# Are you afraid to fly?



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Come on now......truth.

PS In an airplane. 

Wont fly
Deathly afraid but will
So so
A little bit
Love to fly


----------



## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

No. Not normally.

The only time I have experienced fear aloft was when I unwisely went up on a microlight (basically a hang glider with a bicycle and an engine under it). Without a fuselage around me I was ******* petrified and asked the pilot to go back down after about 5 minutes.










I assume this counts as an airplane.


----------



## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

No, have flown a lot (70+ at least), am enjoying it, and there´s been no really bad incidents.


----------



## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Not really. I've done it all my life, and the worst fear I have is of those irritating TSA regulations and the absurdly long screening times you have to endure beforehand.


----------



## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I enjoy flying. Extreme turbulence that causes the sensation of the plane suddenly dropping can be a bit unnerving, but as long as the nose is pointing forward in the direction of intended travel, I'm okay :lol:


----------



## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

I look forward to the day when I have one of these and I can slip the surly bonds of driving behind people who can't get a move on (sorry in advance to those and such as those ) and traffic jams and everything.










BTW, "enjoy" is the wrong word if flying Ryanair.


----------



## Lucifer Saudade (May 19, 2015)

Never was. 

Although sometimes you just get that thought running through your head: "what if today was the day...accidents do happen you know" - laughter follows soon after :lol:. I'm usually more concerned about the food!

I wonder if the answer will change if it was "flying to space" - that's not quiet reassuring yet.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Terrified but I do it anyway. Sometimes I'm pleased I can't see what's going on in the cockpit, it probably looks a bit like this.


----------



## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

I love to fly. The only time it was somewhat unnerving was a night landing during a thunderstorm with lightning flashing in the dark some distance away. But my parents who had come to meet me at the airport and were told the flight might possibly get redirected to another city, were the ones who worried the most.


----------



## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

Not the least, but it can be bloody uncomfortable and ear numming. 

/ptr


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I don't know that I am afraid to fly so much as simply hate the whole process: parking in a huge lot, shuttle to airport, security, waiting in the terminal, waiting on the airplane, cramped legs, etc. The fact that you have no control once you are on the plane whereas in a car you go where you please (though it takes longer). I do pray every time on take off and landing as those are the most likely times for a crash. Yeah, I had to go to a training class once that was 570 miles away and drove instead of flying even though it took 2 more hours driving after calculating layover and all the time getting to the airport, the wait, ect, the flights, getting a rental etc. As far as I am concerned, if I never fly again it will be too soon.

I did have some spectacular views up there once going through some tall clouds that was like cruising through a gigantic canyon.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I'm fine in an airliner as it's almost like being hermetically sealed and the ride is usually so smooth as to be unnoticeable. Not sure if I'd feel so good in a helicopter as some of them look like little more than glass bubbles - I'd keep thinking I was going to fall out as soon as it tilted. Hang-gliding or the type of thing which that nutter is flying in Dr Johnson's picture? Nope - I'd be totally c***ping myself.


----------



## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

We've flown three times now in three years from Amsterdam to Tallinn to St Petersburg & back. We've experienced an emergency landing, lost a piece of luggage (was returned home 12 days later), missed our plane thanks to chaos on Schiphol (and we've got paid for the damage by Schiphol :tiphat: ). So really, flying is not exciting at all, is it?


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I'm afraid of crashing, and my faith in pilots has gone down.


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm not afraid of flying per se. I'm afraid my ears won't pop. Maybe it's the alignment of my jaw, but I've had several extremely painful descents.


----------



## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I'm fine flying over land. Ever since I saw _Jaws_, however, I've been afraid of flying over oceans. Damn that Steven Spielberg! :lol: I know all of this is irrational. Falling out of the sky would kill me anyway, and I wouldn't be in my body to care, but nonetheless, I don't want to be food for the fishes. -- Pity! I've always wanted to go to Ravel's home (now a museum), and the fear of falling out of the sky always kept me from such a trip. Now it's too late. Because of my health, I can't travel any more.


