Fear of flying?

[Ron Kerr]

Passenger bolts from plane using emergency chute

[Dave Patterson]

Same guy???

Passenger blasted into sky after pulling on eject handle

[amber1210]

Wow! Thats crazy! XD

I have a huge fear of flying. I've never even been near a plane. But, my fear of flying goes hand in hand with my fear of heights. I don't climb ladders or go on roller coasters either. lol

[HeySal]

Heck - I had to take a look here - I just had to. I HATE to fly - but here I go off to Michigan because some Indians and Pilgrims had a party hundreds of years ago. Nuts.

When I was 15 months old I found a bobby pin and stuck it through my right ear (no, I have no clue what I was thinking but it accounts for MANY repressions that you've noticed, I'm sure).....Anyhow, I have a hole in my inner ear and it feels like someone is stabbing me in the ear when we ascend. I finally found out that if I chew some gum until it isn't sticky anymore and stuff it in that ear before take-off it at least doesn't hurt when I fly.

If my sister wasn't having a holy crapping excitement trip about meeting me in SLC and flying in together I'd find some way of copping out of this damned deal.

[GT]

Hello:

"Back in the 90s" I flew a number of times and absolutely enjoyed it. Had a bit of apprehension every time the plane took off, but that passed very quickly. Back then, I would fly every opportunity I got.

Now ... it's a different story.

The majority of the planes in the world are now 15 years older, operating budgets are tighter ... and some of the planes are falling out of the sky ... (okay, I guess there's always been a percentage of them that have done that, but I've only really thought about it in recent years) ... so, I no longer have the desire to fly and haven't done so for a few years.

Is it fear? Or simply reducing any risks that could threaten my longevity?

GT

[myob]

I hate driving, and besides, statistically driving is far more dangerous than flying. I fly 3-4 times a week on business all in my little twin engine Cessna. Mile per mile, it's a lot safer than driving, and you're above all the gunfire of freeway jerks.

[lawliet]

I do not have fear on flying. What I do have is fear of snakes and fire. I really do feared snakes. I think I’ll be dead if I encountered one.

[HeySal]

Originally Posted by myob

I hate driving, and besides, statistically driving is far more dangerous than flying. I fly 3-4 times a week on business all in my little twin engine Cessna. Mile per mile, it's a lot safer than driving, and you're above all the gunfire of freeway jerks.

Thank you for that, Paul. GTs post was not really what I wanted to read just before a flight.
My last flight I went to my sister's in CA - and I was chewing gum at take off. My ear started to throb and I got the idea to stick the gum in my ear to form a seal - it worked but was a tad unpleasant in its own right. I am thinking silly putty this time - same sealing ability, no sticky mess. I called a doctor and was cordially informed I could get a special earplug made for only several thousands of USD that would work exactly like a $2 wad of silly putty. Isn't science wonderful?

Anyhow - with an answer to the pain of flying handled, I won't be any too bad off even though not thrilled about the whole thing. Now - all I have to do is hope they let me on the plane.

[GT]

Hello, heysal:

Please accept my apologies for the insensitivity - I shouldn't have said it the way I did (just my form of peculiar humour). I completely agree with what myob said about flying being statistically safer than driving.

Also, I can relate to the inner ear discomfort you experience when flying. The first time I flew in a jet (many years ago), I was in the middle of a severe sinus and respiratory infection and the pain in my ears during the flight just about killed me ... and I have a very high pain tolerance. I would not wish that experience on anybody.

However, I DO wish you a safe and pleasant flight and an equally safe return.

GT

[imageman]

Oh my God,I love to fly!! Any one got a free ticket ?? LOL!!!

[sharonfly]

Hi

I love flying now, but it used to be a different matter up to about 6 years ago.

I would freak out, couldn't breath, total anxiety attack. Then this one time was looking out the window and talking to one of the flight attendants. When as we were talking we figured out it was because of my claustrophia that I felt so bad. Now I look out the window the whole time and am great.

Sharon

[Gene Pimentel]

It's not the flying that scares me, it's the landing!

[HeySal]

Originally Posted by GT

Hello, heysal:

Please accept my apologies for the insensitivity - I shouldn't have said it the way I did (just my form of peculiar humour). I completely agree with what myob said about flying being statistically safer than driving.

Also, I can relate to the inner ear discomfort you experience when flying. The first time I flew in a jet (many years ago), I was in the middle of a severe sinus and respiratory infection and the pain in my ears during the flight just about killed me ... and I have a very high pain tolerance. I would not wish that experience on anybody.

However, I DO wish you a safe and pleasant flight and an equally safe return.

GT

Thanks GT - but never feel the need to apologize for speaking what you really think. I just didn't need confirmation of my own doubts at the moment. I know all the risk factors and never feel safe in any vehicle over which I have no control. I drive everywhere and have a particularly hard time of it if someone else has the wheel on a mountain road. Sometimes it's hard to remember that the driver/pilot is watching out for their own carcass, too.

I only have to do this once ever 5 years or so. Each time I look forward to it being the last.

[FrankJohnson]

My most memorable flying experience was in Africa about twenty years ago (the memory is still vivid, though!).

I absolutely loved the over two years I lived in West Africa - loved the people, loved the landscapes, loved the pace of life, etc., etc. - so this isn't meant as a slam on Africa. Just an interesting and sometimes amusing story.

I lived in a city in the middle of the country I lived in. I was taking a flight to the capital city on the coast to connect to a flight back to the United States for a vacation. The flight was on the national airline.

The airport in the city I lived in was small. When I arrived, I specifically asked the person at the counter (more than once) if there were any stops between the city I lived in and the capital city. He assured me multiple times that there were no stops.

When I got in the plane, two things were unique - 1) the "door" to the cabin where the pilot and navigator were was not really a door - just a curtain; and, 2) there was a bench seat at the front of the plane which was facing toward the middle aisle - like a seat at the front of a bus!

About halfway through the flight, I started feeling the plane descending. I looked out the window and from certain landmarks I recognized, I knew we were not close to the capital city yet. We were landing at an airport in another city in the middle of the country.

Just then, the navigator poked his head out from the curtain and informed us that another flight from this second city to the capital city had been cancelled and that we were going to take on as many of the passengers from that flight as we could.

When we landed and I looked out the window toward the terminal, there was a mass of people milling around, waiting to board our plane. Our plane had perhaps 10 free seats and I would guess there were maybe 50-100 people waiting (that may be an exaggeration - I suspect the drama of the story has augmented the number in my memory! - but it was bad!).

When they finally wouldn't allow any more people on the plane, there were literally people sitting on the floor in the middle aisle!

Mind you, this was in the middle of the jungle, and there wasn't a lot of clear area past the runway. I still remember looking out the window as we finally took off again, and noticing that the tops of the trees were pretty close to the plane!

I was immensely happy when we finally landed in the capital city.

And so pretty much any flight I take in the United States or Europe can't compare to that, so ....

Frank

[Richard Tunnah]

I think the stats on flying mean that if you fly twice a day for 71 years then you could be involved in an incident while flying. Compaired to driving which (in the UK anyway) means if you drive twice a day for a little under 4 years you're likely to have an accident!

Rich

[rypher21]

flying is one of the best thing...