[dilanium]

I've always been paranoid on airplanes, but I can generally deal with my problems.

I don't know if I can do that anymore. I just watched a program on the United airlines flight 811 in 1989. The door cargo door burst open and 9 people died. I then did a search and found out about so many flights have crashed or had problems due to known problems in the airplanes.

Now I'm really really scared. :wah

Does anyone know about the AirNZ planes? Are they proactive to keep the planes as safe as possible?

and

Why do I have to watch TV shows that scare me so much?

Thanks.

[Georgebulldog]

I'm the same but found reading some official aviation plane crash website made me feel better as Air NZ was not on any list plus when you look at all the crashes that have happened over the years it's never usually the big airlines.
A captain on an airplane once told me that the wings could bend right up & still wouldn't snap, that set my mind at rest too, strangely. I wish you could still visit the captain as this always helped me.
I'm now telling myself it's 2 11 hour flights, may be a bit longer but I can deal with that at the mo
Well enough of my waffling

[pleccy2000]

Diazipam + zopiclone got me over my fear - it's great

[dilanium]

But are they not on the list because they are proactive about safety or because they are lucky?

(I really don't want to be on the unlucky flight.... X( )

[Georgebulldog]

Diazipam + zopiclone got me over my fear - it's great

Yep I'd be taking that if I wasn't pregnant :D

I may have a Baileys, just one wont hurt

[tigerlily]

I like to remind myself everyday about the flights that are taking off and landing safely. Lots more of them than crashes.

[PECJ]

I am an aircraft design engineer with 20 years experience in the aircraft business. I started in design (at Uni) and have been dealing with aircraft maintenance since then. So to put your mind at rest.

Lets start with the design process. When you start the design process you usually start with something that has already had many years experience (if you think about it the basic shape of the commercial jet has not changed since the introduction of the jet liner of the comet days). Aircraft companies are not that adventurous otherwise we would be using "flying wing" type aircraft which are MUCH more efficient. So the whole process is started from a large pool of knowledge and improvements made through millions of hours of aircraft operations. When you design a wing/body etc then you don't only look at the "normal" loads applied during flight (this includes wind gusts - there are books on expected gusts in different areas of the world ! - most of which I would not like to experience) and unexpected loads. Safety factors are then added and the design started. It is a long process (even longer than this post) but it is rigorous and has many levels of checking and testing.

Once the aircraft is built been test flown and "in-service" with whoever, the aircraft companies have a good handle on the operation of their aircraft and responsible aircraft operators keep the dialogue between themselves and the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) whether that be the Airbus/Boeing or the equipment manufacturers (such as radios/radar etc etc). If there is a problem, the OEMs soon tell the operators what is going and PARTICULARLY when safety is involved. There is a maintenance schedule (like on your car) and the aircraft are maintained to that standard. There are RAFTS of rules, procedures, checks, standards, more checks and so on to ensure that things don't go wrong.

AirNZ (like most other "well known" airlines) has safety as paramount importance. Its is in their own interest. Personnel in the aircraft industry are used to having their work inspected because from day one safety is drummed in.

Commercial Flying is still the safest way to travel. Yes there are accidents but they all get rigorously investigated and the findings made well known. I really would not worry. You are MUCH more likely to have a car crash on the way to the airport then during the flight, and I don't worry about that either.

[dilanium]

PECJ,
Thank you so very much for your answer. You did alleviate some of my fears, but I still have a nagging issue.

I know safety is paramount, but accidents do happen. The show I watched was about the problems with the cargo doors that occurred in the 80s. The problem was reported to the airlines and they didn't change it in time.

I know this really is statistically improbable to occur, it's just incredibly scary to think that it could happen.

[ourquest]

A common fear...I feel for you!
You just need to have perspective. Have you any idea just how many aircraft there are in the air at any one time? It is mind boggling. A statistic I remember from some years back is that at o'hare airport in Chicago a plane lands or takes off every 30 seconds, 24 hrs a day! And that is only one airport in the entire world. And when there is a crash anywhere, the entire world hears about it, and I bet you are not hearing about it very often, are you? Even the program you watched was about an incident in 1989...doesn't that make you realise that TV are a bit short of material about air crashes?
They are safer than extremely safe.

[dilanium]

I know I'm safer on an airplane than in my car, and many other places.

I've also flown many times without a problem. I think that the fact that the flight to NZ is really long is what scaring me, not to mention that the crash on the program was flying to Auckland.

Thank you everyone for reassuring me. It's really quite silly for me to be panicking. I'm not sure when I'll be in NZ yet. (Though I'm working on it).

[ourquest]

not to mention that the crash on the program was flying to Auckland.


Hopefully you'll find some programs to watch on TV which show the dangers of living within comfort zones gripped by irrational fears :nice1

[Kerry and David]

My son is a nervours flyer, he has Phenergan tablets which help him relax on flights.
Good luck

Kerry

[dilanium]

Hopefully you'll find some programs to watch on TV which show the dangers of living within comfort zones gripped by irrational fears

Well I wouldn't necessarily call it an irrational fear. While it is statistically more probable that I will die of cancer, a car crash, etc, the fact that I have the fear does not make it irrational. I am not paralyzed by it, it doesn't stop me from functioning normally. I still take flights.

The fact that I was super afraid for all of a day after watching a program about people getting ripped out of a plane due to a cargo door malfunction does not make it irrational. It just means that I reacted with fear (which incidentally is often what these programs are trying to do). I just happened to reach out and try to get some information to help alleviate my fear at the moment.

I would hop on a plane today and be fine. I'm a bit nervous about the flight to New Zealand being such a long one (as I've never been on a plane for more than 6 hours), but I'm not petrified of flying.

