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Your flying fears.

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Do you have fearful thoughts while or before a plane journey?
15 years ago, August 25th 2008 No: 1 Msg: #46682  
I used to have no worried thoughts during flying until I saw a doccumentary about plane crashes, around 10 years ago. There seems to be no way that the passengers could survive one. The planes are completely destroyed after a crash.

I am flying to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan next month. The following news blog has given me a few things to worry about. eg. Is the air traffic control and air craft maintenance up to world standards in Central Asian countries etc... That plane in the news blog photo looks typical of the ones on the plane crash doccumentary I saw.

Scores Dead After Boeing 737 Crash Reply to this

15 years ago, August 25th 2008 No: 2 Msg: #46694  
B Posts: 212
Well, I don't know how things differ in the Central Asian region with regard to investigations following crashes, but generally, they (whoever they are!) say that the safest time to travel is just after there's been a crash, as I guess extra checks and investigations are made.
I think there are several parts of the world where safety in air traffic is probably not up to scratch - sometimes I think it's better not to read too much of the info that is around as it just makes you more worried - and what are you going to do? The only option if you're very worried would be to decide not to go, and is that what you want?
I used to be really scared of flying before I travelled and ended up flying a lot in a relatively short time - that, together with all the other risky things I did - eg going on buses in India up into the mountains where the tyres had no tread and the drivers overtook each other on the hairpin bends - eroded away a lot of my fears - because I thought, well, I want to go to these places, and if I want to go, I have to take the risk - and as people say, there is more chance of you reading this post, going outside and getting run over by a bus or car, than being on a plane that will crash - I think the chances are 1 in 6 milliion or something.
I also took an Indian airlines flight, which, after I'd booked, I read that they have a bad safety record - I still took the flight, choosing not to worry about the info I'd read.
Of course you are taking risks, and maybe the chances are a little higher than if it was a European or trans-atlantic flight - but they're probably still very low - after all, this is the first crash I have heard of in this region that I can remember or by this airline - maybe look up some statistics to see, I think if you go to Wikipedia and punch in the airline, they always have statistics on a particular airline's accident and incident history. Reply to this

15 years ago, August 25th 2008 No: 3 Msg: #46696  

....maybe look up some statistics to see, I think if you go to Wikipedia and punch in the airline, they always have statistics on a particular airline's accident and incident history.



That is a bit like watching films about child birth. I never would watch them until after my daugher was born. I have a friend who wanted to have a baby and watched them all with great interest(and they were graffic too). I am certainly going to take the approach I had with the child birth films about those flight statistics. I wont look until after the flights. :D

I heard about other unsafe airlines in Central Asia. It is probably wise for those flying between Central Asian countries to be careful about which airline they choose. Reply to this

15 years ago, August 25th 2008 No: 4 Msg: #46697  
B Posts: 228
I used to be much more afraid of flying. I went to school in Indiana and so had to fly back and forth a lot. It was only a one hour flight, but it got me much more used to the idea of flying. Then, when I flew to Australia by myself in college, I basically had to get over my fear b/c no other way to get there, at least not in a reasonable amount of time. Although these were all relatively "safe" US carriers, my issue wasn't with the carrier, it was the general idea of being tens of thousands of feet in the air and having no control over what was going on!

I do sometimes steer clear of airlines that i hear about repeatedly being a problem, but only if it really seems to be an issue. For instance, some of the domestic airlines in China are notoriously bad to fly. However, I had a similar experience to Debbie. I flew TAM when in Brazil, and after I returned, there were several incidents, crashes, etc and it came out in the research that they had a really bad safety record. Also as Debbie said though, i think after that they pumped up their standards and were much more careful.

I have had several nerve racking flights, landed in lightening storms, things like that, and now i try to think to myself - if my plane made it safely through that, then I guess i'm pretty safe up there! I think perhaps the most nervous i was before boarding was when, on only my second international flight, we boarded the flight and then had to get back off. They told us they had some trouble with the plane's engine. They then fixed it and put us back on the same plane only about an hour and a half later. That was a bit nerve racking to know there had just been engine trouble on that specific plane and that no one had flown in it since the repair! We obviously made it to Italy just fine, however :-) Reply to this

15 years ago, August 25th 2008 No: 5 Msg: #46699  

I flew TAM when in Brazil, and after I returned, there were several incidents, crashes, etc and it came out in the research that they had a really bad safety record.



I never even thought about checking the safety record of the domestic airline I flew in S. America. I always presumed that all airlines are modern and all subject to standards regulations. I only saw the news blog about the crash in Kyrgyzstan by accident.

They told us they had some trouble with the plane's engine.


