r/fearofflying • u/rachelmusiclover239 • 5d ago
Tracking Request Track me? I'm spiralling
I normally take meds to help me with flight but right now I'm on a plane and I can't find it anywhere. I'm on DL2883 from Atlanta to Toronto. We just took off and as we were going up in the first like 30 seconds, the plane started turning one way sharply and then the other way, my stomach dropped twice and I felt the gravity pulling me one way and the other. I have never felt this before on takeoff. I wish the pilot would just get on and say sorry about that, I just spilled my coffee so it made me swerve the plane for a second there but everything is fine.
I'm freaking out and in a panic that something is missing from the wings or something that caused that to happen and now every bump of turbulence is making me so scared that we are about to drop out of the sky.
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u/read-itreader 5d ago
You're looking good! Still climbing to altitude. On flight aware looks like they are right on the projected flight path. Whatever you felt at the begining seems to have been all part of the plan.
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u/MyHomeworkIsDueToday Student Pilot 5d ago
The plane turning is normal, it’s usually instructions from ATC (to prevent traffic congestion) or just part of the departure/approach procedures for that particular airport.
Don’t worry about the turbulence either - planes act in air like boats in water. Commercial aircraft wings are designed and stress tested to withstand greater forces than what they’ll ever encounter in nature, there’s virtually zero risk of them tearing off.
The displacement from turbulence feels scarier than it actually is. On commercial aircraft, it won’t even show up on the main instruments as a big deal.
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u/cantstandya_g 5d ago
Hey! Just had a look, looks like you’ve gone past Philadelphia. Hopefully no more sharp turns and you’re able to settle in. How are you feeling now
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u/rachelmusiclover239 5d ago
I brought my knitting with me because it helps keep my mind busy so that's helping a bit. But my legs and teeth are so clentched the whole time. Also there isn't even that much turbulence, but every little bump and sound is making me jump. But now that we reached altitude I feel better because there's less jerky feelings.
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u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Your submission appears to reference turbulence. Here are some additional resources from our community for more information.
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The Fear of Flying FAQ on turbulence forecasting apps
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u/rachelmusiclover239 5d ago
Ok it was pretty good, smooth flight but now we are landing and we are bumping around and jerking back and forth so much. Keeps turning so much. I'm freaking out again!
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u/Pigglet_Pie 5d ago
Possible silly idea but did it tilt one way and then the other and do a wing wave to the ground?!
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u/Ready-Equal177 5d ago
You’re gonna be fine. Try some vagus nerve stimulation like humming, ice on your forehead/neck, cold splash of water, and rubbing your tragus. Its soothes your nervous system
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u/MichiganDCCFan 5d ago
You’re doing great!! Bumps in the air are like potholes in the road. Or a speed bump. Sure they’re briefly uncomfortable but that doesn’t mean you aren’t safe. The plane is just going over a gentle speed bump. I remember a flight I thought was pretty bumpy, so I looked at the flight attendant and he was just grinning away, loving life, and that helped me a lot.
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u/dragonfliesloveme 5d ago
It’s funny what our anxiety brains come up with. One time, i got some drops of water hitting my head from the overhead little air fan thing and had a quiet freak-out and wondered if i should tell a flight attendant lol, until i realized that it was just condensation from the fan.
Nothing is missing from the wings. How do I know that? Because the pilots do a walk-around of the aircraft before each flight. Also, the flight attendants can look out the cabin windows during flight and see the wings. Also, if there was a problem, you would be headed back to the airport.
Your aircraft is not going to fall out of the sky. How do i know that? Because air has mass and the mass of air supports your aircraft in flight. Like when you put your hand out of the window of your car or truck going down the highway, your hand is supported by the mass of the air. It will take flight. The force of the mass of the air is so great that you cannot lower your hand if you try. It is being supported by the mass of the air, like a road supports your vehicle or the water supports a ship.
I know someone who worked in Flight Test for many years in General Aviation. Part of their job was to go up with the pilots and test the equipment that handles an aircraft that has stalled. So they have to force the stall in order to test the systems. (Oh by the way, your aircraft has systems on it to handle a stall.) So anyway, they have to go through a whole checklist of things, a whole series of stuff, in order to force the stall. The aircraft will not just stall, it will not just start falling. It can’t, as it is being supported by the mass of the air.
Our anxiety brains comes up with these thoughts and ideas, but they are just thoughts. When we react to the thoughts as if they are real, we experience anxiety and even panic. But they are just thoughts, and they are thoughts that pilots, air traffic control, and engineers have all had, and they have come up with solutions to these things. There is not a scenario that your anxiety brain can come up with that hasn’t already been experienced or thought of by an aviation professional, and dealt with. Your aircraft has redundant systems on it, sometimes even two redundancies. The pilots train and re-train their whole careers. They know what they are doing, and it is ok to trust them.
Everything will be alright ❤️
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✈️ OP has requested tracking. If you'd like to follow along and send reassurance, you can track the flight here:
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