so SCARED of turbulence!

[kdsnail]

hello, i used to fly for 1-2 hour flights a few times each year, until i had a horrible turbulent experience when flying from Albuquerque to Phoenix in 1996.

since then, i have taken Amtrak everywhere in this nation. now i am bored with it, but have been off the horse for 10 years!

my daughter moved to N.C. and wants me to visiti this september. i ordered the book from captain ray, and need someone to assure me!

help!

kdsnail:eek: :pray: :nono: :cry: :cower: :wired:

[Rebecca]

I just love how love:pixdust:gets people in the air! The resilience of the human spirit! The desire to be with the people we love!

Welcome, kd! And yes, bravo for you, tackling this thing!

Sorry you had that bad experience in '96. That kind of thing is pretty common for putting people off flying. Yet, as Deb says, it's unpleasant but just part of some trips, not a safety concern.

I'd much rather go through turb in a jetliner than in the small planes ... we had some "interesting" bouncing our last trip, without benefit of the greater stability of the big planes.

I think Deb's technique of looking out the window sounds good, and looking at the wing flex. You're still level, you're still flying, you're just in some air that isn't smooth.

You'll get the hang of it!

[noflyingfan]

I also hate turb. My "trick" is looking for the flight attendants. If they're up and walking around, I know I'm not in any great danger.

Of course, that's not to say that if I can't see them, something bad is happening. So I simply wait five minutes and look again, because they might just be making coffee or in the bathroom.

[WillFlyToDisney]

:welcome2:

I hate turbulence too! What I have learned from my many flights though is to "go with it" instead of resist it. Instead of tensing up and gripping the armrests then force yourself to take a few very deep cleansing breaths and sink into your seat. Once you are relaxed then the bumps don't seem nearly as bad. What is even better is to make a playlist on your MP3 player with uptempo music and crank it up during the turbulence. :thumbsup:

My favorite turbulence songs right now are "Hold On Loosely" by .38 Special and "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts.

Also just keep repeating this in your head "turbulence is NOT dangerous to the plane - it is just uncomfortable for the passengers". It's the truth!

:)
Kelley

[kdsnail]

you all are soooooooo wonderful!!! thank you so much for coming in and reassuring me!!!
i hope to be on your end some day and calming someone else :)
the flight is 9/14/06 so i have a few weeks to get ready.

turbulence is NOT dangerous to the plane
turbulence is NOT dangerous to the plane
turbulence is NOT dangerous to the plane

that's my new mantra! lol

also in my pocket are:
1. flying from 10pm pst to 6am est; during the night there should be less heat thermals
2. xanax
3. someone said today: imagine what it looks like when you are CALM on the plane. boy that hit home...my focus has been on the panic attack i expect!
4. being tired and possibly sleeping off an hour or more of the flight!

i shall keep checking back in. the pilot's book is on the way to me!

for fun, go watch this movie:
http://www.405themovie.com/Home.asp


:dragonsla

[WillFlyToDisney]

I just got home after 2 flights today. I was expecting some turbulence due to flying in the summer heat but there was hardly a ripple.

Both flights were pretty boring. I dabbled in my Sudoku puzzle book (I do them in pen for fun), read the new People magazine and slept on the first flight (90 minutes) then bought a book and read 3/4 of it on the 2nd flight (2 hours). I listened to my flying playlist on my Ipod on both flights and enjoyed a Pepsi (bad, I know since Caffeine makes me jittery) each time.

Your biggest obstacle is.... BOREDOM! Promise. :)

Kelley

[kdsnail]

hey it dawned on me that hurricane season is starting near atlanta etc.
a friend just flew back to calif from there and said there were tremendous turbulence because of storms.

should i:
a. fly from los angeles to atlanta (4 hours) then one hour more up to raleigh?
or
b. fly from los angeles to vegas (1 hour) then 4 more hours to raleigh??

:confused:

[EyesSkyward]

should i:
a. fly from los angeles to atlanta (4 hours) then one hour more up to raleigh?
or
b. fly from los angeles to vegas (1 hour) then 4 more hours to raleigh??

Personally, I'd go with Vegas, but not because of the weather. I wouldn't worry at all about the weather.

Las Vegas (especially earlier in the day) won't be as busy as Atlanta (especially late in the day). My guess is that you're least likely to have delays with your connecting flight if you go with option "b".

Plus, you'll have a measely hour-long flight to get your feet wet. So you'll already have a successful flight under your belt before having to tackle the four-hour one, which might make things easier.

- Jeff

[noflyingfan]

Plus, you'll have a measely hour-long flight to get your feet wet. So you'll already have a successful flight under your belt before having to tackle the four-hour one, which might make things easier.

- Jeff

I agree. I you take the long flight first, then the hole time you'll be sitting there, bored, thinking, "even after I land I'm still not done." The one-hour flight won't be enough to bore you into dreading the four-hour flight, and, like Jeff said, it can be like a practice flight.

