My Flying Lesson
79
My Fear of Flying
I have a fear of flying. There are certain "key moments" of fear when I fly. Probably the first is when the flight attendant closes and locks the door after the last person boards. Then I'm thinking "Now I'm doomed — there's no escape!”
The second moment is when we've taxied over to the start of the runway, and the pilot is awaiting clearance to take off: I visualize the wheels of the plane, straining to start rolling forward, and then they DO start! Then comes the adrenaline rush as we take off — my knuckles are white because of my death grip on the arm rests.
"Rough Air" Ahead
But nothing else has quite the fear factor as that moment when the pilot comes on the public address system and warns the passengers that onboard radar shows some "rough air" ahead, and that everyone should remain seated and fasten their seat belts. If I think I detect a certain grimness in his voice, multiply that fear by two.
Bad Flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles
I remember what I considered especially bad flights. For example, I was once on an eleven-hour Hong Kong to Los Angeles flight. The first half of the flight was uneventful, and even I relax after a while if a flight is turbulence-free. But then we experienced some very rough turbulence — you know, plastic ware bouncing on your tray table. We were about half-way across the Pacific, as shown by the little airplane icon on the video screen in the seat back. This was the part of the North Pacific where there doesn't seem to be any land masses, even islands, for a thousand miles in every direction. I'm thinking "Oh, great — if we crash here, it's just us and the ocean." This frightening (to me) turbulence continued unabated for the rest of the trip — about five hours.
When I finally got off the plane, I was determined to speak to the pilot, and waited for the crew to leave the plane. I spotted the pilot, and demanded to know why we'd flown through five hours of heavy turbulence. He said "Well, we were flying in the Jetstream, which happened to be unusually low in altitude." I said "Couldn't you have gained altitude and flown above it?" He said "No. You noticed the plane was full? It was too heavy to fly at that height."
Introductory Flying Lesson
But in spite of my fear, I once took a flying lesson. Yep, me, the person afraid of flying. I saw this ad for an introductory flying lesson at a regional airport in Los Angeles County. I showed up there on my lunch hour. The reason I decided to take the flying lesson is because I've always believed in challenging my fears. The young instructor gave me a basic "ground school” lecture in a classroom. Then we went out to look at the plane, a two-seat Cessna 150. He showed me how to check the aerodynamic surfaces and the fuel supply. Then he invited me to climb into the plane. I walked to the right side door, and he said "Oh no, get in the left-side seat." I said "Isn't that the pilot's side?" "Yes," he said, "and you're the pilot." I started thinking that I didn't like how this seemed to be shaping up! "Surely you don't expect me to take off, do you?" To my relief, he said "No, I just want you to taxi over to the takeoff point." With the engine started, and the propeller whirring, I used the steering yoke to rather clumsily maneuver the plane to the takeoff point.
The pilot quickly got us up and heading westward toward the Pacific Ocean, and leveled off at 4000 feet. I nervously asked him if we were in the airspace of the hundreds of jets which take off and land each day at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). He said “no, at this location they fly above 10,000 feet.” I give a few nervous glances upward. "OK," says the instructor, “I'm changing control to your side. Watch the artificial horizon control and keep us level." I do that. The coast slips behind and we are heading out over the Pacific.
After a minute or so, he says "you know, if you keep heading west, we'll run out of gas, and we'll have to ditch in the ocean. I THINK I have life jackets in the back. “ I said "I sense you want me to try a turn." He enthusiastically shakes his head yes, and offers no review of the turning instruction he gave me earlier — just a head shake. Here, indeed, was a man with faith in his fellow man.
Turning is more complex than with a car — after all, you are moving in three dimensions instead of two. As I recall, to execute a right turn, you have to turn the steering yoke to the right (this changes the position of the ailerons — moveable flaps on the trailing edges of the wings. The right aileron will turn up, and the left one down.) You also have to press the right rudder pedal (there is a left and right rudder pedal on the floor) causing the rudder (a vertical flap on the tail fin) to move right. Finally, there may be a tendency to lose altitude at this point, so you may have to pull the steering yoke back. This causes the elevators (horizontal flaps in the small winglets in the tail) to go down, giving the plane more lift. All this starts you turning — you have to unwind these pilot actions to stop turning. Meanwhile, you have to keep an eye on the "artificial horizon" gauge on the control panel, to make sure you're flying level — it can be hard to tell if you're flying level just by looking out the windows.
