I am due to go on holiday to Iwoa, Des moines, in Spetember and the flying scares the hell out of me, to the point where my Dr wants to give me a course of medication to calm me down before i go, does anyone ahve any good ideas about getting over a flying fear?

also for those people who have flown before, and have gone through the metal detectors, i have "some" piercings will i have to remove them before flying!!

i ahve never ever flown before and i am scared out of my tiny mind!! i lie awake at ngiht thinking what if my plane gets hijaked? what if we crash? what if this.........what if that.......HELP!!!

I am due to go on holiday to Iwoa, Des moines, in Spetember and the flying scares the hell out of me, ...

And yet you drive around town without the slightest concern, right? When you're far, far more likely to have an accident, even get killed, than you are in flying a commercial airline. Check the statistics. Then you'll be terribly scared of driving, opting to fly everywhere you go!

The fear of flying is simply an irrational view of flying due to the sensationalism that's "promoted" by the media. You don't hear of all the gazillion planes that made flights without a problem ...you only hear of the one that crashed.

Baron Max

I am due to go on holiday to Iwoa, Des moines, in Spetember and the flying scares the hell out of me, to the point where my Dr wants to give me a course of medication to calm me down before i go, does anyone ahve any good ideas about getting over a flying fear?

also for those people who have flown before, and have gone through the metal detectors, i have "some" piercings will i have to remove them before flying!!

i ahve never ever flown before and i am scared out of my tiny mind!! i lie awake at ngiht thinking what if my plane gets hijaked? what if we crash? what if this.........what if that.......HELP!!!

All normal, don't worry about it; take some good music or something to read. Better yet, if you feel you are going to be stressed, stay up the night before and you'll sleep like a baby through the flight.:p

And yet you drive around town without the slightest concern, right? When you're far, far more likely to have an accident, even get killed, than you are in flying a commercial airline. Check the statistics. Then you'll be terribly scared of driving, opting to fly everywhere you go!

The fear of flying is simply an irrational view of flying due to the sensationalism that's "promoted" by the media. You don't hear of all the gazillion planes that made flights without a problem ...you only hear of the one that crashed.

Baron Max

actually Baron i dont drive!!

let go of your control issues.. just think of it as an extreme sport.. thats what i did.. just get in and upon takeoff, enjoy the rush of the fear and let it pass.. talk to your neighbor or read that little skymall catalogue :) itll be fine.. youll be on the ground again b4 you know it (either way) lol

i looked into insurance today and i canget insurenace against hijaking, i will get £25 a day for each day the plane is hijkaed

Lol

Lol

people think i am being silly, but i cant sleep i worry so much, the Dr wants to give me calming medication, juts in case i worry myself into an asthma attack :cool:

Do you ride trolleys or trains? If so, it's a lot like that. The sensations of take-off and landing are the most noticeable, but other than that, you can walk about the plane like you would a train, bus, or boat. If you have never flown before, it is reasonable to be anxious. Relax. The pilots have been doing this for years, the crew on the aircraft are trained professionals. Don't worry about it.

You might want to bring a few sticks of chewing gum, as the atmospheric pressure will affect you and you will want to "pop" your ears. If you are prone to motion sickness, take the necessary medications preflight.

Do you ride trolleys or trains? If so, it's a lot like that. The sensations of take-off and landing are the most noticeable, but other than that, you can walk about the plane like you would a train, bus, or boat. If you have never flown before, it is reasonable to be anxious. Relax. The pilots have been doing this for years, the crew on the aircraft are trained professionals. Don't worry about it.

You might want to bring a few sticks of chewing gum, as the atmospheric pressure will affect you and you will want to "pop" your ears. If you are prone to motion sickness, take the necessary medications preflight.

i'm not prone to motion sickness, it just freaks me out that i am going to be miles in the air and anything could happen!!

doesnt help when my kids are freaking out aswell, they are watching videos of plane crashes!!

Why are you going to Des Moine, Iowa?

Why are you going to Des Moine, Iowa?

going to see my dad, who i havent seen for 15yrs, i have got a step sister who has just had a baby aswell so bassically a family thing!!

the worst thing you have to worry about when flying are the "security" checks. you're more likely to get shot in the street than blown up on a plane. the pilots are incredibly well trained in case of any malfunctions, and even those are extremely rare.

a tip for the metal detectors i've found is that they wont go off if you walk through them slowly unless you have a lot of metal on you.

Come fly with me: get to know flying from the front seat. You'll never fear another flight. You'll survive or your money back.

i'm not prone to motion sickness, it just freaks me out that i am going to be miles in the air and anything could happen!!

doesnt help when my kids are freaking out aswell, they are watching videos of plane crashes!!