But yea, I really just need to stop watching TV programs that I know will upset me.
:)

[wanderingoregonian]

I loved flying for years... then started getting scared, like really scared, so
I ended up taking a few private pilot lessons, and am now very comfortable flying as I really understand all those bumps and such. I also personally find window seats calming (others have the opposite view) as I can watch what is happening. Information is what calms me... so that is what I sought.

Distraction is another time honored option, and with the on demand TVs on many of the carriers you can just pretend you are watching movies in a very small closet on the ground:)

One thing to counter what you see in media sources is Patrick Smith's column "ask the pilot." He's a former comerical pilot (turned to writing when he was laid off after 9/11 I think) and writes about aviation in a way that is calming and clear for non-pilots.

Here is a link: http://dir.salon.com/topics/p_smith/ and some highlights: http://www.askthepilot.com/airtravelinfo.html

[ourquest]

Well I wouldn't necessarily call it an irrational fear. the fact that I have the fear does not make it irrational.

Well I didn't really mean a program about you specifically when I imagined a program about comfort zones on tv, because I know you wouldn't let the fear stop you boarding an aeroplane and besides, emigrating is hardly staying in a comfort zone hey???;) But I do know that what we watch on tv can shift our focus. And I am afraid "irrational" does sort of mean that if one could take emotion out of it and look at the facts, one wouldn't feel the fear. We all have irrational fears, or phobias to some level or another, and whatever you find to let go of any fears will certainly help. I hope that on this thread there have been some suggestions which will work for you. And of course once you're in Auckland none of this will matter anymore. Isn't time weird? All the best.

[dilanium]

I am afraid "irrational" does sort of mean that if one could take emotion out of it and look at the facts, one wouldn't feel the fear.

Again though, I wouldn't call it irrational. It is improbable that a mechanical failure will occur and I will go hurtling out of an airplane, but not impossible. The main thing I went looking for after I watched the program was to see if they had fixed the glitch on modern airplanes. I actually had trouble finding any information on that, and that was making my fear response kick in.

I admit to having irrational fears (Claustrophobia), I just rather think this is not one of them as it is based in fact, but it's just a very rare occurrence.

I still can't wait to get in on the ground. I'm sure after Auckland I won't care anymore, and the flight from there to Palmerston North will be nothing to me.

On another note, I'm excited as the opportunity to get on the plane keeps coming closer and it seems my plans are falling into place!! :raebanana

[MaxG]

My OH is a really, really, really nervous flyer. In fact she feels about flying how I would feel about being dumped in a bath full of spiders :eek: . One thing she found helped when flying to NZ with Emirates was the fact that they have cameras mounted on the plane (one forward-facing, one downward). This meant she could watch the view from the front of the plane coming in to land (for example) and see the runway is straight ahead for ages before you actually land, which is less frightening than the anonymous terror of sitting in the middle of a tin can not knowing what's going on :D .

Plus the entertainment system is great (better than any airline I've flown with), the food was good and the staff brilliant. We flew with Qantas last year, but the family's only stipulation for flying our next year (to stay this time!) is we have to go with Emirates.

[MaxG]

Re: the internal flight on the 'pencil' - my OH find this much more frightening - she hates to be by the window. I love the fact that everyone gets a window seat AND an aisle seat:D .

[ourquest]

I admit to having irrational fears (Claustrophobia), I just rather think this is not one of them as it is based in fact, but it's just a very rare occurrence.


Whilst going about my daily life today I was reflecting on my posts to you and felt that I hadn't been as sensitive as I could be. Let's forget about what we call the fear, the fact is you feel it and I sympathise.

And with that in mind I am aware that I was trying to coax your fear away by facing the facts, which probably isn't the right approach. I would like to be genuinely useful to you, but this will obviously be difficult in the absence of genuine understanding. Something which did occur to me though, which seems pretty obvious in hindsight, is that with the move coming up, and everything you have been through to get to this point, it would not be unusual to suffer some form of depression, and depression often manifests itself in anxiety. This anxiety can be general, or can attach itself to specifics as might be happening to you now.

I am not sure if it really helps you to know this, or see this as a possibility, but it does provide you with some potential solutions. They might help you cope in general with the transition, not just in terms of this issue.

Recognising you are under the stress is step number one. Then step number two is to make small lifestyle changes which will help reduce the stress (and hopefully then subdue the anxiety). Some examples might be saying "no" to some commitments, drinking less caffeine, watching less tv (:D ), going to sleep a little earlier, and getting more physical exercise.

These little triggers can add up quickly and a point can be reached where mentally you begin not to cope...anxiety etc. Perhaps it would work in your case to reverse it as suggested. After all, it would not be at all healthy to let your balance slip even further, so you need to get proactive.

Hope these suggestions help, Dilanium, but more importantly that you feel that I care (it started to feel like I was out for an argument, which I promise I wasn't). The specifics might or might not be applicable to you, but I guess the suggestions are useful enough to find a purpose anyway.

Take care (at the same time as letting go!):)

[dilanium]

Recognising you are under the stress is step number one. Then step number two is to make small lifestyle changes which will help reduce the stress (and hopefully then subdue the anxiety).

Well my stress has gone down considerably recently. I graduated with my degree in biology, got preselected for Massey's Vet school, got my cat microchipped and his rabies vaccine (and his titre is scheduled) and my mother has accepted the fact that I'll probably go to Vet school in NZ and not come back.

Things are looking good. ;)

Now all I need is to get selected for the Vet program. I won't find that out until probably March, which will give me only a few months to get my student visa together :wah , so I'll be ordering my FBI background check early.

Me? stress? never.