Suffice it to say, I managed to turn right, and was flying north parallel to the coast. After a minute or two, the instructor says "If you keep flying north, you're going to get in the way of the big jets flying near LAX." I said "my inner consciousness tells me you want me to do a U-turn." Enthusiastic positive head shake from instructor.
After we were headed back south, at my request, I then flew over the 1930s-era cruise ship Queen Mary which is permanently docked in Long Beach as a hotel, museum, and entertainment facility. After that, I flew back to the airstrip and the pilot landed the airplane. Except for the usual rush on takeoff, I realized I hadn't been scared during the entire flight —- I don't know why.
I still have my fear of flying on passenger jets.
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This Hub was awarded a HubNugget Accolade on December 7, 2011.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted for me.
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CommentsLoading...
Thanks for stopping by, Keith.
I think of flying as a passenger in commercial aircraft a "necessity" rather than fun. The "reward" is the destination at the end of the flight.
Well done. both the writing and the flying! Great way to conquer a fear: get particular about the details actually involved. Maybe not a jet, though...
Thanks for commenting upon another of my articles, Eloise. We were passengers on a commercial aircraft flying to Santiago, Chile that had to make an unscheduled emergency landing in Mendoza, Argentina. I "might" write about that one day.
I loved this story. You reminded me of those "white knuckles" passengers who flew on some of my trips. They were easy to spot with their wide eyes and jittery glances back toward the galley. Quite brave of you to take a flying lesson in spite of this fear and well told.
Thanks so much for your very kind words regarding this article, PegCole17. Thanks, also, for the Fan Mail.
Well done hub Daisy! Thanks for sharing your experiences! You are braver than I am that is for sure ;-)
gryphin423,
I'm glad you enjoyed reading this article. Thanks for sending me the Fan Mail.
That was great, fun to read!
arusho,
I'm glad you enjoyed reading about my flying adventure. I'm honored to have my article receive a HubNugget nomination this week.
I think I know why you are scared of flying on commercial airlines as opposed to the one you were flying....YOU were in CONTROL. Just like you are in control of your own destiny. You don't like giving control of your life to a stranger even though you know they are the best in their field.
poshcoffeeco,
Thanks for reading my article, commenting upon it, and sending me Fan Mail.
A very well written article containing more than a couple of 'laugh out loud' moments. You have a very easy writing style that holds the readers attention and I found myself hanging on to every word. Well done! (As to your fear of commercial airlines, Jack Daniels does it for me!)
I had to come investigate a fellow Hubnugget winner and let me tell you this is a fantastic hub. I live in Alaska where 4 out of 5 people pilot. No kidding! Flying is a big deal up here. It's a dangerous one at that due to weather but you only here of something terrible happening once in a blue moon. Hope you can eventually get over your fear of flying, me... it's boats. Don't like 'em... too much water with stuff underneath that could get you ^_^
djf,
Thanks for your very kind words about my writing. Thanks, also, for your suggestion about the Jack Daniels.
CodeMaster,
Thanks for stopping by. The skies are very busy where I live, half-way between Los Angeles and San Diego. We usually fly out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, about 15 miles from our home. We have an acquaintance who couldn't quite get to the airport to land his private plane. He landed on the freeway instead.
An interesting hub...I have eventurally lost my fear of flying after a series of sky jumps with my daughter...we fear the most what we don't know or experience fully in our lives..
Beata Stasak:
I've fantasized about sky jumping. Here's what I've imagined happens: I jump out of the plane, yank on the rip cord, and nothing happens. Then I hear the jump instructor yell from the plane "Ruch your glibbert flinge!"
And I yell "WHATTT??" And he yells back "SCRIBBLE THE SKRUMPLETAG! SCRIBBLE THE SKRUMPLETAG!!!" And I yell "WHATTT??" Then I plunge to the ground, with my life flashing before my eyes.
A couple of minor points from a pilot:
1) An airliner is never loaded 'too heavy' to climb to an assigned altitude. I don't know why a pilot would say that.
2) Taxiing a Cessna is accomplished by steering with the rudder pedals, not the yoke.
Good Hub.