----------



## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Not afraid flying but I am afraid of crashing.


----------



## TwoPhotons (Feb 13, 2015)

^ I totally get where you're coming from. 

I like to "flight sim" as a hobby, and all the knowledge that came from that has helped ease away any fears or qualms I have about flying. Although at touchdown I still always get the feeling that the plane isn't going to brake in time...


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Not at all afraid of flying, but the entire airline/airport experience can be excruciating. Sometimes I wish we would crash.


----------



## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

I don't like flying, but I do it anyway when I need to. I don't like the security lines and the invasion of privacy, I don't like being crammed into a sealed aluminum tube with a couple hundred people, I don't like turbulence. 

I took the overnight train up and down the west coast this summer, instead of flying. I like trains.


----------



## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

If I can drive to a destination I will do that in preference to flying. Being 6' 5" tall, and broad shouldered, I do not fit well into airline seats that continually get narrower and seem to have less leg space with each passing year. 

Besides, I don't have to have the additional expense of renting a car at the end point. Of course, when flying overseas we have to fly - but the next time we do that, we are flying business class at the very least.


----------



## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

Not afraid to fly. Much more afraid of every day driving because that's a million times more dangerous.


----------



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

It ain't that I'm afraid to fly, it's that no matter how I flap my arms I can't get off the ground. I think it's my belly that is defeating me.

[Yeah I know, a weisenheimer post, and _Itulian_ deserves better. If the question were: "Are you afraid to ride in a flying machine? (or airplane even)", I would have to provide a serious response. But that would be 'no', and where's the fun in that?


----------



## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

I'm not afraid enough that it prevents me from traveling by air, but I always get nervous during take-off and landing. Also, I'd be lying if I said I never wondered what would happen during a crash and all the details that go along with it like, "What does it feel like to suddenly go from 430 mph to 0 into a mountain side?" and "Would I be conscious long enough to see my limbs flying off in different directions?" etc.


----------



## GreatFugue (Aug 16, 2015)

Care for a cruise through the stratosphere in a can of compressed air? Nope.


----------



## Chopiniana93 (Sep 6, 2015)

I am not at all afraid of flying!  I enjoy sitting in the airplane, sometimes watching out of the window and seeing the landscape. I admit that I don't fly often ( only 3 times) , but I like it.


----------



## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Itullian said:


> Come on now......truth.
> 
> PS In an airplane.
> 
> ...


I'm firmly on the 'love to fly' category.


----------



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Itullian said:


> Come on now......truth.
> 
> PS In an airplane.
> 
> ...


Yeah I like getting into a jumbo plane and fly.


----------



## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I have to fly on a plane of course from time to time but I am very afraid to do so. I know it's irrational, as it's much much more dangerous (statistically) to drive a car.
But if you mean to fly one of these hell-icopter/aero-things displayed on the photos above, I absolutely won't, even if someone offers to pay me a fortune.


----------



## Harmonie (Mar 24, 2007)

I like the speed that flying brings, but I don't like anything else about it. The last flight I took a decade ago just felt 'off' to me, and scared me and I haven't rode one since.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Probably because of people's fear of flying and because of all the hassle, train travel is becoming more popular.

In UK we can now travel from London direct to Marseille. Info courtesy of 'Man in Seat 61'


----------



## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I like flying. My husban has his private pilots license and he shares a plane with his father.


----------



## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

I have fear of flying. Not to the extent that I freak out or get beside myself but I realy do not like it. Did manage to get to New York last may though. My wife did notice the white nuckles on take-of and the landing. Especially the descend and touchdown are nasty for me.
If I can avoid flying I will. Did it six times and that is enough for a lifetime, well at least for mine.


----------



## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

I used to be but have gotten over it.

