I'm fortunate in that I have never been afraid of flying, but I developed a phobia about the driving test examiners when I took my driving test, I won't say on here how many times it took me to pass but as a last resort I took Kalms for a week before my test and I was considerably better, not perfect but enough that I didn't feel paranoid about the fact that he was siiting next to me watching my every move!
I would definitely recommend them for anxiety, not too sure about a major phobia though.
Ellie

Have you tried Rescue Remedy. It can be bought in spray form or as drops. Not quite sure how it works but it just seems to take the 'edge'off those butterflys in the stomach. I am not afraid of flying, but I always have it with me, just in case. It's good for any time you feel a little anxoius.

I used to be 'iffy' about flying despite flying several times a year and to Australia twice. One day I desided to take a trial flight in a light aircraft to get over my nervousness and loved it so much ended up doing a flying course! Even got to the stage where we did stunts in a Monson Plane - looping the loop, spinning etc.

I found that being at the controls took away all my fear, so think it's the fact we are not in control that is a big factor.

Sadly, my new-found confidence ended 4 years later when I was a passenger in a small plane going to Dijon in France. The pilot and my partner were in the front of the plane and myself and a friend were in the back. We crashed on landing (we knew we were crashing too) and the plane over-turned. My boyfriend and the pilot were killed instantly.

Due to my own physical injuries and broken-heart I had no need or desire to ever fly again. After 2 years I took my first flight due to the insistance of family and friends. Amazingly, I felt no fear or panic at all!

I have flown so many times again now (last year about a dozen return flights) and think what gets me through is that the chances of being in ONE crash is remote but to be in 2 crashes is almost impossible.

I feel rather numb when flying now (don't enjoy it though) and did actually have a nasty experience coming into Heathrow last year when their was a near-miss. Remember thinking to myself 'Oh no, not again' but thankfully we were all OK and the plane landed safely.

I do have my wobbly moments when I think about my boyfriend especially when flying, even though it's 5 years since the crash. The ironic thing is he was actually a professional Pilot and flying examiner and had served in the RAF but wasn't flying the plane that crashed.

So I think the best thing to overcome your fear is to face up to it and not let it beat you. I know lots of people are nervous about flying and I have some friends who wantto fly with me as they believe I reduce their chances of their plane crashing!

So it is possible to fly without fear even if you have been in a crash.

i am terrified of flying.i still go on a 2 week hoilday in the summer every year.i have sleepless night's about the plane a good couple of month's before we fly.at presant i have to have a right good drink before boarding plane.has anybody got other ways of handling this problem.thank you

Hi,
Sorry to hear about your problem with flying. My wife was the same before she was recommended a doctor in Glasgow who is also a qualified hypnotherapist . After several visits of about 45 minutes each she was confident enough to travel to Las Vegas, and she even had her in-flight meals, a minor miracle in itself!! She now travels several times a year by plane, and although she doesn't exactly run towards the plane all excited, she does fly a good deal more relaxed. Ask at your local surgery or hospital if they can recommend a qualified hypnotherapist for you to visit. Another way to try and fix your problem is to go on one of British Airways fear of flying classes, I know they have them at Heathrow, but I'm not sure where else in the country. You are given a talk by senior pilots who explain the principles of flying, and the day culminates in a flight on one of BA's planes. I hope you find a way of getting over your fear, and you start to feel a bit easier in flying.

Hi

Have you seen THIS TOPIC? You'll find some suggestions there

Pippy
EDIT: Merged with the existing topic which Pippy mentions, so you may now find some useful info in these 2 pages of discussion.
David HT Mod

I believe valarian is good for anxiety and being herbal theres no side effects. It was recommended by an airline pilot in a book about overcoming fear of flying.

I believe valarian is good for anxiety and being herbal theres no side effects

Don`t believe it just because it`s "herbal" does not mean it is safe, infact some herbs are more potent than conventional medicines......having adverse effects when mixed with conventional drugs and Alcohol. ...and remember that herbs do not come under the drugs umbrella for safety regarding dosage, source of origin and general standards of purity.
Prepared tinctures like the "Bachs Rescue Remedy" have been produced by qualified herbalists, who have created a concoction of herbs that work with each other, in what is known as a synergistic blend...that means herbs that give the best/powerful effect, without increasing the dosage.
http://altmed.creighton.edu/valerian/

Besos xxx
sanji

Hi Ross and welcome,

I always wondered about ice build up especially when we are told that the temperature outside is -50, I just thought the wings would have sometype of heater element like a rear window on a car.

Can you tell from your instruments if wind shear is a head of you?