WillStarr,
Thanks for your comment. I am not a pilot and just had the one experience, but here's what I think was the explanation. The four basic forces on a plane (as you undoubtedly know) are thrust, drag, lift, and weight.
In order for a plane to maintain a constant altitude, the lift must balance the weight. The equation for lift is:
L = 1/2 ? v**2 A CL
where
L is lift force,
? is air density
v is true airspeed,
A is planform area, and
CL is the lift coefficient at the desired angle of attack, Mach number, and Reynolds number.
But air density falls off as a negative exponential with increasing height in the stratosphere. It appears this can only be compensated for with increasing airspeed, for which there is a limit. I think the thrust of the pilot's comment may have been that it would be therefore uneconomical to fly at the higher altitude.
Now I see I misremembered about the ground steering - I do remember that there were "wiggles" in my path, and that must have been due to my unfamiliarity with steering with pedals.
All aircraft have a service ceiling. The 747 has a service ceiling of 41,000 feet, and the Cessna 150's is about 14,000 feet.
Perhaps your captain meant that.
@Will Starr: Possibly so. I just don't ever want to experience that again. I remember another bad flight which was LA into Dallas on American. It got REALLY bad about a half hour before Dallas because of a storm. The plane was really lurching and I was scared to death. I'll never forget that there was a woman across the aisle laughing hysterically, as if she thought she were on a roller coaster. I felt like shouting at her "Don't you realize we're all going to die?" But we made it. Flights were grounded from take off, and because it was late at night, we persuaded American to put us up for a night in a local hotel.
Wow Daisy! I cannot imagine 5 hours of turbulence over the Pacific! Yikes! I will fly, but sometimes my mind runs away from me and I start to panic thinking 'this is it'.
Great story - thanks for sharing!
Congratulations on your HubNugget - voted up and interesting
Miss Olive - thanks for your kind remarks. When I have to fly, I tell myself "flying is safe, calm down, it's all in your mind" and then something like that happens. I don't like being in situations where I can't "turn the off button" if I don't like what's happening. I heard on the news tonight of a flight out of Colorado where an airliner lost cabin pressure, the masks all came down, and the pilot began a steep descent to reach an altitude where the passengers could survive. A young guy had his cell camera on recording the descent - you could hear some woman wailing!
Daisy - I also have a terrible fear of flying. I do it because I love to travel and it is just impractical to go any other way. I even feel sick...my husband asked once why I get sick when I fly but boats don't bother me...that's easy - I can swim but if the plane goes down, I can't fly!
Up and everything:)
RealHousewife,
I would have missed so much if I let my fear of flying win. I imagine it's the same way with you. "Not traveling" is worse than traveling by air.
Have you ever flown in a helicopter?
I don't have a fear of flying, I have claustrophobia and detest being confined. I think with some good medication you might do well :)) Great hub!!
I simply love and respect that you faced your fears head on and 'soared' all on your own terms.
Inspiring and motivating-- Voted UP & Awesome, mar.
Thanks for visiting, Sunshine625. I have a friend with claustrophia. She doesn't like using elevators due to fear of getting stuck in one of them.
marcoujor,
I still can't believe I did it. I saw an ad in the newspaper for a flying lesson, and I drove over to the airport during my lunch hour.
I would walk up 50 flights of stairs before using an elevator but since finding the stairs takes forever I suck it up and take the elevator and hope for the best:)
Sunshine625,
They showed on TV where this guy got stuck in an elevator on a weekend for 42 hours in an office building. There was a security camera in the elevator recording him. You could see that he took it calmly, but it would have driven me crazy. When I see an elevator that is functioning suspiciously, e.g., the door keeps opening and closing, I just take the stairs. Also, I REALLY hate it when people insist on packing an elevator like sardines - do they ever wonder what it would be like if that elevator gets stuck?
42 hours?! Oh my!! If an elevator gets full I walk out and wait for the next! Haha!
Yes, but what if you were already in the back??
Hi Daisy - I came back to read your response. I had a relative that used to be a flight attendant. He told us about some of his crazier flights. Cabin pressure and turbulence can surely freak quite a few people out. He said that on one flight they hit a huge pocket. A passenger did not put on their seat belt and they flew to the top of the ceiling and came back down on the seat - breaking their ribs! yikes! I'm keeping my seatbelt on!
