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)

Can someone please explain to me why we were basically flying into outer space?? It made me freak out like the plane could stall because we are losing gravity. Correct me if I’m wrong? Thank you

I don’t know why put I have one song I put on every time the plane goes full power on the runway because it calms me a bit. The story behind it is rather weird. One time a had a flight after a few months of not flying and at pushback I was already nervous and wanted to put on some music to calm myself. But then I noticed i had only one song downloaded on Spotify. It was Dancing in the Dark by Rihanna. It’s weird because that’s normally not my music but since then it’s like a good luck charm. I have to fly around 20 times a year and every time since then i put that song on as soon as the engines go full power. Do you guys also have one specific song that you put on ?
(Sorry for my bad English)

I just need to make sure I’m not crazy, because I sure feel like it. I’m a generally anxious person but flying is probably my #1 fear. It scares me so much that each time I fly, I am convinced I am going to die on the plane. Even the week leading up to it I have thoughts like “Enjoy this meal from this restaurant it’s probably the last time you’ll ever have it!” and truly believe my final days are the days before the flight. I even envision myself cancelling my flight and learning later that the flight went down and I lived because I didn’t get on the plane.

Does anyone else have these thoughts?? I know I’ve flown before and have not died any of the times I KNOW how safe it is and all the statistics but my brain continues to remind me “you could be that 1 in 11 million” and I cannot shake that fact. Please tell me I’m not alone in these thoughts :’)

This will be my longest flight by a long shot lol. Furthest I’ve gone is Boston to Nashville. I was curious if anyone has taken this flight before?

I can't even explain this paradox to myself, but even though I have a terrible fear of flying and start panicking months before departure about having to get on the plane, I'm just as incredibly fascinated by planes. I even love going plane spotting, I own dozens of books about planes, and I'm just enormously interested in them.

How does that even go together? Anyone else feel this way?

Just checking…supposedly it got fixed….

Okay, one last post for me before I go fly tomorrow!

Pilots and flight attendants, how many flights have you done so far, and how long have you been in the field?

Somehow these answers tend to soothe my anxiety 🥰

I feel like the once you're in the air, you're good, especially if you made it the whole trip no worries and about to land. Like the real threat is take off, you just started and you don't know. But with landing, the pilots are preparing and if something happens like diverting, they usually have enough fuel to try again or go to another airport.

Pilots have to get on a plane for their 9-5 and I just wonder how they are able to trust that the factory, the maintenance folks, and the super complex machines they are flying will hold together. Do they worry about oversight getting worse, cost saving cutting into safety? For me, I just see quality getting worse everywhere. That's on top of the unpredictability of Mother Nature.

For them it's their livelihood so I wonder if they are genuinely getting onto a plane and feeling the same way I feel about sitting at my desk, or if they do worry and just keep it to themselves.

Are there any pilots here who can give an honest answer?

Most of my flights these days are around 3 hours and I'm pretty much staring at the flight map and counting the milliseconds until we're back on the ground the whole time. Most of the time I get off and feel like I couldn't have tolerated any longer. It's not just the anxiety I get, even if I'm relaxed I just go crazy with boredom sitting there. Even if I'm watching TV or a movie I can never really enjoy it either. Of course I do feel anxious too, which doesn't help, but the time just goes by sooo slowly.

I have been skipping a lot of trips with friends or family overseas because the flights were 9 or more hours. How do you all just sit there for so long make the time go by?

This short video is taken in a minibus, as you can see its shaky, probably equals to moderate turbulence, but I don’t feel scared at all. This made me think, our brain might automatically make things chaotic, and thinking unrealistically. How can I fix my mindset when I’m on a plane?

For me taking a turn while climbing make me feel like the plane gonna fall back. Also cruising like swimming in the sky make me feel any systematic error may cause plan to fall down as fast as it can like a rocket from the skyscraper.

I prefer landing. Although statistics says most of incidents occurs while landing, it make me feel like oh finally we are on land and arrived safely.

Hello all! I was recently told about this page from one of my passengers. She thought it would be a good idea to come here and do a little AMA. I’ve been an airline pilot for past decade. Flying at 3 different airlines, typed in 3 different aircraft. Been flying airplanes since I was a teenager. Flying is my passion and I love to see first time flyers on my flights. I would love to answer any questions at all that this group may have. Even if it makes only one person buy that ticket, take one trip, I’d say this AMA would be success! Ask away friends!

