Fear of Flying!

[drwhofan]

I am absolutely terrified of flying but obviously when i go on holiday with my family i cant exactly let it hold them back too, so i have to fly all the way back from New York to England soon and I was wondering if anyone can give me any tips as to how to calm down and use up the time without panicking. PLEASE!!

[Peri]

Rescue Remedy is very good.  Have you thought of hypnotherapy.

[Tapirman]

Just keep an eye on the inflight crew. If they start to panic then you can. Accept that as sure-fire way of deducing that something is badly wrong.

[Dom Tuk]

remember this simple fact...airtravel is the safest means of transport.  The plane is designed to be in the air.....and say to yourself...Man this is great.....and you will find that it is indeed great. Also one simple thing that bothers people is the take off and landing. It may be jerky and fast and noisy. But it lasts a few seconds and there are enough machines on board to ensure nothing goes wrong. Order a stiff drink just before landing if it helps to calm you down. Avoid window seats and a game to play is can i predict if we have landed or taken off. Close your eyes and see if you get it right. Do a lot of people watching...try and guess their age, occupations and life histories, if they are gay straight, rich or poor, maybe even man or woman.

[sddsddean]

Most of the time, you hardly know you are moving; unless you are in turbulence! Remember, the aircraft is designed to fly through this. OK, the wings are wobbling. Thats OK, if they didn't they would snap off. Turbulence is especially prevalent at the top of the clouds, thats why you seem to get a lot of it during takeoff and landing, you are passing through turbulent air. During take off and landing the wings are supposed to have holes in them where the flaps and slats deploy from. These make the plane safer to fly. Do not worry (easier said than done) as Dom Tuk said, it is the safest way to travel.

[the>one]

don't worry i've flown loads of times without serious incident.... except that one time.... oh! it doesn't matter, actually theres no way i'll get back on

[jno]

G&T - that's gin and temazepam.

[swinton1]

I'm not sure where you are living at the moment.  In the UK you will find that most major airports hold a day course designed especially for people like yourself.  Costs are around �100 for a session and it should work, alternatively I can sell you a tix for the Queen Mary just let me know what date!!

[Greeno]

Just remember you are more likely to die in a donkey related incident or from a vending machine falling on you than from dieing in a plane crash. Nothing to be worried about just watch a film or read or something. You won't be able to sleep so don't even bother trying that!!!!