Voted up again (in case I accidentally didn't do it the first time)
Thank for visiting again, Miss Olive. One of our craziest flights was when we flew to Santiago, Chile. The pilot couldn't land due to poor visibility. With only an hour's worth of fuel left (the pilot was insensitive enough to announce this) he requested permission to fly to Mendoza, Argentina.
No problem, you might think...wrong! Chile and Argentina were having skirmishes at the time -- something about border disputes -- and weren't on friendly terms. Do you remember the movie "Alive" -- the fact-based story about a plane crash in the Andes mountains? ... I won't go into the details about what the passengers did in order to survive. ...
... with only a half-hour of fuel left, the pilot flew over that same part of the Andes.
When we landed in Mendoza, the passengers had to remain on the plane while it was refueled -- with the windows covered.
great work, Daisy. Flying a plane sounds like fun. Maybe the reason for your lack of fear had to do with the fact that YOU were in control and not a slave to the whims of someone elses control. Just a thought...
Justin,
I think you might be correct about my being in control. Steve (poshcoffeeco) suggested the same thing.
Did you read my comments directly above yours? *That* was a scary experience!
Daisy, you and I share the same problem. I don't let it stop me from flying, but I always see the headlines, YOU know......I'm better than I used to be. Way back, I had to drink a few cocktails to even get on the plane! My son took me up in a bi-plane a few years ago in the Keys. An open cockpit and a pilot who was a former stunt man made an interesting flight for just the three of us! I was scared but surrendered to it with an "oh well". I found that works for me now. Whatever it will be, it will be. I found it interesting that you had no fear while being in control in the cockpit, but as several people said, you were in control, and that's a different thing. Great story!
ExoticHippieQueen,
You're braver than I am! I doubt that I could have gone up in a bi-plane. If I did, I probably would have had my eyes closed, and that would have defeated the purpose of the flight, not seeing anything.
Have you ever taken a helicopter flight?
Daisy, I have the same feeling when they closes and locks the door! Terrible feeling, and every time I ask myself why on earth I did put myself in that situation! When the plane is up in the air it is ok, unless it is like you experienced over the Pacific!
I think it is a basic instinct since it isn't normal for people to fly. We are not designed to fly high in the air and our brain knows it! Taking a flying lesson is so brave, I am so impressed that you did it. Thanks for this interesting hub, voted up, up and interesting!
Tina
I have never been in a helicopter, and don't think I want to! I noticed that you are more uneasy over the water, and so am I. It's funny, though, because crashing into the water is just as bad as crashing into the ground. Yet somehow, we dread the water more. Go figure! (Gee, I hope I don't have to fly anywhere soon)!
Tina,
I spent six months in Sweden several years ago, from May to November. One sight we enjoyed very much during the period when Stockholm had 19 hours of daylight was the hot air balloons in the evening. Is hot air ballooning popular just in Stockholm? Is it popular in the part of Sweden in which you live?
ExoticHippieQueen,
I don't think my flight problems occur because I'm flying over water. It's that my long flights happen to be over water.
I've taken a helicopter from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to John F. Kennedy International.Airport in New York in order to fly to Europe. I didn't like the takeoff very much, but the flight wasn't too bad.
daisy... i just did. scary stuff! I hate flying. I much prefer the train
Justin,
Flying over Aconcagua with less than an hour's-worth of fuel left, looking down at the jagged peaks, thinking about "Alive" was terrifying...
I have not taken flying lesson, but I enjoyed paragliding over the Lake City in Nepal.
Vinaya,
That's exciting! Have you written an article about your paragliding experience? I would love to read more about it.
Easy after the first... want to live on the edge try jumping out of one at 8000 feet. Now that is a thrill... I was afraid of heights and it cured me.... loved it... so that is your next challenge.
Hugs and Geronimo
This was a delightful read. Love how you related the dialogue between you and your instructor. I felt I was right there with you.
I don't fear flying anymore, although I did at one time and that's because I took one too many Cessna flights with a friend of mine who didn't tell me until years later that his psychiatrist said he had a "death wish". I won't go into the the horrendously terrifying flights I took with him; even now it scares me too much to even remember them. But after that I spent a couple of years flying back and forth from the east coast to your neck of the woods. Just doing it over and over and over again eventually erased the fear.
