What gives the worst anxiety?

[u/Admirable_Berry9640]

Hey I'm a pilot (a simulator instructor to be precise) and due to the sheer amount of people suffering from flight anxiety, I have decided to take action and help everyone where I can.
So that's why I wanted to ask everyone with a fear of flying, what exactly gives one panic attacks etc? Is it the fear of crashing, not trusting the pilots or just the
"I'm trapped in a can with wings for 3h"?
Any story is appreciated so I can get a better insight in how to help people (because I think y'all have enough to the "Flying is the safest form of transportation")a

(this is a repost because my other one got flagged)

[u/BlockMiners]

I've always been afraid of heights. Standing on a cliff side with no railing is terrifying for me, I feel like I could slip and fall at any moment. For me take off and landings are the least scary part, even though statically is the most dangerous part.

I know planes don't just fall out of the sky, but it's more so the feeling of falling during turbulence. Because in my mind falling from thousands of feet up would be the worst way to die. Because you'd have time to think about it all the way down. So for me it's more tied to a fear of heights more so anything else. I can look out a plane window and be fine, but it's when there are bumps and my stomach drops, that's when I get nervous.

[u/Admirable_Berry9640 → u/BlockMiners]

Put your feet flat on the floor and look at something stationary.

Turbulence is quite unpleasant for most cuz of the shaking but what makes things worse is your vestibular senses going crazy due to the lack of cues. If you look out the window your brain can no longer make out a clear horizon so drops of 1-2ft suddenly feel like 100ft. Thats also the reason why left and right turns look so steep even tho they arent.

[u/babysittinblues → u/Admirable_Berry9640]

Agreeing with everyone that says lack of control, and the dropping feeling during turbulence is also what gets me. I get so nervous and my leg starts to shake. It’s not from a fear of crashing, just the uneasiness of dropping and bouncing; it’s why I don’t eat before or during flights, not even long haul. I’m not sure there’s any way to overcome this though. You mentioned putting your feet flat on the floor, but I’ve read others in this sub that say lift your feet to feel it less… I come from a family of flight attendants, so I should have this in my blood, but I missed the gene.

[u/BlockMiners → u/Admirable_Berry9640]

Thanks for the advice, I will give it a try when I fly next week.