As others have said, the anxiety doesn't come from flying but rather the fear of crashing. Every once in a while, if there's bad turbulence, I'll start feeling sick and mentally getting ready to accept death. I ponder the universe. Then the plane stabilizes and I feel embarrassed of my emo drama queen moment, and go back to my in-flight movie


----------



## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

Not afraid of flying, but I haven't done it yet, so if that will remain true in practice is yet to be confirmed. I will be on a couple of fairly short flights in a little Cessna next month as part of my Scotland excursion, looking forward to it!


----------



## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

Yeah I have a mild fear of flying. Not enough to prevent me from doing it (and I've done a lot of traveling), but I'm never comfortable on a plane and can't wait until we land.


----------



## Guest (Sep 7, 2015)

"Deathly afraid but will"

I'm working on it. This year my wife and I have taken several short flights (60-90 minutes), and my anxiety is getting a little better. I need some pay-off at the end, such as a nice concert--that helps. My next scheduled flight is to Los Angeles to hear pianist Daniil Tifonov in February--about a 50 minute flight. The take off and landing are the scariest parts since that's when most crashes occur. I just hate the being out of control feeling. I can at least try to take defensive action when I'm driving...there's nothing one can do in a plane.


----------



## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Approaching 50 flights now, I think. I have become quite desensitised to the process (especially after one flight from Barcelona across the Pyrénées in a storm in which I really thought the end was nigh. But I lived to tell the tale, dear readers!) Mrs Vox requires me to be (or pretend to be) calm and reassuring, as she is white-knuckled on take-off and landing.

I still find airport security very tedious, although I suppose it's better than being blown up at 10 000 m. I noticed this year that we were greeted at security by smiling and helpful staff, more women than men. I like to think I'm not the only one who objected to the previous regime of surly and obstructive ones.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

When I was 16, I tried it and fractured my collar bone. Now? Strictly in airplanes! Never afraid to fly in planes, especially in Business Class.


----------



## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

I have another irrational fear, and this is the only place I would share it in public: I am afraid of rollercoasters. I am going to defeat this fear in the next few years though.


----------



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

SiegendesLicht said:


> I have another irrational fear, and this is the only place I would share it in public: I am afraid of rollercoasters. I am going to defeat this fear in the next few years though.


Me too......................


----------



## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

I don't do single engines. That's my only exclusion.


----------



## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I love to fly. I love being at the airport. I love the feeling of traveling somewhere far away.

Why be afraid to fly anyway? Statistically you are much more likely to die in a car crash than a plane crash, and everyone drives cars no problem.


----------



## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

violadude said:


> I love to fly. I love being at the airport. I love the feeling of traveling somewhere far away.
> 
> *Why be afraid to fly anyway?* Statistically you are much more likely to die in a car crash than a plane crash, and everyone drives cars no problem.


The lack of control - the fact that you just can't step outside for fresh air - claustrophobia - proximity to people you don't know (my sister-in-law was groped) & whose recycled germs may make you ill - any accident will probably be fatal - turbulence - there will be moments of very painful awareness, probably, before you die in an air crash - not much danger of hijacking or terrorists on the road... ?


----------



## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

At present I would not prefer the travel by fast train over flying... You cannot even find relief, because someone may have installed himself there (with or without a bomb).

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/09/man-arrested-on-thalys-train-in-rotterdam/


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Vaneyes said:


> I don't do single engines. That's my only exclusion.


I understand. Flew in a small prop. recently from Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket. 15 minutes of excruciating noise and turbulence. One guy banged up one of his knees pretty badly, just getting on the plane. One had to be a contortionist just to board safely.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Ingélou said:


> The lack of control - the fact that you just can't step outside for fresh air - claustrophobia - proximity to people you don't know (my sister-in-law was groped) & whose recycled germs may make you ill - any accident will probably be fatal - turbulence - there will be moments of very painful awareness, probably, before you die in an air crash - not much danger of hijacking or terrorists on the road... ?


Remind me never to call you to do an airline commercial on television.


----------



## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

I think the fact alone that you can cross the Atlantic in a few hours - something that took your ancestors many weeks in cramped conditions, one way or the other - makes it worth it.