I remember realizing one day that nothing had happened on any of these commercial flights to endanger me (at least not that I knew of), and even if it should some day, there's not a thing I'd be able to do about it. My trust went right to the pilots and crew and it's been there since. I do, however, always say a prayer beforehand and make sure my will is in order. :)
Rolly,
Thanks for reading another of my articles. I appreciate it.
One flying lesson was enough for me, and I wouldn't even consider skydiving...not even a tandem jump. It does not compute.
Sherri,
Thanks so much for reading my article and commenting. I love travel, so I consider flying a *necessary evil* of sorts.
I've been to more than 25 countries and island nations. I would have missed so much if I had refused to fly.
This is a great article Daisy, you illustrated the flight well and were accurate in your description of the controls. Mostly you tackled your fear and learned a lot in the process! I am a commercial pilot and have flown many types of aircraft, But I still remember the first flight at 9 years old.
Voted Up!
Mark (Curiad),
Thanks so much for reading my article. Especially since it comes from a commercial pilot, your praise means alot to me.
I'm not really afraid of flying any more, but being a passenger in a commercial aircraft flying over Aconcagua with less than a half-hour's worth of fuel left...I still shudder when I think about that flight.
Hi Daisy, it sounds like you had so much fun! I once had a gliding lesson and it was simply awesome; I was flying around in the thermals for a couple of hours! Thanks for sharing your experience, voting up!
I can relate to your fear - I struggled with a terror of flying for many years! Now I fly all the time. Interring hub - thanks for sharing your experience.
You are so brave to conquer your fear by taking flying lessons. I remember one frightening experience right in the middle of lightening it seemed to go on forever.
Well done
Louise,
Thanks for reading my article. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Was your gliding lesson in Canada or on a vacation trip?
Marcy,
May I ask how you got over your fear of flying?
I'm not really sure what I did. I guess I must have used logic...reasoned with myself and realized how many wonderful travel destinations I would be missing if I refused to fly.
Rosemary,
Thanks for reading my article and commenting. I've found that the way to conquer a fear is to meet it head on.
"Oh, great — if we crash here, it's just us and the ocean." You, the ocean, sharks, etc. lol
I suppose I am the opposite extreme: I love flying. I managed to even get cars airborne, that's another story though (with not a very good ending lol).
I enjoyed the read. Cheers!
I admire your passion to get rid of your fear. Taking flying lessons...you took the bull by it's horns...lol
I think the reason you did not fear while YOU were flying is 'cause your mind was occupied and when you fly in a commercial plane...we are usually just idle watching a movie/eating and thus, fear accompanies.
I loved reading about your experience. Voted up as a courageous lady :)
Mr. Happy,
It's nice to meet you. I'm glad you enjoyed reading my article.
Ruchira,
Thanks for reading and commenting in another of my articles. The airport at which I took my flying lesson was Torrance Airport in Los Angeles County.
After I took the lesson, my attitude was "OK, I did it, but I'm not going to take any more lessons."...One lesson was enough, but I took the lesson!
Very interesting hub. It was captivating and engaging. I also have the same fear (along with many others) Haha!
Voted up!
Hunbbel,
Thanks for reading my article. Even though you have a fear of flying, have you gone on many long distance airplane flights?
The longest flight time-wise for me was from Los Angeles, California to Mumbai, India. That flight involved a refueling stop in Taiwan and a layover of several hours in Hong Kong.
Way to go Daisy!! Yes, face your fears is always my motto! Great story, and I felt like I was there with you! I would've liked to do some loops and aileron rolls before landing but that's just me. I was lucky enough to fly in an RF-4C Phantom jet when I served in the Air Force back in the late 80's. We flew for a couple of hours, doing all the acrobats that jet could do, and the pilot was nice enough to give me the controls for 30 minutes....That was like giving a 5 year old the run of the candy store!! I felt like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, and felt the need for speed for sure!! We reached the speed of Mach 1 and flew upside down and loops, spins, stalls, etc...You keep facing your friends dear one, and living life to the fullest!! God Bless ya! :)
Jeffrey,
It's good to "see" you again. Thanks for reading my article and adding your comments.
My stomach dropped reading your anecdote about flying in the RF-4C Phantom. What an experience that must have been!
Thanks for your Air Force service.
Keith Matyi Level 3 Commenter 6 months ago
Good article! I have a fear of flying as well.