Latinplane From United States, joined Dec 1999, 2339 posts, RR: 10 Posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 415 times:
Hello to everyone!
I need your input in this matter, because I am doing a speech on this subject for my speech class. I love flying and I really don't know people that are terrified to fly so I need to do some research!.
I have read post on this forum about people that are affraid to fly. If you are; please help me. I will really appreciate it.
Thanks.
Any comments are welcomed!!!
Honesty and sincerity are the best assets of my personality!
Rotate777 From United States, joined Apr 2000, 400 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 247 times:
Well, me for instance, I love to fly. I'm not afraid of flying at all. On the other hand, my friend, hates to fly. He's scared to death once the plane starts moving! His excuse is that he is afraid of heights. So i guess that could be one reason.
If someone is afraid to climb up a ladder, imagine them flying on a plane.
CPDC10-30 From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2000, 4618 posts, RR: 23 Reply 2, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 244 times:
Rotate777, I don't think the fear of flying and heights are the one and the same, at least for me. I feel afraid atop of a 6 foot ladder, but when flying a glider at 5000ft AGL or more I fell completely secure. Even when pointing the nose directly at the ground to recover from a spin I don't feel as afraid as I do on a ladder
I think the reason many people are afraid of flying is because they don't understand how an airplane works. They worry in turbulence about the wings breaking, worry about engines making funny sounds etc. I think half the passengers on the plane would be shocked to know that it could glide for more than 50 miles with no engine power (at cruising altitude). People tend to be afraid of things they don't understand.
Sndp From Belgium, joined Feb 2000, 553 posts, RR: 2 Reply 3, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 251 times:
I have always been interested in wanting to know why some people are afraid to fly. I am not, not at all, but for a lot of people this indeed seems to be so. I have been reading a lot about it so if you wish you can leave your email address here and I will send you a lot of information. I can tell you a lot about:
- What fear of flying actually is.
- What kind of reactions people have when they are scared to fly, how you can recognise it.
- What those people think when they have to fly or even when they only see a plane.
- Some figures about the amount of people afraid of flying
- Some figures about how safe flying actually is.
- What these people do and think at every part of the flight (entering the airport, entering the aircraft, push-back, ...)
- Some theories about people who are afraid to fly.
- What they (or therapists) can do about it.
It is far too much to write it down all here, if you would like to know more about it, leave your email address and I send you the information as fast as I can.
Kind regards,
sndp
LBSteve From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 217 times:
I’m usually not afraid to fly when I have something to fix my attention to such as looking out the window, reading, etc.. Strangely if left to my own devices I will imagine various disaster scenarios which make me rather uncomfortable. I know that sounds crazy, but I can’t seem to help myself! I tend to think the worst! : )
Heffer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 5 days ago) and read 203 times:
In addition to CPDC10-30 comments on people scared about the wing breaking off and things, you know where they get those idea's from??? I have an idea... Flying Movies... You know the type... you see that sort of movie around (not always in the cinema) all the time...
Exnonrev From United States, joined Oct 1999, 620 posts, RR: 3 Reply 7, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 192 times:
Another factor in the public's perception of flying is the news media. Somehow after more than 96 years of advancement, they still consider aviation inherently dangerous.
Just look at what happens when an airliner has to turn around and land for any reason. Even a faulty warning light or a "smell in the cabin" is presented as "Passengers Nearly Escape Death In Emergency Landing" or some such headline. TV is the worst of all. Inevitably they'll interview the pax on our faulty warning light flight and find someone who is sobbing uncontrollably and someone else who swears he or she will never fly again.
Every day, somewhere in the world there is a fatal bus or train accident. Do fatal commercial aviation accidents occur EVERY DAY? Of course not. Even the most horrifying bus or train accidents caused by blatant human error or neglect don't get one tenth the coverage that one airline accident recieves.
When there is a fatal bus accident, do you ever see the media listing every fatal accident involving the same make and model bus? Think back to AS 261 and how many times they listed every MD-80 accident over and over.
I could go on and on with examples. With all this Bravo Sierra being published and broadcast, it's no wonder some folks are scared.
Sky King From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 189 times:
I agree that the media has much to do with how many people feel about flying. Crashes are news. Sucessful flights are not. Just think how thick the newspapers would be, and how long the TV news would be if all the sucessful flights were reported on and passengers interviewed to tell how much they enjoyed the flight. Wouldn't work. That's not news, that is expected. The surprises are news. In addition to the media reporting the bad things and movies showing unrealistic happenings in aircraft, a lack of knowledge about something makes us cautious and timid. How fast would you walk through a completely dark room not knowing what was in there?
AerLingus A330 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 198 times:
I know many people have a fear of "closed in spaces". They realize flying is one of THE safest forms of transportation yet when they are in an enclosed space with strangers and no place to go, it can get uncomfortable!
Granted many are afraid of crashes but don't forget, the reason why crashes are such major news stories is simply because they don't happen that often!
In the United States, close to 50,000 people are killed every year in car crashes but most of the time you don't hear about them. I am in Boston and I am certain that unless you are reading the local paper or web page like "Boston.com" you probably didn't even hear about the fatal car crash in Sandwich last Sunday which tragically left two children without their Mom and Dad!
KLM672 From United States, joined Oct 1999, 1889 posts, RR: 3 Reply 10, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 178 times:
I am not afraid of flying. Last year (finally) my cousins came over from Germany, I remeber them saying not beliving how a plane can just fly for 8 or so hours...
That maybe one reason.
