Fear

[Girl with fear]

Dear all,
I really love to read all your messages, and I love to be on airports. But tomorrow I have to fly and I have so much fear. I have to make to flights to come to Brazil... Has anyone some suggestions how I can enjoy it? I don't know what is going on inside me...I did fly before.
Please help me!!
Girl with fear

[woutertheboy]

I think almost everyone is a little bit afraid to fly. You can almost feel everyone holding their breath when the flight takes off and lands.

Your chances of getting into a car accident are much higher than a flight accident. Just think about the sheer number of planes that take off and land every single day all around the world! The airplane problems that you hear about on the news is very minimal. And of you really don't enjoy it, tell you flight attendant. I think she or he will be glad to help you to let you enjoy your flight!

[cnc]

if you fly UA i might be persuaded to hold your hand
just clear your mind and know that aircraft crew is not suicidal

[KriVa]

As a crew member... I can say we are definitely not suicidial. We like to be at home just as much as the next person at the end of the day. Pretty much every single system in an aircraft has a backup, some even have two.
Anyway, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, here or via a private message.

[Comet]

Some places have special courses for people afraid of flying. There is a pilot who will explain all the aspects of the flight, what the noises are that you hear, all about turbulence etc and you can ask about anything you like that concerns you about your flight.

[sn26567]

Some places have special courses for people afraid of flying.

Brussels is among them!

[regi]

and how did it went?

[galaxy]

You can almost feel everyone holding their breath when the flight takes off and lands.

I have the same feeling when my wife is driving the car.

[Girl with fear]

Dear all,
Thanks for your good words.....I am now at the otherside of the ocean. The flights were okay (two), but I was totally out afterwards. On august 13/14 I have to fly back....I fly TAP Portugal, so I can't accept the offer to hold hands .
The moment the plane left the gate, I had big tears and felt very shamed, If there was an emergency break I had certainly used it. But when flying, it is also beautiful and nice. I will do a course against fear when I am back home (and I still have the feeling will I ever see my home and dog again...). I know the crew is not suicidal, and everything is checked and double checked....I know, but feeling is totally different. I got tranquillizers from my gp, but I think If I use that, I can't act if necessary....
Thanks for all your good advices, I will think about it during boarding.

Girl with fear

[regi]

Thank you to post your experience. Congratulations that you made the step.
I don't laugh about this matter. I became suddenly on top of a 5 meter ladder afraid of heights, shaking, sweating, despite I had never had a similar experience in my life! So it can happen to everybody.

As a small detail: as cynical as it may sound, thanks to this group of people who are so afraid that they follow courses, I got once ( just 1 time ) a flight with SN Bru-Berlin ( Tempelhof ) for 1 € , tax included, full luggage allowance ! It was a flight around noon time, half of the passengers were anti anxiety apprentices.

Small extra detail: you do not have to take special tranquilizers: taking anti nausea as Touristil ( prescription free ) can make you a bit sleepy. Good enough to get you in your seat, buckle up and sleep tight.

[Girl with fear]

Thanks, Regi, for your (honest) answer and your empathy!! Maybe we will meet once at an anti anxiety flight, you for one euro, I paid the full course fare....
Have you or has anyone here experience flying TAP?
A few days ago I heard I booked to another plane, and it immediately gave a lot of stress....
I am in Brazil and I have to go back to Lisbon, that is necessary. In Lisbon I can go further by train (but I will tell myself I have to go by plane). There was a reason why I went to Brazil, so please don't tell me I had to stay at home.
And is it safe to fly by a airbus 330 over the ocean? Are (only!) two engines enough? I know it is not the first time TAP will cross the ocean.... (I can't stop thinking about the flight Rio -Paris which had the terrible accident a few years ago)
Hope anyone can answer my questions. I will fly August 14, around midnight, Brazilian time, so short time to go... All kind of positive energy is very welcome.
I like to read all the posts, I like airplane spotting, living quiet close to the airport, and can laugh loud about my concerns, if I read ll the stories. My only wish is to fly safe, and then I read the posts about which plane, which food, how much flights during a year! Somebody told me, maybe you gonna like it, by doing it!

Hope anyone can answer my questions about safety.

Wish you all a lot of good flights!!

Girl

[cnc]

TAP is a decent airline and A330's can fly and land on one engine so don't worry.
been a while since i used TAP so can't really say much about the food.
try to sleep during the flight. it will be dark any way

[Flybe]

Hi,

I flew TAP in May (Brussels - Lisbon and back), it's a nice airline, nothing to worry about.

