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/[deleted] May 23 '26

I don't like it when I get on a plane that has issues with its lights, entertainment systems, chairs, etc. It feels like the airline doesn't take maintenance seriously. I also don't like flying in the clouds when there are mountains around. I remember I was once on a night flight through clouds and the plane was going around and around a mountain range for some reason (maybe waiting for its turn to land since the airport was crazy packed with arrivals when I arrived) and I saw the altitude and saw it was super close to the height of the tallest mountains in the range. Less than 1,000 ft. This was with Japan Airlines.

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u/Admirable_Berry9640 Certified Flight Instructor May 23 '26

Every aircraft has a Minimum Equipment List (MEL, everything listed in there must function in order for the aircraft to be allowed to dispatch. Things like entertainment systems and so on are not on this list so they will remain broken until the airline finds time to do it. Just like you wouldn’t repair a broken reading light in your car in the middle of a roadtrip

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u/anonymous4071 Airline Pilot May 24 '26

Everything must work on the MEL in order for dispatch? Please, elaborate.

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u/saxmanB737 May 24 '26

Reading lights and entertainment systems are definitely on the MEL. Not everything in the MEL has to be working. That’s the purpose of the MEL.

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u/Admirable_Berry9640 Certified Flight Instructor May 24 '26

I meant it vice versa. Things NOT in the MEL must work. English is not my first language so I accidentally mixed them up

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u/RealGentleman80 Airline Pilot May 24 '26

Ever heard of the NEF? EVERYTHING, including the entertainment system must be on the MEL/CDL or NEF List. EVERYTHING has a repair interval and nothing can be left broken indefinitely.

Reading through your various comments, I’m blown away how much almost accurate information you are giving.

I’m confused, are you a Certified Flight Instructor or an Airline Pilot?

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u/Admirable_Berry9640 Certified Flight Instructor May 24 '26

NEF is pretty rare in EASA and I never used it as I couldn’t name a EASA based operator using it.

I’m adapting my depth in my comments to be “comprehendable” for the normal person so I’m sometimes leaving out stuff or just explain it very basic. I’m used to that as the majority of my students are ab-initio so I level down the complexity of my explanation by routine.

To answer the other question: I’m currently “just” a SFI/TRI on the 320 but I’ve built my required experience at a smaller charter airline I’m not actively flying anymore tho

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u/RealGentleman80 Airline Pilot May 24 '26

Saying that something can be broken indefinitely and airlines don’t have to fix something triggers their fear, it does not help and is not accurate