Blade From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 176 times:
In addition to AerLingus answer I would say that the reason why are commercial plane accidents such a major news all around the world is because when they occurs usually lots of people die too. I mean, you can't find car or bus accident where more than hundred people die, but if happens it will for sure be major news. I'm sure that you didn't hear about every single small plane accident that happened. And not to go off topic to much, I would say that people are afraid of flying because they know that if something goes really wrong, plane will crash and they will get killed. I mean if your car engine explodes you would just step out of car and that's it, however if plane engine explodes and in addition brakes a part of a wing...wow, there you go.
ps. If you really want to know about this things it would probably be better for you to read some of the countless articles on the internet. Just use any search engine.
Tr1492 From United States, joined Feb 2000, 109 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 174 times:
My sister-in-law is terrified of flying. I've only flown with her on one occasion (Carnival Airlines A-300 from JFK-FLL) and she had to take Valium, or something like that. Her main fear - bumps and oscillations caused by turbulence. Even sedated, her knuckles were white from her death grip on her armrests - and this was during the entire flight!! Every time the plane hit a bump, you could look over at her and see the fear in her face! When the plane was descending, she looked as if she was having a heart attack! She even flinched when the plane lurched a bit as came to a full stop at the gate!! Needless to say, she rented a car and drove herself back to NY from Florida by herself!!
Purdue Arrow From United States, joined May 1999, 1574 posts, RR: 7 Reply 13, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 164 times:
I think that the reason is that, even though aviation is safer than other forms of transportation, accidents get a lot ore press. When there's a car crash, it is not reported nationwide, because most people in CA don't care that there was an accident in MN, especially when CA has enough accidents of its own. Therefore, all of the many many car accidents just kind of slip away unnoticed. In the rare event that there's a plane crash, however, it makes headlines because of a few reasons. First, there are so many people in the same accident. Second, all of those people come from different places - they could be from anywhere in the world. Because of that, it is more of a concern to people who are not in the locale of the accident. Finally, like others have said, people don't understand airplanes, so they freak out any time something goes wrong, as if we are lucky that we're able to defy the laws of physics as people know them when we do fly, and that we the laws of physics are teaching us a lesson when we crash.
Latinplane From United States, joined Dec 1999, 2339 posts, RR: 10 Reply 14, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 164 times:
I would like to thank all of you for your great responses to my thread. I really apreciate that you took the time to do this for me. Hopefully, I will do very well in my speech class.
I would specially like to thank Sndp, becuase it seems as if you are very aware in this matter. Please feel free to e-mail me your info at: Latinplane@aol.com
Once again, thanks to all of you and please continue with your suggestions as they are greatly appreciated.
Take care!
Apollo Diaz
Los Angeles, CA
U.S.A.
Honesty and sincerity are the best assets of my personality!
Eg777er From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2000, 1815 posts, RR: 8 Reply 15, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 162 times:
Perhaps the reason for the obsessive news coverage is that they are giving us what they want.
From the recounting of tales on this post, it seems that human beings are inherently morbid (not that this is a bad thing - it's probably very healthy). However, that's probably getting too philosophical...
Matt D From United States, joined Nov 1999, 9502 posts, RR: 52 Reply 16, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 166 times:
One other possibility is the control factor. People feel safer when they are in control (in a car for example). Whereas in an airplane, they are "at the mercy" of someone else. Perhaps that's part of it. For some reason, because they are driving, they accept the much higher risk factor.
Zartan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 18, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 147 times:
I used to be very afraid to fly and still get a bit nervous in turbulence... ok, I can get *very* nervous in turbulence. For me, it's because I do not have control of my circumstances, and I do not know the pilot. I can be perfectly happy hurtling down a hill on skis, driving quickly on a one-lane road, etc, but in these cases I do not have to be concerned with someone else's inattention, just my own (which is somehow easier to deal with). I got over my fear of flying initially by making a point of finding and looking at the pilots of every plane I was on (I am a mgmt consultant and fly weekly - you can imagine how this adjustment went given my formerly terrified stance towards flying). I found that looking at the pilots allowed me to feel safer in their hands rather than just being in a big box with no idea what was going on or who was in control. I know none of this was rational, but I never said it was! Just what worked for me. I think that a fear of heights is another big reason for some people and is part of my concern but it's the lack of control that really does it.
I'll tell you what, too - UAL's cockpit radio is the best thing that ever happened to me as a nervous flier, because now I can hear the calm voices of 2 professionals (plus other pilots in the air) discussing the *real* details (not the bs they say over the loudspeakers) of the air conditions, etc, warning me of turbulence and stormy conditions, other aircraft, etc. It makes me feel more in control, so it makes things easier to handle. This is, truth be told, the main reason I fly UAL (along with economy plus w/ my premier status makes flying a lot easier... plus the routes I'm frequently on are all operated by great newer a/c such as 767ER and 757. Again, visualizing the pilot, listening to the ATC - these all "give me back" some control.
Anyway, now I love flying although I still get very freaked out in serious turbulence (such as ORD departure last Thursday early afternoon - although listening to ATC and our pilots steer us around storm cells was amazing and very interesting, the buckling and altitude losses due to turbulence really got to me...)
Hahnn From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 19, posted (8 years 7 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 145 times:
BY291A is exactly correct. I myself do not like to fly, I do like airplanes however, sort of a strange concept. In fact my father is a pilot which can complicate things. The reason most people don't like flying is that they can not control a single thing. They also do not know what is going on. When you are in a car you know when you are going to turn whether you are driving or not, the same is not true for a plane. You can be sleeping and be awakened to a turning plane or turbulance, something that you were not expecting. This can be a very unseteling and very scary moment for people. Another thing that I find somewhat scary is that you rarely see the people who fly the plane, all you get is some voice come out of the speakers durring take off and landing or when there is something bad happening (turbulance, delay, etc...) I for one appreciate it when the pilots try and tell passengers ahead of time of turbulance, I know this is sometimes impossible but it helps people like me. Anyhow, being afraid to fly has little to do with flying and more to do with control.
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