Take a valium. Works wonders for my mother-in-law.

Your children are probably panicking because they see you panicking. Don't let them watch videos of plane crashes. Take some stuff that will keep them entertained during the flight and take some for yourself as well.

Anything can happen anywhere. Being on a plane is no different to walking down the street or catching a bus or train. You are less likely to come into strife on a plane, then you would walking down your street or catching a bus.

Most of all, enjoy the view while you're in the plane. Especially if you are crossing from day/night, vice versa. I like flying at night as the plane is dark and you will see stars like you have never seen before. Take some earplugs to block out the drone of the engine, have a drink, recline back in your seat, read a book or watch the on-board entertainment and then lament the horrors that is airline food.:)

Pretend the plane is walking on stilts at thirty-thousand feet.

The era of airline hijacking is over. At least American airliners, which is all that matters to you. The 9/11 hijackers ruined it for everybody. From now until the end of eternity, if a bunch of crazy guys stand up in front of the cabin and say, "Okay everybody, just sit quietly and do everything we say, and we won't hurt you," not one person on that plane will believe them! Most of us aren't heroes, but out of the couple of hundred people on that plane, about forty or fifty of them are heroes, and they will take the bastards out, even if a few of them die in the process. The hijackers will die, the plane will land safely, only a few of the heroes will die. The world will celebrate their heroism, the goals of the hijackers will be forgotten, and the hijackers will be ridiculed.

No terrorist wants that to happen, so they'll find something else to do next time rather than hijack an airliner. You're probably safer on an airliner today than any time in the last twenty years. Even if it happens, you won't be injured because you won't be one of the heroes. It will be a bunch of ex-Marines and other tough guys who know how to fight and were trained to give their lives for others. They'll just overwhelm them with sheer body mass.

Call the airline right before you leave home and make sure your flight has not been delayed. They all have computerized information lines and they work pretty efficiently. Don't forget to take your driver's license (or other official government photo ID) to the airport. You will not be allowed inside without it. Maybe you don't have a license since you say you don't drive. Check very thoroughly to see what other kinds of ID are acceptable.

The worst part of air travel these days is the airport. However early they tell you to get there, double it. If they say 2 1/2 hours, make it five. That way you won't be worried that the line is too slow. Do not argue with anybody. No matter how idiotic the civil "servants" are, just do exactly what they tell you. One time I was carrying about fifty music CDs. The moron actually disassembled the jewel cases, pulled out the disks and the liner notes, and I'm sure you know how difficult they are to put back together. I just stood there smiling at everybody because I was early. Eventually even the other morons couldn't stand it, his boss came over and stopped him at about 25 and finished me up himself.

Do not make jokes about President Bush, and I guarantee that even if you're one of the seven Americans who still likes him, you'll be cursing him after two hours of putting up with his utterly foolish security measures. Do not curse him out loud.

They'll make you take your shoes off. The larger airports give you little paper slippers to wear. Just pretend you're at a really bad summer camp.

Read the list of things you're not allowed to carry on an airliner and double check to make sure you don't have any of them. When in doubt, leave it out. Put everything you can in your check-on luggage and go into the cabin with just your purse and a small case. Otherwise you'll be schlepping all your stuff through line after line, and all the x-ray machines. Don't take two cases or you'll have to put one down where your feet are supposed to go and that is a miserable way to travel.

If you carry your computer they'll want you to take it out of its case and put it on the luggage scanning conveyor belt separately. If you carry stuff in your pockets you'll have to take it all out and run it through the x-ray machine. Including your watch, maybe even large jewelry, so don't wear any. Just a wedding ring. Don't wear a belt with metal on it, if you do take it off and put it on the conveyor. They may have a little bag to put all your little personal stuff in, but they may not so bring your own Ziploc. They have little bins to put everything in but you don't want your stuff rolling around.

They won't make you take off your piercings, but they might have to do a really thorough wand inspection of you to make sure they can account for all the metal signals they're getting. I don't know what it's like having those, but if they go on and off fairly easily you might just remove them and put them back when you've passed the check. These people have really boring jobs and everybody in the world hates them, so it's entertaining to hassle somebody and make fun of them.

They run electronic sensors over your luggage which can check for minute traces of drugs. If you've ever carried a joint in your purse, leave it at home and use a different one.

Once you get through security the worst is over, but you may still have a long journey to your departure gate depending on your airport. Some of them like Washington Dulles have shuttle buses or even subways from security to the gate, in others like Sacramento it's just a really long walk.

Don't obsess about fighting the crowd to get on the plane, your seat is reserved and they won't leave without you. If you do what I said and just take a small case you won't have to fight for the overhead luggage space, it will fit. The earlier you board the plane the longer you have to sit and wait for takeoff. That can be the most nerve wracking part, while you're still on the ground waiting your pilot's turn on the runway.

If you don't like the concept of flying you probably don't want a window seat, so make sure they don't give you one when you buy your ticket. The middle of the cabin near the engines is the noisiest part, but those are also the cheapest seats.

Once you're in the air, it's pretty easy and relatively comfortable unless you're six foot three and weigh 240. You may find that you're more at ease than you expected. Compared to the airport the actual plane is a dream. I always bring a book but a lot of people listen to music or play videogames. You probably should not sit there with nothing to do.

Frankly, if your doctor wants to give you a trank, let him. I'd do it just for the airport experience! I must say I can't get over the image of a tough-as-nails broad covered with piercings, who is a sissy about flying. You're just going to have to allow me that giggle. :)

I'm terrified of flying... always have been. Even before 9/11. I generally get a scrip for Valium or Xanax before flying. Wash it down with a Vodka & 7... and I'm off to lala land!

~String

you have more chance of a car running you over when you cross the road, than your plane being hijacked or crashing. you have more chance of being mugged and beaten on the street than dying in a plane crash. basicaly plane crash % is low compared to most other dangers of the modern world.

if your scared of flying its most likely linked to some childhood problem, or fear installed into your brain from a distant date. whats so bad about flying?, compared to the millions of other risks and ways to die by just existing in modern society? its an irrational fear, maybe also a fear of the unknown sinnce you have never flown before. so go get your feet wet and do it, next time you might not be so scared.


or if you cant overcome your fear, take a boat instead.


peace.

The era of airline hijacking is over. At least American airliners, which is all that matters to you. The 9/11 hijackers ruined it for everybody. From now until the end of eternity, if a bunch of crazy guys stand up in front of the cabin and say, "Okay everybody, just sit quietly and do everything we say, and we won't hurt you," not one person on that plane will believe them! Most of us aren't heroes, but out of the couple of hundred people on that plane, about forty or fifty of them are heroes, and they will take the bastards out, even if a few of them die in the process. The hijackers will die, the plane will land safely, only a few of the heroes will die. The world will celebrate their heroism, the goals of the hijackers will be forgotten, and the hijackers will be ridiculed.

No terrorist wants that to happen, so they'll find something else to do next time rather than hijack an airliner. You're probably safer on an airliner today than any time in the last twenty years. Even if it happens, you won't be injured because you won't be one of the heroes. It will be a bunch of ex-Marines and other tough guys who know how to fight and were trained to give their lives for others. They'll just overwhelm them with sheer body mass.

Call the airline right before you leave home and make sure your flight has not been delayed. They all have computerized information lines and they work pretty efficiently. Don't forget to take your driver's license (or other official government photo ID) to the airport. You will not be allowed inside without it. Maybe you don't have a license since you say you don't drive. Check very thoroughly to see what other kinds of ID are acceptable.

The worst part of air travel these days is the airport. However early they tell you to get there, double it. If they say 2 1/2 hours, make it five. That way you won't be worried that the line is too slow. Do not argue with anybody. No matter how idiotic the civil "servants" are, just do exactly what they tell you. One time I was carrying about fifty music CDs. The moron actually disassembled the jewel cases, pulled out the disks and the liner notes, and I'm sure you know how difficult they are to put back together. I just stood there smiling at everybody because I was early. Eventually even the other morons couldn't stand it, his boss came over and stopped him at about 25 and finished me up himself.

Do not make jokes about President Bush, and I guarantee that even if you're one of the seven Americans who still likes him, you'll be cursing him after two hours of putting up with his utterly foolish security measures. Do not curse him out loud.

They'll make you take your shoes off. The larger airports give you little paper slippers to wear. Just pretend you're at a really bad summer camp.

Read the list of things you're not allowed to carry on an airliner and double check to make sure you don't have any of them. When in doubt, leave it out. Put everything you can in your check-on luggage and go into the cabin with just your purse and a small case. Otherwise you'll be schlepping all your stuff through line after line, and all the x-ray machines. Don't take two cases or you'll have to put one down where your feet are supposed to go and that is a miserable way to travel.

If you carry your computer they'll want you to take it out of its case and put it on the luggage scanning conveyor belt separately. If you carry stuff in your pockets you'll have to take it all out and run it through the x-ray machine. Including your watch, maybe even large jewelry, so don't wear any. Just a wedding ring. Don't wear a belt with metal on it, if you do take it off and put it on the conveyor. They may have a little bag to put all your little personal stuff in, but they may not so bring your own Ziploc. They have little bins to put everything in but you don't want your stuff rolling around.