Dave

Hi Dave

Ice building up on the wing during flight is not a problem for a jet, we use the extremely hot air from the engine and divert it along the leading edge of the wing which gets rid of it. Ice building up on a wing in flight is more of a problem for turbo props, they use air bleed systems that inflate a rubber boot along the leading edge which cracks the ice off but it's not as effective.

We can detect winshear ahead of us but only on take off and during the landing. the weather radar will detect on take off any shift in the airmass ahead of us and the aircraft will shout at us "WINDSHEAR AHEAD". If we have not passed our V1 speed which is the speed which helps our decision as to continue the take off or abort. For example if we pass the V1 speed then we must continue the take off since there is not enough runway to bring the aircraft to a stop. During landing if the aircraft detects windshear on the approach we will hear the aircraft shout at us "GO AROUND WINDSHEAR AHEAD". However the aircraft will only detect windshear from the ground up to around 2000 feet above the ground, depends on which aircraft you are on. I have just converted from the Boeing 737 to the Airbus 319, and I believe the system was a little better on the 737NG's compared to the Airbus, don't quote me I would have to look it up in the manual but I think the Airbus can only detect it up to a height above the ground of 1700 feet.

I shall look it up.

hi ross j

i have just one question to ask not quite referring to tubulance but to fear of flying sorry !!!
why is it that when we have just taken off and climbing (as i call it!) it seems like the engines go from making loads of noise to all of a sudden they have cut out i always look at my husband as if the plane is then going to fall out of the sky
we have flown many times and my tummy always churns untill i see the cabin crew walking about this then starts to reassure me a litttle!

thanks

lou x

Hi Lou

Basically before we depart we need to calculate the performance of the aircraft. This is done by using standard weights for every passenger from male, female, children and the weight from your luggage that is weighed in at check in (this is why you cannot be accepted for flights if you are late for check in because all the weight has been calculated and it would delay the flight due to us having to re-calculate the peformance which takes time).

We then get the actual weather at the airport to see what the temperature is and the wind, this plays a part to decide how much thrust we will need to get airborne with the amount of runway we have available because we never use the full amount of thrust the engine can deliver if we can help it because it saves fuel and helps increase engine life, should we then need full thrust in a emergency for example, a engine failure, we have additional thrust to get us airborne with the remaining engine.

Once all this is worked out and we are taking off you hear the roar of the engines, this will continue until we get airborne and climb to around 1500 feet above the airport. This is known as our acceleration height, the aircraft does not require the amount of thrust it used to get airborne for it to accelerate that is why the engines get a little bit quiet as the thrust is reduced. We also lower the nose a little to help with the acceleration and then retract the flaps, this is why it may also feel like we are decending but it is done to make it more comfortable for the passengers and allows the cabin crew to move around a lot easier, otherwise it's like walking up a steep hill from the back of the aircraft to the front and would take longer to serve the drinks which is more important!

Fantastic post.

Very informative, and reassuring.

Thanks

Hi to everyone.

Some of you maybe aware of a few posts I have made on the topic of turbulence to reassure passengers who have a fear of flying.

I'm a commercial pilot with easyJet flying the Airbus 319 having recently converted from the Boeing 737 based at Bristol Airport. Before that I was a Captain with Air Wales flying the ATR42 turboprop in my home town of Cardiff. I have been flying for just over 10 years.

I notice that some of you do have a fear of flying, so I thought I would start this thread so if you do have any concerns and would like answers then I will do my best to help reassure you since I pop in and out of this site on a reqular basis.

Not quite a question on the fear of flying, but a question that I have asked before but not had a definate answer to.

Are pilots allowed to smoke in their cabin? I know that non smoking regulations are strictly enforced for the passengers, but is this also true for pilots? I understand that the pilot has full control and say over an airplane, so would (s)he get away with it and does this happen?

Mark

In relation to the above post, what about on long haul, when airline staff slip of for their break?

No you will not find pilots or cabin crew smoking on a passenger flight, but I am aware that on cargo flights the flight crew do smoke if it's ok with the Captain and it is allowed by the companies standard operating procedures.

If you smoke on the flight deck that air is recirculated and passengers would probably start to smell it after some time has past.

No you will not find pilots or cabin crew smoking on a passenger flight, but I am aware that on cargo flights the flight crew do smoke if it's ok with the Captain and it is allowed by the companies standard operating procedures

That is quite an interesting statement as it is stressed to us passengers that it is illegal to smoke whilst on board an aeroplane and that a fine and/or prosecution will follow if you smoke.

I always thought that it would be against the law not to smoke on any aeroplane, but obviously staff smoking in cargo planes blows that theory out of the window.

Mark

hi..ross... ..thanks again for the information,it certainly helps people like me,.i often wondered why it went deadly quiet after take off...regards .john-doe....