----------



## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Ingélou said:


> - proximity to people you don't know [...] & whose recycled germs may make you ill -


I console myself with the thought that the smug alpha male in the window seat is just as likely to be nobbled by my recycled germs!


----------



## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Smug alpha male, talking about me perhaps???


----------



## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Dim7 said:


> Smug alpha male, talking about me perhaps???


I wasn't, but now you mention it, Dim7...


----------



## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

not...............................

edit: hey you totally changed your post


----------



## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Go to flightradar24.com to see the world's live air traffic. There are an absurd number of planes in the air at any given time. Crashes are so rare which is why they are media spectacles. 

I fly weekly for work. No issues. Far more afraid of driving on a single lane undivided highway with drunk drivers, fatigued truckers, and aggressive speeders trying to pass you with oncoming traffic.


----------



## Jeff W (Jan 20, 2014)

Not afraid to fly. My only fear used to be running out of music to listen back in the pre-digital music player era but with my iPod Classic and now whatever on my phone to supplement it, that fear is gone. Now my biggest problems are getting to the plane itself!


----------



## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

Ingélou said:


> The lack of control - the fact that you just can't step outside for fresh air - claustrophobia - proximity to people you don't know (my sister-in-law was groped) & whose recycled germs may make you ill - any accident will probably be fatal - turbulence - there will be moments of very painful awareness, probably, before you die in an air crash - not much danger of hijacking or terrorists on the road... ?


Aha. Now I remember what this reminded me of. Here, Ingelou, you might find this travel video informative and helpful:


----------



## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Great news:

_Concorde fans hope to get jet airborne by 2019_

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34301689


----------



## Musicophile (May 29, 2015)

Being on an airplane every second week, planes are to me the most commonly used public transportation (which is uncommon here in Europe). Luckily I never experienced any fear at all, rationally knowing that the drive to the airport is riskier than the flight itself, and this in spite of regular turbulences, or even several recent touch-and-go landings.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Actually, it really bugs me that airplanes fly over my living space. Very irritating, and I am 11 miles as the crow flies from the airport. Used to live 18 miles away and by then the airplanes were pretty high up, but where I live now, you can't talk in the yard when they pass over without shouting.


----------



## GhenghisKhan (Dec 25, 2014)

I find it pretty cool actually.


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Afraid? No. But I don't like it either. I have taken about a hundred long-range flights (6 h or more) in my life.


----------



## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

I don't mind aeroplanes, but I don't exactly like them either. Turbulence isn't that bad, it's the being in close proximity to so many other people that I don't like.


----------



## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Im not afraid of flying but I am afraid of Boredom! My worse fear is getting an isle seat with no tv screen and nothing to do for hours on end.( Lots of southern comfort is the only sure fire remedy for this) 

I actually like take off and landings and when the Aeroplane is banking climbing and descending. Im glued to the window when this is going on! Only once on the way back from Greece in an old 737 during when we suffered from some really bad turbulence was I a bit nervy. Even the Cabin Crew looked a bit stressed as they belted themselves in.

We fly to Europe every other year ( Note how we Brits seldom admit we are part of Europe!) and Flying is a necessary part of the holiday. The Holiday starts at the Airport, or the Airport bar really!


----------



## breakup (Jul 8, 2015)

I'm not afraid to fly, I just have no interest in flying, nor do I have any need to do so. FYI I have never been off the ground in an Airplane or helicopter.


----------



## Guest (Sep 23, 2015)

I'm more afraid of crashing than flying...


----------



## georgedelorean (Aug 18, 2017)

I actually love to fly. Few times I feel more secure than in an airplane.


----------



## Crystal (Aug 8, 2017)

I don't afraid to fly. It's a little bit dangerous but so exciting.


----------



## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

My favourite show is Air Crash Investigation (called Mayday, Mayday in the US?). I love flying.


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

I love flying. And the smaller the airplane the better.


----------



## georgedelorean (Aug 18, 2017)

There was actually a time when I was considering getting my pilot's license. Decided that after much consideration, I'd like to work as a news anchor.


----------

