bad! ) Not to scare you on jets - I'm just pointing out that all the planes can have potentially "E-ticket" rides given the right conditions. But that's 2 flights out of the hundreds I've taken and none of those were turboprops!

Edited to add:
Most of the turboprops that travel in the US on the domestic carriers are around 50-100 people sized. They're not "tiny", they're "midsized"

 

[W.E.D.]

If you have a power issue, a prop-job is much easier to glide down. A jet tends to drop much quicker.

 

[disnut8]

Think of it this way- if something were to go wrong, it's a whole lot easier landing a small propeller plane somewhere than it is a huge jet. I've seen small Cessna's land on the freeway if necessary!

Agreed. A small prop plane can easily land on a freeway with no problems. By the time an emergency would be declared (in dire circumstances), police vehicles on the ground can shut down a stretch of road and the plane will land safely.

I am almost positive that licensed prop planes on regular commercial flights are still under all regular rules that a jumbo jet liner is under. The only difference is the size of the plane. And well, ask a male but size doesn't usually matter. It's what that plane can do.

 

[Micca]

Well if it's such a snap to land a prop plane on a freeway, maybe you could convince the pilot to land at the nearest the exit to your house?

 

[daannzzz]

I am terrified of flying as well but do it so I can go places. I am fine when we are in the air, it is the taking of and landing I hate. For work we have to fly to Boise and the direct flights are Turbo Props. I though it was fine. It is a bit bumpier when landing though. last landing in Boise, right as we were next to the runway, we made and extremely sharp turn while on a steep descent. This was a bit frightening but it was just part of the landing pattern and the smaller planes can make some tighter moves!

 

[minnie mum]

As a couple of PPs have noted, smaller prop aircraft are very safe to fly in. Yes, they fly lower and slower than jets, but they can glide if they lose engine power ( a jet glides like a rock) and can set down safely in less than ideal conditions (like a road, or even a field if necessary). You will notice that it is much noisier than in a jet, too. If you have music available on your phone or tablet, and a good headset, you'll be good to go.

And Xanax is your friend, as one aerophobe to another.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

I hope some of the explanations of the safety and advantages of prop planes have helped you feel better about your connecting flight. I don't want to make light of your very real fear , but I just can't resist suggesting that you tell DH that you will stay at WDW instead of flying home.

 

[maxiesmom]

If they can fly prop planes to go hurricane hunting they are pretty darned sturdy! Try and think of it that way. And yes, Xanax helps too!

 

[canadianmom2three]

Let me start by saying that I dislike flying so strongly that I would rather drive the 1000+ miles we live from Disney than fly. We have a metro airport within an hour away that flies out big jets but our local airport flies TINY propeller planes (seats one row up the one side and two rows up the other) no bathrooms. I am not a huge fan of the noise and sensitivity to wind, but I actually liked the smaller interior- seemed less claustrophobic for me. It and also flies even tinier 2 and 3 seater tourist flights. This was my favorite flight ever- take off and landing were a bit intense and the plane was blowing and shaking all over, but somehow felt very much more safe than a commercial jet! Hope you have a great trip!!!

 

[disnut8]

but somehow felt very much more safe than a commercial jet! Hope you have a great trip!!!

Another point - how many times can you see your large commercial airliner pilots?

 

[msdroz]

Thanks so much everyone! I'm saving this thread so I can give myself a pep talk closer to our trip We used mileage points to book the flights so since they were free I'd hate to reschedule and pay (or worse yet, rent a car to drive 6 hours home from DC). I think I can do it, and will. It just really proves how much I love Disney, I don't think I'd do it for any other trip! I'm going to try and enjoy our vacation as much as possible too with that looming over my head lol

Thanks again, I really appreciate all of your comments!
Keep Calm and Think Disney