The Fear Of Flying

We talked about this in a recent post parc and I suggested something my sister did - mind you we only live 30-odd miles from Gatwick - but Virgin do fear of flying things which end in a flight. My sister took part and she has since flown having not done so for goodness know how many years so might be worth a think.

Thank you W I will check it out on Google ..sounds scary saying it ended with her going on a flight

p they don't frogmarch you onto a plane you are free to opt out if you want.

Yes read the thread Parcs , several of us confessed to a fear of flying and it was needing to see my GS that made me do it and it was a 10 hour flight. My GP gave me temazipan which helped .

I hate and detest flying - everything about it, so I simply never do it. Luckily I do not have family living thousands of miles away.

My DD went on a Fear of Flying course which did help to some extent. She now flies when she has to for work, but does not do it with any pleasure.

I once mentioned my fear to a psychologist I was working with and he said that all sane people fear flying!

Thanks, Mishap, I always knew I had a screw loose. I love - and have never feared - flying and wish I could have become a pilot in my youth.

Would it help to talk about which part you fear?
I assume it is the being in the air part?

Definitely each to his own!! I am glad you enjoy it anno - you can do my journeys for me!

I presume statistics make no difference?
I presume you use other forms of transport but that makes no difference?

My son is terrified of flying Parcs.He blames a bumpy landing he once experienced as a teenager personally I blame all of the disaster movies and documentaries he watches. He was so bad he could make himself quite ill at the mere thought of boarding a plane until DiL persuaded him to visit the doctor and tell him about his fears. The GP prescribed him a mild sedative that he takes before flying. It makes him feel "chilled" and relaxed. He is getting much better now and even managed to make a 3 separate flights journey (on his own) earlier this year.

I do hope you overcome your fear and manage to see your family soon. Do keep us posted.

I should imagine that you must be very very frightened.
Has something made you like that?
[Please feel free not to answer a single question of mine if you dont want to].

The first flight I ever went on terrified me - it was a fairly small prop plane and I was just about coping till I needed the loo. At the point where I got my knickers down a red light flashed in the cubicle saying "Return to your seat"! - I was busting my bladder by the time I got off!

And on the way back I had been to a doctor and got a sedative, which worked very effectively in the waiting room, whilst we all waited for the detritus of a crash on the runway to be cleared! That did not help at all!

Since then I have flown to Austria and back, and I remember on the way back promising myself that I would never ever do this again! - and I haven't. I felt sick and my balance was all over the place - no way would I voluntarily inflict that on myself again.

DS used to be fine flying. He flew to France and to Italy, he flew in our friend's little Cherokee and he flew to Kenya for a wedding. Then, suddenly, he couldn't do it anymore. He was supposed to fly to Hungary with his partner and couldn't get in the car to drive to the airport. Since then he has been on a fear of flying course and has flown to Hungary successfully.

I was frightened of flying as a child. We flew all over the middle east in rickety old DC3s and as it was not long after the war I listened to horror stories from adults which scared me even more. Turbulence was terrifying and I remember wetting myself during a difficult landing in Entebbe.

When there was no longer a need to fly I vowed I would never do it again. It wasn't until I was in my early thirties with three children that DH asked me to go with him on a business trip to Munich. It took all my courage to agree and I'm so glad I did.

I'd never flown in a jet aircraft. I couldn't believe how enjoyable it was and my fears disappeared just minutes after take-off. I now love flying but I do like my aeroplanes to be bigger than my car!!

Anyone who is scared has my sympathy. I've been there.

My OH is totally afraid to fly, never has and never will. He doesn't want to ever go up in a plane. I've spent 25yrs trying to think of ways to get him over this but everything I've ever suggested has been rejected as it might mean he might be either drugged/chilled or hypnotised enough to get on a plane , which in his normal state of mind he doesn't want to do.
That is how he explains it to me and he knows it sounds crazy but that is how he feels about being 'up there'.

So I either don't fly (his fear also includes fear of me going up in a plane) or I go on my own or with family members.. its such a shame he misses out on so much and has never met our newest Grandson, we joke that if he ever gets Alzheimers he may well forget he's afraid..

I used to be terrified of flying. I would spend the hour before boarding in the loo, watch the crew throughout the flight in case they looked worried , keep my coat on I wouldn't speak for the whole flight (my poor DH who loves flying might as well have been traveling alone). Nowadays, whilst it's not my favourite thing to do, I'm sort of OK with it. I have forced myself to do it and have seen so many lovely places, that I just get on with it. I even did the flight to New York for DH's 60th which I never thought I would do. My son-in-law, who is a big strapping 6ft footer, used to be so terrified that on one flight the stewardess asked if he would mind if she put a blanket around him as his shaking was unsettling the other passengers, is now OK with it and is in China on business as we speak and travels the world for work. I was on a flight somewhere once very scared and there was an elderly lady next to me who tried to speak to me and I couldn't answer. I said I was scared and she said 'there is a great world out there dear, don't be afraid, see it. I am travelling with my friend because my husband is scared of flying. It's sad.' I can understand the fear.

tanith. Have you tried sitting with him in airports so he can see all the planes taking off and landing safely, every day of the year?
Perhaps if he saw enough of them, he might realise that people routinely come to no harm?

Thank you for your help and its more than ok to ask questions soon I am grateful for your in put

I was never originally frightened of flying, what happened was that I was caught in a lift with family members including my very calm laid back Father, not so calm after being caught in the lift, he went bonkers and started banging on the door with my Mothers shoe!! And its been since then that I have been Claustrophobic its also a control thing with me too.

I am not too happy to take sedatives, the loss of control of myself would be an issue.

I just so want to go visit a very lovely Aunt that has now made it to her 90's and want to see her before its her time to go.

I suspected it might have been something that happened. It is often the case.
What your father did must have been very alarming to you.

I think that the claustrophobic thing may be harder to overcome than the control thing.
[I am no expert in anything by the way].

How do you cope when someone is driving a car or bus?

I presume you avoid any tight spaces?

Would it at all help with anything to say have a picture of your aunt on your fridge door as some sort of motivation towards your goal of seeing her?

I presume that she doesnt live near enough that you could do the journey by ship and overland?

I do hate being a passenger but do not show it, no so much avoid tight spaces, as I have gotten older I am able to control my emotions a lot more.

I have a picture of my Aunt but it doesn't help though. She only lives a two and a half hour flight away I am just hoping for someone to say something that would work for me.

Is fear of flying an emotion?

When my son-in-law was terrified of flying I got him a cd and a book which he said helped. It was called something like Flying no Fear. There is also a website called flying without fear. It has questions and answers and explains lots of things about flying.

I'm ok flying, it's turbulence I don't like but since I discovered Seabands + travel anti sickness tablet + G&T, I'm fine!
DH who does crazy things like looping the loop in gliders hates take off.....utterly illogical!

I think[could be utterly wrong] that it is going to take something like what KatyK suggests or some sort of process, to enable you to fly. Rather than something that someone says that will do the trick?

Is fear of flying an emotion?
Well it is fear certainly. And that is not often very easily overcome. Particularly as you have had it for a long time.