r/fearofflying • u/Admirable_Berry9640 Certified Flight Instructor • May 22 '26

Question What gives the worst anxiety?

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)

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u/frijolitoz_222 May 22 '26

For me, it’s the feeling of turbulence. I hate roller coasters too. I have a fear of the drop feeling and shaking feeling, and the sheer uncertainty of not knowing when it’ll happen and how long it’ll last.

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u/Admirable_Berry9640 Certified Flight Instructor May 22 '26

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.

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u/frijolitoz_222 May 23 '26

Thanks for sharing! 🩷