Oh No!!

[anappleofdiscord]

Hey guys!
I wrote a section several weeks ago about loss and FoF. As it turns out, I must fly back to Nebraska this Thursday. It will be the first flight since I moved to Las Vegas for graduate school. I am terrified. I have already searched the internet for black box transcripts and photos of the 100 worst plane crashes. Why do I do this to myself!? I leave from Vegas at 8:45AM on Southwest. Can you all say some prayers or keep me in your thoughts??

Take off, I have decided, is the worst for me. I hate driving so fast down the runway and those few seconds right as the plane starts to lift from the ground. It always seems like it's going to go right back down or that the tail will snag the runway.

How appropriate is it to order a cocktail at 8:45 in the morning?

-Jenny:shocked:

[Dachiri]

You actually found 100 plane crashes? What is that, going back to the 1930's? There have been so few plane crashes in the last 50 years that I'm surprised you could find that many.

Seriously, you will be fine. Vegas to Nebraska is a short hop. Since you're on Southwest, I'm assuming you'll be on a 737. That's a great plane. Big enough to be immune to little bumps, but not overwhelmingly huge. If you're really concerned about the tail hitting the runway, then look on YouTube for videos of when that happens. It's pretty rare, but it does happen. Yes, the plane turns back around and lands again most of the time, but it doesn't cause damage that will cause the plane to crash.

Is it inappropriate to order a cocktail at 8:45 AM??? Well, you're asking the wrong person. :angel: If all it takes you to get through a flight is a stiff drink, you're moving in the right direction. ;)

If I'm in the air at the same time you are, I'll be saying lots of prayers. :tongue: Otherwise, I'll be knowing that the pilots know what they are doing and you'll get where you are going just fine! SW is a very friendly airline...why not ask to meet the pilots? If any airline is going to accommodate that request, SW is it!

[MathFox]

I have already searched the internet for black box transcripts and photos of the 100 worst plane crashes. Why do I do this to myself!?


STOP DOING THAT Stop feeding the fear-monster. To get a balanced view on the actual risks of flying you should read reports about flights that landed on time... At least one hundred reports about boring on-time flights per accident report. You can also do some flight tracking to see that most planes (999999 in 1000000) land safely.

I leave from Vegas at 8:45AM on Southwest. Can you all say some prayers or keep me in your thoughts??
Do you know that Southwest never had an accident that fatally injured a passenger, over all the years that they are operating?

How appropriate is it to order a cocktail at 8:45 in the morning?

It is more socially acceptable to discretely take some valium or a xanax... Did your therapist prescribe some?

And for the long term, start working on getting rid of your fears, concentrate on the good parts of flying!

[tusphotog]

How appropriate is it to order a cocktail at 8:45 in the morning?


You need to fly back to LAS at 6:30am on a Thursday/Friday/Saturday and you'll see more people boozing than you ever thought was possible. It's a pain in the butt when you actually want to work (or sleep) and 3/4 of the plane is partying.

Regarding tail strikes: Boeing tests the airframe extensively regarding this. They basically over-rotate at a very slow speed and drag the tail down the runway. The result is a lot of sparks and a whole lot of noise inside, but it doesn't do much. There's a special "tail strike skid" back there--all it is is a big piece of metal that grinds away. Here's a video from the A380 tail strike test. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywgyLgAmvrA

You'll be fine. Southwest is a great airline. I fly with them every few weeks.

[CAflyer]

A mimosa is an acceptable morning drink and champagne works fast :) That's what I had during a layover at 9 am :)