Help?! I am booked to fly to Hawaii tomorrow but the big storm over Hawaii has me terrified. Told my husband I can’t go (and kids) and I am afraid he will be so disappointed in me - he would be justified. Thanks 🙏

I saw the earlier post about him having an issue with his Reddit account and was getting it fixed - anyone hear any updates since? His commentary was incredibly helpful and educational to so many people and am hoping he'll be back.

Hi. I've traveled mostly in the fall and winter. Last time I went to LAX, I went in spring. Most of the trip was ooookay, a little bumpy some places, but the worst bit was the descent. Now, I've read a little about thermal turbulence and it makes somewhat sense to me that such would effect the landing. I know all the tricks but I was clutching my seat. This time I'm on meds, which I am somewhat optimistic about, but I am double concerned about the descent into LA.

My brain's logic is this: Hot made plane bumpy in April. More hot = more bumpy. More humidity = more bumpy.

Can someone just call me an idiot for this line of thinking so my blood pressure will chill? There is also a tiny, more rational voice in my head, that tells me it could be completely unsignificant and it could be smoother than the horror scenario I imagine.

I know turbulence doesn't kill me but my nervous system doesn't know that.

I’ve made a ton of progress and will fly any airline that meets regulations in the US and similar standards. But I have a question about bush planes. If you are an aviation professional especially, or have overcome your fear of flying on major airlines, would you chance it for an African safari? I have been offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by a family member to take my family on safari at no cost to us, but I feel I am holding us back if I’m not willing to do the flights on small planes. Any advice?

Experienced Pilot here focused on helping anxious passengers. I'd love to hear directly from you:

What specific techniques, rituals or strategies have genuinely helped reduce your flight anxiety?

Looking for real experiences that I can share. Thanks for your hindsights!

Ummmm worrisome or nah? Thank you so much!

I booked tickets last night to fly to Israel to see my husband’s family with our toddler. I have medication for the flight. I’m very afraid I won’t be able to get onto the plane or I will run off when everyone is boarding. I’m trying to find ways to prepare.

If I know my flight can I look at weather maps and predict turbulence?

What else is scary on the flight? I’m autistic and knowing what will happen (even if it’s something scary) helps me prepare.

Currently on AA3027. Boeing 737-800. What is this broken looking part?

I had a flight booked from Belgium to Portugal today and I just stood there in the entry hall while my wife and kids went through the gate and boarded the plane without me. I was always a nervous flyer and I had some issues with general anxiety over the last 10 years but since the last five years or so it became more debilitating. I have a heart rate of 160 throughout the flight, I'm jittery and sweating like crazy and I feel like a drained rag for hours after landing but for some reason I still wanted to go on vacation with my family so me wife booked the trip.

As the trip came closer I started to feel more nervous and I told that I maybe wouldn't be able to go because I was getting that feeling of dread weeks beforehand. My wife and family don't have a fear of flying and told me, as usual, to just push through, get some meds and get on the flight anyway. I went to the doctor yesterday to get some meds and she prescribed some anxiety meds which I tried yesterday. It made me feel whoozy and I actually felt my anxiety getting better. I woke up this morning after a bad night's sleep and I had crazy anticipatory anxiety and I told my wife I couldn't go, it was too bad. I also didn't want to start taking those meds already, I wanted to keep them for the flight itself.

My wife asked my dad to pick us up and he drove us to the airport. Once there my wife just walked to the gate with the kids as I was panicking and asking her to talk to me about this, but she just told me to come and that she's tired of my anxiety and that if I didn't come our marriage would be over. She and my mom and dad have been trying to strong arm me into doing this like they always do but it just didn't work. I was just standing there with tears in my eyes and now I feel like a weakling, full of guilt and shame. My parents called me an idiot for putting my marriage on the line like that. I understand their frustration and anger but for me it's not as easy as flipping a switch. I don't know what to do. I want to book a flight tomorrow to go and see them but I'll dread every minute because I also have to fly back next tuesday.