[kdsnail]

well it's 3 weeks and 2 days until i take off!
i booked a one way flight from ontario CA to Raleigh NC
it leaves at 9pm and arrives at vegas at 10pm
i then have 30 mins to RUN to other plane, which leaves at 10:30pm (red eye) and arrives at 5:30am in Raleigh.

50 mins, and then 4 hours.
my theory is that:
a. flying at night has less heat thermals, therefore is smoother (please don't tell me otherwise! lol)
b. hopefully sleep will set in and remove one-two hours from the longer flight
c. have xanax and not afraid to use it! lol
d. have pilot Ray's book, This is your Captain Speaking, and shall read it from cover to cover starting in 10 days (after a class is over that i'm taking)

TURBULENCE CANNOT HURT YOU, TURBULENCE CANNOT HURT YOU!

please feel free to keep holding my hand!
can you all just fly with me? hahaha
:grouphug:

[JPenny]

Your flights are booked, you've got your Xanax . . . there are two more things I would do if I were you.

EDUCATE yourself about every aspect of flight--use this board and Capt. Ray's book.

DESENSITIZE yourself by watching inflight videos. Capt. Chance's DVD was especially helpful to me.

You're on the right track---and it's NOT AMTRAK!!!!!!
:lol::lol::lol:

Jean :wave:

[aerobat]

Hi, kdsnail...

Turb is one of those things that nobody in their right mind learns to enjoy. :)

But...that said, it is something we can genuinely become accustomed to. People who do not have a scary trigger event such as you had typically just keep flying and become accustomed to the turb or other unfamiliar sensations. They may travel with more experienced people, or observe comfortable passengers, and they may delve into the aerodynamics and safety issues also, as you are doing.

But folks who have had a trigger event have an obstacle to overcome, and it is important to understand the nature of the obstacle. Then you can kick its butt (yes, you really can!)!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it ;) , is to train yourself to untie the sensations of turbulence--and the anticipation of those sensations--from the rapid-fire cascade of fear hormones in your brain. This will stop the cascade.

OK?

Captain Ray's book is a great asset. This board, with the support, mentoring and modeling it offers, is another great asset.

The other big chunk of the equation involves some systematic reprogramming of the ol' hard drive between the ears.

Please check out the anxiety resources that this site offers. Start with the red 'Anxiety Central' button on the main TF page--there are some excellent observations there by Monica, our professional therapist. Also check out the anxiety-related "stickies" in this forum if you have not done so. Then, go here:

http://www.takingflight.us/links/view.php?cid=17

and look through these links. My favorite is anxieties.com. Jump in!

Soak up a good anxiety education; it can be done in a good day. Then you will know better how to focus your attention, and you may well feel sudden and significant relief...because with an understanding of anxiety and a few strategies to disarm it, the power of the knowledge and support we gather is magnified. The battle can truly be won before you ever step on the plane...flying is just the proof that you have won it. :thumbsup:

Trust the process.

Barb

[spiffyone]

...is much more turbulent than planes. It just bothers us less because we know we're on the ground.

:)

[tabbygirl]

On my last trip I saw some poor little old man lose his footing and land pretty hard on a seated fellow. Everyone was OK but it was bad.

I also have memories of a really bumpy stretch of track south of San Jose. We were trying to eat dinner and ended up laughing like fools becuase it was nearly impossible. People walking were ricocheting from seat back to seat back, clutching at them as they forged along. Some little punk with a videocam was taping it all; I wonder if he still watches it and laughs at the carnage. It really was rather hilarious but I wondered if we could actually derail - it was that rough.

[kdsnail]

ok my big debut is this weds at 9pm
thanks for all your input and hand holding
i'm so very frightened, but i'm more informed

pray for me and think kind thoughts if you have some time :)

kdsnail:cry:

[kdsnail]

ok i MUST tell you all!!!

I DID IT! I FLEW FOR 4 HOURS TO N.C.!!!!

how cool is that and what a success story!!
i was right; it's smoother at night...just a tiny bit of turbulence, otherwise it was like gliding on glass! so very smooth!!!

and i could not have done it without all your help so thank you so much!!

i actually slept a few hours so it only felt like 1+ hours...cannot beat that eh?
hugs to all :)

[Passenger Mark]

ok i MUST tell you all!!!

I DID IT! I FLEW FOR 4 HOURS TO N.C.!!!!

how cool is that and what a success story!!
i was right; it's smoother at night...just a tiny bit of turbulence, otherwise it was like gliding on glass! so very smooth!!!

and i could not have done it without all your help so thank you so much!!

i actually slept a few hours so it only felt like 1+ hours...cannot beat that eh?
hugs to all :)

Thanks for the report! I am happy you had a good experience, and enjoyed your trip!
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[WillFlyToDisney]

Way to go! Thanks for checking back and letting us know. :hyped: :happyguy:

[VantageUK]

I also hate turb. My "trick" is looking for the flight attendants. If they're up and walking around, I know I'm not in any great danger.
Amen.

Works for me everytime. "The flight attendants are laughing and joking so therefore this isn't that serious at all really."

Cheers

Charlie