[missscotia]

Hi,

As a fellow person who hates flying, does anyone know how Dom got over to LA?, as I remember them saying he wouldn't even fly to France and he drives there instead because his fear was that bad. I want whatever he got

[MK Chris]

I think he ran so quickly over the atlantic that he didn't have time to sink. Once he got to the east coast of America, he probably drove, due to fatigue.

[catherine]

When I went to Spain, about 3 years ago, I took 4 Valiums getting there and four back, still didn't help.

[MK Chris]

No, it was the crack that calmed you down instead, eh?

[catherine]

Says the person that lost his virginity to a crack smoking prostitute...

[missscotia]

I took a allergic reaction to valium (maybe took took much:D) and couldn't go on my honeymoon, grrr! Going on that Virgin fear of flying course, waswondering if Dom had gone on something like that or had sleeping tablets like Chris?

[catherine]

If you are really scared though I can't see how tablets would help, I crapped myself on the take off and then once I had calmed down I went straight to sleep.

[MK Chris]

Says the person that lost his virginity to a crack smoking prostitute...

No I didn't...

[Andy B]

I don't get the whole fear of flying thing..what's to be afraid of.

I'm normally asleep before take-off. I once slept in a jumpseat next to an emergency door with a large explosive thingy (for the raft I presume) between my legs. Oh that was fun!

[MK Chris]

I don't get the whole fear of flying thing..what's to be afraid of.

I believe the usual quote is: 'I don't have a problem with flying, it's crashing I'm afraid of'.

I wouldn't say that though, because I don't have a problem with it either.

[Munki Bhoy]

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

[dimtimjim]

Its jus one of those things isn't it... Stats say you're at higher risk on the journey to the airport than on the actual flight... But, movies and massive publicity of real life accidents make it so.

Sorry, no words of wisdom on how to overcome it.... You wusses!!!!!

[MK Chris]

In fairness, I don't buy into the whole 'more likely to die in a car accident' thing - it's proportionate to the number of cars on the road and number of planes in the sky. If you take that into consideration, as well as the numbers that would die in one plane crash, I'm sure that statistic would be rubbish.

[CassieJackson]

I wondered about Dom flying to LA too. I think my fear of flying started after I had my daughter as I can't remember ever being concerned before then. It's got so bad now that I regularly throw up before boarding the plane. If anyone does have any good remedies, I'd love to hear them.

[Yudster]

In fairness, I don't buy into the whole 'more likely to die in a car accident' thing - it's proportionate to the number of cars on the road and number of planes in the sky. If you take that into consideration, as well as the numbers that would die in one plane crash, I'm sure that statistic would be rubbish.

Thing is, there is a reasonable chance of surviving a car accident. If your plane goes down, the chances of survival are almost nothing.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

What a load of bollocks. Fear is a totally necessary response to a huge variety of situations and events. Without it we'd all die a lot sooner. I've always thought that was a particularly stupid cliche.

I don't get the whole fear of flying thing..what's to be afraid of.

I think its a combination of a completely alien set of circumstances - I mean, people are not meant to be in a metal tube 35,000 feet above the earth, thats not where we LIVE for crying out loud! - and a lack of control over those circumstances. At least in a car you have a level of control (obviously not total) over what is happening, in a plane the vast majority of us have no understanding of the forces which are getting us and keeping us in the air, and therefore we need to place a lot of trust in the people who supposedly do. And I don't trust people.

[MK Chris]

In fairness, I don't buy into the whole 'more likely to die in a car accident' thing - it's proportionate to the number of cars on the road and number of planes in the sky. If you take that into consideration, as well as the numbers that would die in one plane crash, I'm sure that statistic would be rubbish.

Thing is, there is a reasonable chance of surviving a car accident. If your plane goes down, the chances of survival are almost nothing.

That too. I do totally understand the fear of flying thing, but for some reason I don't have the fear myself, which is possibly odd.

[missscotia]

My fear isn't of the actual plane, it the claustrophobia thing. Once the door shuts i start feeling panicy as i can't get out. Never used to be like this, just came on.

[Munki Bhoy]

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

What a load of bollocks. Fear is a totally necessary response to a huge variety of situations and events. Without it we'd all die a lot sooner. I've always thought that was a particularly stupid cliche.

Blame FDR.

[Andy B]

Blame Matt Fincham.

Yuds - I don't drive so never feel in control in a car....by the same rationale though people should be afraid of tubes as well.

I don't feel at home anywhere so the interior of a plane makes no difference to me. As for the forces, you don't need to know how they work, only that they do.

I have no idea how spiders spin webs but I accept that they do.

[Sunny So Cal]

Dom and I spoke about our mutual fear of flying when I was up in L.A.! I said the worst part is taking a red eye over the Atlantic and watching on the little television map when you're directly over the deepest stretch of water. That deep canyon between North America and the U.K. where the water goes black. Any odd noise the plane makes then is enough to send me into a fit. I don't believe he took any sleeping pills in either direction because he spoke of the annoying woman with the cough sitting beside him on the flight home. If he'd have been asleep, I hardly think her 'aheming' every other second would have bothered him.

[Yudster]

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

What a load of bollocks. Fear is a totally necessary response to a huge variety of situations and events. Without it we'd all die a lot sooner. I've always thought that was a particularly stupid cliche.

Blame FDR.

I do - and I should have made it clearer that I don't blame you!

Yuds - I don't drive so never feel in control in a car....by the same rationale though people should be afraid of tubes as well.

It applies there too, but with the dilution of familarity and the soothing balm of the mundane it doesn't have quite the same sting.

I don't feel at home anywhere so the interior of a plane makes no difference to me. As for the forces, you don't need to know how they work, only that they do.

Feeling at home or otherwise isn't the issue - its more elemental than that. And I didn't say I didn't accept the reality of the physics, merely that I mistrust the ability of the people to apply them flawlessly.

None of this is enough to stop me getting on a plane, or to make me a nervous wreck when I do - but I am not comfortable flying, so that simply becomes one of the factors for consideration when planning a journey!

[Andy B]

S'got nothing to do with people....s'physics. Plane goes fast, air goes over wings, plane goes up. As long as you don't fly through a vacum you'll be fine.

At least my phobia is of something real, tangiable, something that is evil and life threatening and can kill you in the simplest way.

[Yudster]

S'got nothing to do with people....s'physics. Plane goes fast, air goes over wings, plane goes up. As long as you don't fly through a vacum you'll be fine.

Then why are most of the accidents that happen put down to "pilot error" - and how come most of the accidents that are narrowly avoided are put down to pilot brilliance? If it were merely a case of trusting the science, there would be no debate because there would never have been any non-deliberate (ie bombs or missiles) plane crashes.

And who's tallking about phobias here? I have a sense of discomfort on aeroplanes - that hardly amounts to a fear of flying or a phobia. Merely a mild dislike.

[DannyBoy]

this is what i use Noise Cancelling Headphones http://store.apple.com/us/product/T6832LL/B i pack my ipod full of music, pod casts stuff from the sound vault here, kick back and relax they DO REALLY WORK!

[Sunny So Cal]

I did that on the last trip. I blocked out my sister entirely. I listened to podcasts on the way to NYC and watched movies on my iPod on the way back.