My ex also had fear of flying, especially the take-off. This is what helped for her:
* Sit more towards the front, in general there is a bit less noise if you are before or above the engines, and it's slightly less shaky
* Have someone next to you who can tell you what the noises are (flaps, wheels, etc) - it helps to know that the noises are absolutely normal
* Similarly, if you don't dare to look outside, have that someone do it for you, so they can tell you when you go through the clouds, as that shakes a bit more. And once above the clouds, at least for her, mentally everything improves quick
* Focus on controlling your breath, block all the rest out. If necessary have your partner give you his hand that you can squeeze. It does help, and in the worst case you're both crying
* And yes, frequently flying does help. For her, it will never be perfect, but she meanwhile flies on average twice a month, many times on her own. If you don't fly often, your mind builds up a mental image that emphasizes all the bad things, and blocking out all the normal things. Frequency helps countering this.

Hope this helps at least a bit.
Greets,
Pieter

[earthman]

Yes you can buy lots of cheap Ryanair tickets to boost flying frequency.

Also if all else fails, you could try to hitch a ride back home on a cargo ship. It takes some time though.

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[SpottairBRU]

Hi Girl with (hopefully less) fear!

Regarding flying with TAP, I flew with them last April / May from Brussels to Lisbon and back, as well as from the middle of the Ocean (Azores Archipelago) to Lisbon, in an A330. They're a good airline, and nothing to worry security wise. As said by other members, airplanes sent across the Ocean are can fly without any trouble even if one of their engine stop. And I agree, the more you fly, the less you can be stressed about it. That is, if you think you will have no choice but to fly more frequently in the future

[sn26567]

I had a colleague who had worked only in Belgium, and suddenly he became responsible for the whole North American market, which involved a lot of travel by plane (at least one trip every week).

He also had the fear of flying. I was with him on his first trip. We talked nicely during the whole transatlantic flight. I was sitting at the window (my favourite place in an aeroplane), so he could not see too much of the scenery outside. we chatted, ate and drunk, looked at the movie and made a lot of things to forget that we were flying. I accompanied him further on visits to US accounts and acted similarly.

Now he is fond of flying ! Slowly he became accustomed to aircraft, selected one company (Continental) for its Frequent Flyer programme and started looking forward to future trips.

[Comet]

TAP is a very safe airline, nothing to worry about. I know people who have flown with them and they had alot of praise for them.

Do not worry about your aircraft having two engines. Many long distance flights are operated by twin engined aircraft every day.

[regi]

And is it safe to fly by a airbus 330 over the ocean? Are (only!) two engines enough? I know it is not the first time TAP will cross the ocean.... (I can't stop thinking about the flight Rio -Paris which had the terrible accident a few years ago)
Girl

Just in time before your flight:
About "just" 2 engines to cross the ocean: Charles Lindbergh did it with 1 engine ( without back up ) in 1927 !

About the Air France crash/incident/accident : very sad indeed. But statistics do count. And those numbers say that flying is still the safiest way to get from point A to B.

I never flew TAP, can't help you with that.

And if it may confort you: Brasil nor Portugal are targets for bombers, hi jackers , jihadi's whatever.

Mechanical noises:
take this advice: as long as you hear all kind of mechanical noises of the flaps, wheels, engines, that is good news. As you probably are no aviation specialist, you are not in the position to draw a scary conclusion about some strange noises. Right?! BZZZ, GGRRR, BROOOOMMM, that is all fine. If you hear nothing at all, you have probably been beamed in an episode of LOST.

Enjoy the flight, and let us know your experience.

[fretn]

To be honest lately I've been having very bad thoughts too about my next flight to the US, so you're not alone. It's going to be a family trip but we're departing from LHR to LAX on a VS747 in september. I've never really had a fear of flying but lately I've been thinking about it too much (must be my OCD probably). It's extremely stupid but I can't shake the feeling something bad might happen (terror related). I rarely have troubles flying long-haul, but flying to the states after 9/11 has always been a bit scary to me.

Also you shouldn't worry about flying home from Brazil, AF447 was a freak accident caused by so many things going wrong (pitot tubes, tired pilots, weather). The odds of it ever happening again are almost non-existant! Also the distance between the isles of Fernando de Noronha & Cabo Verde (diversion airports) isn't that much. There are even rocks in the middle of the Atlantic that are permanently inhabitated (Saint Peter and Paul rocks), so you are never really alone.

Also take a look at the flight radar: http://www.flightradar24.com to see how many planes are in the air, even above the atlantic! The sky is never empty.

[earthman]

I would start worrying if the plane did NOT make strange noises.

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