Help: Fear of Flying

[MaChu]

Ok my friend is leaving for vacation and she is very afraid of traveling in an airplane. What is the best way to help her through this?

[MicrOMag]

I suppose watching Final Destination would be a bad idea...:rolleyes:

[MaChu]

Maybe they should make that an inflight movie lol, but seriously anyone else?

[EsPo]

buy some sort of pills that will knock her out...

my parents told me they would do this when we fly to florida in august because i'm greatly scared as well...

[joeyjoe367]

Tell her that her chances of dying in an airplane are lower than getting hit by lightning.

don't forget to mention that 99% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

[FutureMagOwner]

tell her that the = of an airplane crash or more die every day from cars and that millions of planes fly every day with ONE crash every couple months at most. although then she might be scared of cars.

just tell her its safer then any form of transportation besides the railways(and i suppose boats but thats a bit excessive)

[cris8762]

go watch turbulence 1, 2 and 3!!!!!!

actually the knock out pills sounds like a good idea, or just lace her coke with a couple of spoonfulls of nyquil;) :D

[Will Wood]

Same deal with one of my freinds. I just talked to her, tried to get her mind of flying. Then after takeoff, we booted up the laptop and she was fine. Distraction is the key.

[ASDadam]

One way to solve the problem, go with her and tell her if she is good and doesn't get scared she can join the Mile high club, easy way to rid fear of heights....

[Kellen_p8nt]

Well im working on my private liscense, And my Instructor is notorious for opening the door of the plane at about 3000ft just as a joke.

Make sure she knows that any person flying that plane is OVERLY qualified to fly it. You train to fly when things go wrong. That why I have to log so many hours and learn how to come out of stalls. And if all else fails get her some goodys headache powder and one of those eye covers and let her sleep and use the powder for any headaches or sickness she may have

[beam]

The dangerous part is getting TO the airport. Odds are, if you're gonna die, it'll be in a car on your way to the airport, not the flight itself.

Buy her one of those fake lottery tickets and give it to her in the terminal or just after you take your seat. When it shows that she is a winner of 10,000 or 1,000,000 her mind won't be on the fear. Also, then you could tell her, "See? You won! What are the odds that you'd win the lottery AND die in a airplane crash...now relax!" :D

[HoboJudge]

I don't think he would at 3000 ft. I could be wrong, but I think you have to be a lot higher than that to get sucked out.

[AutomagRT1483]

Just have him picture all the different kinds of pie..by the time he's airborne he'll be so hungry that he wont be able to think of anything else.

[Kellen_p8nt]

You have to be alot higher to be sucked out of it. However it does make your ears pop which is why I hate it when he does it. And remember I said privates liscense im flying a Cessna 172 which isnt a pressurized cabin.

[sniper1rfa]

Originally posted by Ascreennam3



....He would get sucked out IF he could even open it because of the pressure....

nope, not in a two seater. two seaters are fun, you can control the plane by sticking your hand out the window. :p

[Kellen_p8nt]

i know flying that things so much fun. I have a 1 o'clock flight time maybe ill bring my cam along and take a pic during a climb so you can see my goofball instructor doing it

[Crimson_Turkey]

1: Dangle her from the celing and push her around.

2: Just see if you can get her to simply fly. Hell i simultaneously confronted the fear of scorpians, snakes, enclosed spaces, heights and the dark once. She can do it!

[Kellen_p8nt]

There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Pick a nice day and try it.

The first part is easy. All it requires is simply the ability to throw yourself forward with all your weight, and the willingness not to mind that it's going to hurt.

That is, it's going to hurt if you fail to miss the ground. Most people fail to miss the ground, and if they are really trying properly, the likelihood is that they will fail to miss it fairly hard.

Clearly, it is the second part, the missing, which presents the difficulties.

One problem is that you have to miss the ground accidentally. It's no good deliberately intending to miss the ground because you won't. You have to have your attention suddenly distracted by something else when you're halfway there, so that you are no longer thinking about falling, or about the ground, or about how much it's going to hurt if you fail to miss it.

It is notoriously difficult to prize your attention away from these three things during the split second you have at your disposal. Hence most people's failure, and their eventual disillusionment with this exhilarating and spectacular sport.

If, however, you are lucky enough to have your attention momentarily distracted at the crucial moment by, say, a gorgeous pair of legs (tentacles, pseudopodia, according to phyllum and/or personal inclination) or a bomb going off in your vicinty, or by suddenly spotting an extremely rare species of beetle crawling along a nearby twig, then in your astonishment you will miss the ground completely and remain bobbing just a few inches above it in what might seem to be a slightly foolish manner.

This is a moment for superb and delicate concentration. Bob and float, float and bob. Ignore all consideration of your own weight simply let yourself waft higher. Do not listen to what anybody says to you at this point because they are unlikely to say anything helpful. They are most likely to say something along the lines of "Good God, you can't possibly be flying!" It is vitally important not to believe them or they will suddenly be right.

Waft higher and higher. Try a few swoops, gentle ones at first, then drift above the treetops breathing regularly.

DO NOT WAVE AT ANYBODY.

When you have done this a few times you will find the moment of distraction rapidly easier and easier to achieve.

You will then learn all sorts of things about how to control your flight, your speed, your maneuverability, and the trick usually lies in not thinking too hard about whatever you want to do, but just allowing it to happen as if it were going to anyway.

You will also learn about how to land properly, which is something you will almost certainly screw up, and screw up badly, on your first attempt.

There are private clubs you can join which help you achieve the all-important moment of distraction. They hire people with surprising bodies or opinions to leap out from behind bushes and exhibit and/or explain them at the critical moments. Few genuine hitchhikers will be able to afford to join these clubs, but some may be able to get temporary employment at them.

[no_doz]

tell your friend that if the plane crashes u will owe her $5.

[devildog]

just tell her to get really really drunk, works for most people.......

[SG Avenger]

Originally posted by devildog
just tell her to get really really drunk, works for most people.......

While I have no fear of flying, I was on a flight from Arizona to Kentucky, and I got lit up on drinks. We were flying through a big lightning storm, you could see bolts everywhere, and most of the passengers were terrified, and clinging to their seats... I was having a good ole' time, except when I fell down in the isle, doh.

[Albinonewt]

Just pull an A-team and drug BA before you put him on the plane.

Drinking works too.

Once, at Huricanes outside of BWI airport I go so drunk I stumeled away, and ended up on a flight to Dallas somehow. When I woke up on the plane I couldn't remember where I was, how i got there, or anything. I just started freaking out. They explained to me that I had a ticket (which i later saw on my credit card statement, ouch) and i had walked onto the plane and then fell asleep.

Even better, I had driven to the bar and had the keys to the car in my pocket.

[LittleKrems]

ive been flying since i was a baby so it really doesnt scare me at all. nothing bad can happen in an airplane. i think turbulence is fun and people get mad at me on airlines for laughing.:rolleyes: :D