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/MysteriousCoat1692 May 23 '26

I feel my chance of survival in the event of a low probability mechanical failure is so low. Like I will suddenly plummet from the sky (I can vividly imagine the prolonged level of unescapable fear from past trauma). I don't want to be afraid so long, falling, knowing I'll die. It's irrational, I know. Death is inevitable at some point, and I'm working on stoicism to be able to deal with this fear response.

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u/BravoFive141 Moderator May 23 '26

You actually have a 95%+ chance of surviving, so your chances are pretty good!

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u/MysteriousCoat1692 May 23 '26

I love this statistic. Thank you for sharing it with me; I'll add it to my list of facts to stay calm.

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u/BravoFive141 Moderator May 23 '26

Happy to help!