New Guy with Fear of Take Off

[jioflare]

Hey everyone! Ok, I am a 25-year old who has flown at least 6 to 7 times before. From the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area, I have flown to Arizona by myself once as an older teenager, flown to Guatemala by myself as a 19 year old, flown to Europe with a college choir, and flown twice to the Virgin Islands with family. I don't know what it is, but I have gotten progressively WORSE and more fearful in my flying, so much so that my dream of getting to Italy and Ireland are falling through, even though I can probably afford it. I've even been looking at taking cruise ships, which 1 way probably cost $1000 more than a 2-way airline ticket.

The worst part for me is the take-off. Just as I have gotten progressively worse at going on roller coasters because of the initial slow climb up the tall hill, so have I gotten SUPER-NERVOUS going up on an airplane. As a matter of fact, whenever the plane is angled up, I am a mess lately. I usually am constantly fidging in my chair, refuse to look up or out of the window, feel like a have to THINK about breathing, worry that swallowing is going to stop my breathing process, and usually freak out the people around me. I then feel my cheeks buzzing and my heartbeat gets intense; it's pretty crazy. I think it's safe to say that this is a panic attack, even though I don't technically know what this is.

What can I take before taking off that will make this feeling go away? Once I am up in the air it's bearable; (I'm still not perfect, but that's life). I can have something to drink and move around. I am scared stiff, but still like the idea of travelling. And who knows? Maybe I'd take the cruise ship home. But how about getting there? Thanks!
-Jake

[aerobat]

Hi, Jake,

Thanks for posting!

Here's a link to some in-flight videos by StPeteMark, one of our members, including views out the window of takeoffs.

http://www.takingflight.us/forums/showthread.php?t=3990

You'll also find a part of his story here.

A number of people have reported that viewing these videos over and over has helped them desensitize to the takeoff experience.

Another excellent site is http://www.anxieties.com .
I would recommend that you settle in and read extensively there in addition to perusing the archives here.

It's well-understood why the fear of flying tends to get worse with repeated exposure when there is otherwise no specific counterphobic action taken. If it helps you to laugh at it, I like to say that phobias are like poison ivy. Keep wading through it and it gets worse...but take the pills or shots that help you desensitize (by exposing you to very small doses), and everything changes.

Please keep posting, and tell us whatever comes to mind as you get to work at these sites.

Barb

[spiffyone]

I have the same feeling about takeoff - I think it is when I feel least in control and most likely to be panicky. The good thing is, takeoff is short. It doesn't really last that long before the plane levels off (relatively speaking). For me, once I hear the 10,000 foot 'ding' the plane has already reached a comfortable point for me, and that's really only a few minutes.
It helped me to remember a couple of things. One is that it's safer for the plane to get high up as quickly as possible - I think it kind of used to freak me out when we would climb that rapidly and I would see the ground going away. Now I feel sort of relieved the higher we get. The other is that even though I do feel panicky, I know it won't last the whole flight. Sometimes I even count (usually to 200, slowly) from the beginning of the takeoff roll and by the time I reach 200, we're up. I feel panicky while I'm counting but I know that by the end of the counting, I will feel better.
I don't know if those strategies help. It has helped me to realize that the worst of my symptoms are limited to a very short period of the flight.

[Captain Hutch]

Hi Jake,

It was quite an education for me to read you comments and realize what you are going through on the takeoff. It got me to thinking about takeoffs from the pilot's standpoint, and specifically my own. I believe it to be one of the maneuvers that takes the most time getting used to, but once you get over the hurdle then there are so many things that you are doing that you don't have time to think of things that might distract you. When you take the runway you check a few things in the cockpit and then check the final approach to make sure that there isn't a conflict with a landing aircraft. You advance the throttles and check the instruments for smooth acceleration, at the same time checking down the runway to make sure there is no conflict further down. The non-flying pilot makes a callout at 80 knots so both pilots will check that their airspeed indicators are working properly. The next speed to watch out for is V-1 speed, or the go-no-go decision speed. At that point if the pilot needs to stop for some reason then there will be enough runway to do it in. If after V1 speed there is an engine failure, then the aircraft will be able to fly. The quicker that the airplane gains altitude is "money in the bank" for any problems that develop. So definitely be happy for that 15 to 20 degree nose up attitude after takeoff. We practice "V1 cuts" in the simulator all the time to perfection so this is a maneuver that every pilot is prepared to make if needed. In 36 years of flying I have had 2 engine failures, each about 10 minutes after takeoff. In one instance after we safely landed and returned to the gate as the passengers deplaned one fellow asked me "how was it?" I said, "Just like I have practiced all these years!", about as natural as it can be.

These folks on this website are the experts, so definitely follow their suggestions and I am sure things will get better!
And as Aerobat Barb suggested, keep us posted.

Thanks,

Hutch :tiphat: