Pilots are trained to handle all sorts of nerve-racking situations, but that doesn't mean that they don't get scared—especially in these real instances, told by the pilots who experienced them, of serious in-flight fear.
Theirs is existential anxiety—a generalized fear of something that sublimates into every thought they have about flying an airplane. After many years of helping aviators deal with similar afflictions, it became apparent that many pilots are experiencing anxiety “about” their anxiety.
If fear of flying sneaks up in the middle of a flight, Allright has a few tips to combat it: Breathe. “When you feel anxious, hold your breath, then a long deep breathe in, followed by a long deep breath out. Continue long deep breathing.
If your fear is truly paralyzing, you're probably best off seeking professional help. "Mental health professionals can help individuals overcome a fear of flying through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention," says Dr. Rachel Kutner, a post-doctoral clinical psychology fellow.
“The aircraft is designed to take the stress and strain of turbulence. For example, it's like designing a car with good enough suspension to drive over a rough surface road with potholes.” In short, pilots are not worried about turbulence - avoiding it is for convenience and comfort rather than safety.
"If a plane is flying along at a constant speed and height, then suddenly the headwind reduces, or it enters a descending column of air, this can cause the aircraft to suddenly descend," Gratton explained.
Never mind that the facts dictate, unarguably, that flying remains one of the safest ways to travel. The chance of dying in a transportation-related accident in the US, for example, is one in 6,800. The chance of dying in a plane crash? One in 13 million.
Fear of flying afflicts as much as 40 percent of the U.S. population. The nation's armrest-grippers may be heartened to know that “aviophobia” is perfectly normal, and easily treated. Only about 5 percent of Americans have aviophobia so severe that they cannot fly.
Aerophobia is most common in people between the ages of 17 and 34. This is a time in life when significant changes occur, such as graduation, marriage or childbirth. People may be scared that flying jeopardizes their life at such an important time.
Well, first of all, they are highly trained professionals. They have years of experience and know exactly what to do in any given situation. This experience helps them to remain calm under pressure.
Nervousness is a natural part of the flight training experience, particularly when it comes to your first solo flight. However, there are many techniques to minimize the nervousness that any sensible student pilot feels the first time he or she goes up alone.
“I'd put lithium batteries fires, high-speed explosions, bird strikes that take out multiple engines, catastrophic mechanical malfunctions, and ground collisions at the top of my list,” the pilot said.
However, a fear of heights is very different to fear of flights! Pilots with a fear of heights aren't uncommon and in fact, the majority of people who are afraid of heights aren't affected by flying in an aircraft.
Answer: Pilots are trained to remain calm and deal with abnormalities or emergencies. The training is intense and intended to stress a pilot candidate, making sure he or she can make decision and execute tasks and checklists under pressure.
With proper planning there is no reason a pilot cannot safely accomplish a flight at night. Pay particular attention to picking a safe route, particularly in a single engine airplane or helicopter. Though a flight over terrain or open water may save time, a longer route over flat terrain may be the safer choice.
Deep breathing is known to trigger a comfort response and will help prevent hyperventilation. Reading a book or listening to a good podcast can refocus your mind and attention. Distracting yourself from the fact that you are flying can be a great way to keep calm if you're a nervous flyer..
If you have a fear of flying, traveling by plane can be very upsetting. If you fly regularly, you may find talk therapy and antidepressant medications useful. Flight anxiety medications, like benzodiazepines, might also help with immediate symptoms.
Takeoff and landing are widely considered the most dangerous parts of a flight.
These are: remembering a bad flight, hearing scary stories about flying, taking a flight while feeling nervous or claustrophobic, or traveling during a personally stressful phase in their life.
The cramped conditions and long periods of being less active on a flight can cause pain, stiffness or swelling of your legs. Being less active can lead to slow blood flow in your veins which increases your risk of developing a blood clot, known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVTs most commonly form in the legs.
Should you be scared of turbulence? The short answer is no, and rest assured that the pilots know how uncomfortable turbulence can make passengers feel. And know that no aircraft has ever crashed because of turbulence. "Turbulence has not caused an airplane to crash," Biddle said.
Many aviation accidents are caused when pilots misread flight equipment, misjudge weather conditions or fail to properly address mechanical errors. Pilot error is considered the number one reason why planes crash.