Take off or Landing - Our fear can climb and descend just as Quickly

Lots of us love not only traveling to other countries but the actual flight that gets us there, the *free movies, drinks, being served, tuning out, watching immaculate passengers wake up with bald spots, crumpled and disheveled. Fantasizing about our holiday or business trip also plays a part.

Of course there is also the discomfort, blanket not warm enough, seats to small, legroom not happening, passenger beside you hogging the arm rest, smells you dont care for, being jammed between 2 sleepers on a full bladder.

Above and beyond all of our loves and hates there is one thing which unites many of us, we know who we are, we have looked into each others eyes and smelt the fear...

Those of us rational under other circumstances who fear the take off or the landing or dammit both.

Fear can come from all sorts of stuff,  we know that. There's the movie you saw when you were 7 (or last week) the plane crashes on the news or worse the re- enactment you saw on late night which all the technical facts of exactly how and why this happened and how bloody vulnerable we are up there etc etc.

The reaility is of course people fly every day, thousands and thousands and they do ok, . Boeing says flying is 22 times safer than driving but when that flight leaves the ground aghhhghgh the voice in my head takes over the controls "Why am I doing this?" "Do I really want to go anywhere on a plane today" "Am I going to burn, drown, get eaten by sharks, freeze to death, be stranded on the roof of the plane?"

We finally get up at the altitude the pilot sees fit to turn the seatbelt light of, then and only then do I remove my fingers grip of the seat arms, I relax, I get up, I grab some water, smile at other passengers and even engage in conversation with strangers. Oh oww, its time to land... "Oh my god, why is it so bumpy, why are we on this angle, are we swaying? Why is the plane going so fast/slow, how can the pilot see out the window? "

Both take off and Landing are demanding for pilots, most will tell you they are both equally as risky, both are different and I dont know that you'll get every pilot to agree on which is harder or  poses more danger.

What makes you uncomfy or downright terrified - Give the Poll a go and lets see if its just me..


Insight Inflight