They won't make you take off your piercings, but they might have to do a really thorough wand inspection of you to make sure they can account for all the metal signals they're getting. I don't know what it's like having those, but if they go on and off fairly easily you might just remove them and put them back when you've passed the check. These people have really boring jobs and everybody in the world hates them, so it's entertaining to hassle somebody and make fun of them.

They run electronic sensors over your luggage which can check for minute traces of drugs. If you've ever carried a joint in your purse, leave it at home and use a different one.

Once you get through security the worst is over, but you may still have a long journey to your departure gate depending on your airport. Some of them like Washington Dulles have shuttle buses or even subways from security to the gate, in others like Sacramento it's just a really long walk.

Don't obsess about fighting the crowd to get on the plane, your seat is reserved and they won't leave without you. If you do what I said and just take a small case you won't have to fight for the overhead luggage space, it will fit. The earlier you board the plane the longer you have to sit and wait for takeoff. That can be the most nerve wracking part, while you're still on the ground waiting your pilot's turn on the runway.

If you don't like the concept of flying you probably don't want a window seat, so make sure they don't give you one when you buy your ticket. The middle of the cabin near the engines is the noisiest part, but those are also the cheapest seats.

Once you're in the air, it's pretty easy and relatively comfortable unless you're six foot three and weigh 240. You may find that you're more at ease than you expected. Compared to the airport the actual plane is a dream. I always bring a book but a lot of people listen to music or play videogames. You probably should not sit there with nothing to do.

Frankly, if your doctor wants to give you a trank, let him. I'd do it just for the airport experience! I must say I can't get over the image of a tough-as-nails broad covered with piercings, who is a sissy about flying. You're just going to have to allow me that giggle. :)

ok you can have that giggle!!

i know its irational but i cant get the image out of my mind that some idiot will blow the plane up, and my tangled mutilated body will be found 6 weeks later in a corn field!!

You're more likely to get struck by lightening on your way to the airport.

You're more likely to get struck by lightening on your way to the airport.

i know!!

but what do i do about my piercings remove them of keep them in, it will take about 40mins to take them all out and wear the protective bars i have to wear!!

Where are your piercings? If they are visible it shouldnt be a problem.

Where are your piercings? If they are visible it shouldnt be a problem.

only 4 of them are visible!!

You'll just get a pat-down inspection. No big deal.

You'll just get a pat-down inspection. No big deal.

my god no!!! i'll take a few piercings out

You'll just get a pat-down inspection. No big deal.

or full body cavity search, they might need to find the snuke.


peace.

or full body cavity search, they might need to find the snuke.


peace.

please!! dont say that

Once you're there be prepared for a few hours at immigration, plus fingerprint scans and a face photo.

Once you're there be prepared for a few hours at immigration, plus fingerprint scans and a face photo.

i needed advice not scaring even more than what i am now!!

Take a valium. Works wonders for my mother-in-law.

Your children are probably panicking because they see you panicking. Don't let them watch videos of plane crashes. Take some stuff that will keep them entertained during the flight and take some for yourself as well.

Anything can happen anywhere. Being on a plane is no different to walking down the street or catching a bus or train. You are less likely to come into strife on a plane, then you would walking down your street or catching a bus.

Most of all, enjoy the view while you're in the plane. Especially if you are crossing from day/night, vice versa. I like flying at night as the plane is dark and you will see stars like you have never seen before. Take some earplugs to block out the drone of the engine, have a drink, recline back in your seat, read a book or watch the on-board entertainment and then lament the horrors that is airline food.:)

i'm going on my own i am leaving my kids and husband at home!!

My advice is to put it in perspective. There are many, many things more likely to kill you than a plane crash. I think its 1 in 11 million. Then again some people win the lottery and thats 1 in 14 million, so you never know.......

i am just going to relax and i havent got a window seat because looking out at the clouds all the time will just freak me out, i'll probably sleep anyway!!
(i hope)

Once you're there be prepared for a few hours at immigration, plus fingerprint scans and a face photo.

ive found that from the airport to the plane takes about 1 hour domestic and 2 hours international, its not really that long when you take into account how much walking is involved.

fingerprinting and photos? now im even more glad i didnt travel through america.

I'm flying next month too. 10 hours to Germany in a (probably) packed 777, shoot me now.

And when you get to Germany guess who's waiting to say hello? Armed guards with Uzi's and pistols strapped to their belt. :fright:

only 4 of them are visible!!

angel 40 mins to take them out? how many you got? lol