As far as I know planes have more than one engine?? If one fails it just means the plane has to land at the next airport it comes close to. They dont continue on to the final destination after the first engine fails. At least they shouldnt. Reply to this

15 years ago, August 25th 2008 No: 6 Msg: #46701  
B Posts: 228
I do check some of the domestic airlines because some are not supposed to be so good (the airline i flew in Argentina also just got bad ratings. Guess I am glad I didn't know before hand.

Planes do have more than one engine, and generally is fine. However, to a 17 year old on her 2nd big flight who's very scared of flying, being told your plane just had engine trouble and then being put back on it is not very fun. Plus, we were flying out of Philadelphia non-stop to Rome, over the Atlantic. After takeoff, our next closest airport was most likely our destination! I think that was part of the reason for my being scared. Didn't really want to test out my seat bottom which becomes a flotation device :-) Reply to this

15 years ago, August 25th 2008 No: 7 Msg: #46703  
B Posts: 212
yeah, I didn't suggest looking the stuff up in order to make your fears worse, Mell, more put your mind at rest, as I guessed there would be fewer incidents than you might be worried about - but maybe best not to feed your fears at all by doing that kind of stuff anyway.

In June I was on a Ryanair flight to Dublin and we were just about to touch down when the plane took off again - no-one knew what was going on, and it was 5 minutes before the pilot came over the intercom and said there'd been some 'bad weather coming in' so they didn't take any chances - though the descent had not been turbulent at all and we'd been practically on the ground before taking off again. I was talking with the couple next to me - it was pretty scary at the time as we didn't buy the reason given; we suspected either another plane had been on the runway, or something else. Anyway we flew round again and landed ok, when we were getting off, the cockpit door was open and some officials had got on and seemed to be taking a report from the pilot, who looked pretty shaken up, I don't think I was imagining that.

I tried to find out stuff about it from the internet, thinking it would have to be reported somewhere, but haven't found it, but in the meantime found lots of other info about how Ryanair often has these 'aborted landings' - because they are under pressure to have this 25 minute turnaround time, apparently the pilots are in a rush and often fly in either too high or too low towards the runway.

But interestingly, after having just got over my fear of flying, I thought that experience would really set me back, but it didn't - when I took a flight again, I was fine - maybe even more at ease, I guess feeling like eve though there'd been some averted emergency (for whatever reason), we'd got through it, so I think it actually gave me more confidence. Although Ryanair do not have a good record for this sort of thing.
It did bug me that we never knew what had happened though, apart from the reason we were given - aborted landings do happen for that reason, but the plane wasn't rocking at all at that point. Reply to this

15 years ago, August 26th 2008 No: 8 Msg: #46821  

Didn't really want to test out my seat bottom which becomes a flotation device :-)



At least you listen to the safety information. I try to listen since somebody told me it is arrogant not to, but I generally tune out anyway after the first minute of it. :D Reply to this

15 years ago, August 26th 2008 No: 9 Msg: #46822  

In June I was on a Ryanair flight to Dublin and we were just about to touch down when the plane took off again - no-one knew what was going on, and it was 5 minutes before the pilot came over the intercom and said there'd been some 'bad weather coming in' so they didn't take any chances - though the descent had not been turbulent at all and we'd been practically on the ground before taking off again. I was talking with the couple next to me - it was pretty scary at the time as we didn't buy the reason given; we suspected either another plane had been on the runway, or something else. Anyway we flew round again and landed ok, when we were getting off, the cockpit door was open and some officials had got on and seemed to be taking a report from the pilot, who looked pretty shaken up, I don't think I was imagining that.



Something like that happened in Hamburg, Germany a few months ago. The plane was landing and a weather condition caused the wing to graze along the ground and the pilot had to take off again in order to prevent worse things from happening. I have to admire the quick reaction of pilots in those conditions.

Apparently a psychologist was called in to treat some of the passangers afterwards.
Reply to this

15 years ago, August 26th 2008 No: 10 Msg: #46824  

15 years ago, August 27th 2008 No: 11 Msg: #46941  
B Posts: 52
My uncle survived a plane crash. It was a small commuter plane and there were no fatalities at all.

He turned around and got right back on another plane because if he didn't the fear would sink in and he might never fly again.

I still have some nervousness about flying, but I have a friend who is a flight attendant and she reassures me that I'm safe up there. I try to sit where I have a clear view of the flight attendants. I tell myself, if they don't look nervous then I have nothing to worry about. Reply to this

15 years ago, August 27th 2008 No: 12 Msg: #46974  
B Posts: 228
I tell myself the same thing about the flight attendants. Although i've been on a couple of flights where they did look a little worried and that bothered me a bit! But i use it as a guide. I also like to be able to see out the window. That way, if i know it's cloudy or something I kind of expect it to be bumpy/rough and it doesn't concern me as much. As my brother said, it's kind of just like driving on a road with a few potholes - it's bumpy but not unsafe. Reply to this

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