Leicester City owner amongst 5 killed in helicopter crash at King Power stadium

[samptime29]

Statistically it's pretty fucking safe, but I've never liked helicopters either. I don't like how if anything goes massively wrong you're almost certainly dead. At least planes glide and there's the chance to pull out of a nosedive or spin if there's a catastrophic failure. Helicopters just plummet and AFAIK there's nothing you can do.

 

Yep, agree with this. You have a chance, if something goes wrong with a plane, but helicopter is nearly always fatal.

 

That's just not true. At all.

 

This was a mechanical failure of the tail rotor which makes it very very difficult to control. But if there is no mechanical locking or breaking a helicopter can land with no power. Only light planes can do that. Jets drop with no forward momentum. Helicopters don't. Physics works.

 

When you learn how to fly them, even rc ones, you have to learn how to land with no power as part of your licence. It's called autorotation. Use the rushing air for lift and right before landing you pull up and it smoothly lands. It's very basic physics.

 

Obviously when helicopters do go they can look far more dramatic, which probably gives the impression they're unsavable.

 

Fair enough, I wasn't aware of that.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Yeah, TIL! I'd heard about the auto-rotation thing before as well which makes it all the more ignorant.

 

I wonder where I've gotten that from then, besides my arse obviously. 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: Still not getting in one like.

[geordiedean]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Where do you look for a loose nut when youre boarding direct from a terminal walkway

[Guest Howaythetoon]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Landing I’m OK, 36000 ft up in a straight line I’m OK. It’s the whole buildup to take off and then take off I’m not fine with. Or any sudden turns or noises. I scan the faces of the stewards for signs of concern and I find comfort in seeing others just as scared as I am.

 

Take off though, it’s the whole rumble as the engines fire up, the slingshot trajectory down the tarmac from a standstill  and then when it leaves the tarmac that whole sense of for me a weightlessness beneath you, the rattling, shakes and noise combined and then the climb skywards until it’s up in the air straight, it scares the shit out of me and I don’t like it at all, it’s horrible.

 

I think being cramped, fearful of heights and the sheer complexity of aviation also doesn’t help me. A few years back I think I managed 14 or so flights in one year and thought I’d gotten over it because I was flying so much and so regularly.

 

Not even a few whiskies helps. The relief when we land though, that’s a good feeling.

[Fugazi]

I just find flying boring, more than anything.

[Jackie Broon]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

I feel your pain. I once spent a flight to Italy staring at a missing screw at the bottom of the door, just getting more and more anxious. It was probably just to hold the carpet down.

 

I hate every moment of flying, every second I'm just waiting for something bad to happen. Seconds feel like minutes, minutes feel like hours and hours feel like days. I know how safe flying is really but I just can't get past the fear of the fear if something were to happen.

[sbnufc]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Landing I’m OK, 36000 ft up in a straight line I’m OK. It’s the whole buildup to take off and then take off I’m not fine with. Or any sudden turns or noises. I scan the faces of the stewards for signs of concern and I find comfort in seeing others just as scared as I am.

 

Take off though, it’s the whole rumble as the engines fire up, the slingshot trajectory down the tarmac from a standstill  and then when it leaves the tarmac that whole sense of for me a weightlessness beneath you, the rattling, shakes and noise combined and then the climb skywards until it’s up in the air straight, it scares the shit out of me and I don’t like it at all, it’s horrible.

 

I think being cramped, fearful of heights and the sheer complexity of aviation also doesn’t help me. A few years back I think I managed 14 or so flights in one year and thought I’d gotten over it because I was flying so much and so regularly.

 

Not even a few whiskies helps. The relief when we land though, that’s a good feeling.

 

This should be a massive comfort to you, not the opposite! Pretty much any single thing can fail on a passenger jet and you'll be fine. Probably even 2 things, big or small. It has to be a pretty bad failure (the type that just won't happen, in fact) for something to go catastrophically wrong. They have fail-safes for the fail-safes.

 

As for loose nuts and/or screws, just think to yourself that the plane could probably have half of the screws you see missing and you'd still fly just fine

[geordiedean]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Where do you look for a loose nut when youre boarding direct from a terminal walkway

 

what?

 

 

I meant when you walk down the tunnel direct into the plane from the terminal not going outside onto the tarmac boarding

[geordiedean]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Landing I’m OK, 36000 ft up in a straight line I’m OK. It’s the whole buildup to take off and then take off I’m not fine with. Or any sudden turns or noises. I scan the faces of the stewards for signs of concern and I find comfort in seeing others just as scared as I am.

 

Take off though, it’s the whole rumble as the engines fire up, the slingshot trajectory down the tarmac from a standstill  and then when it leaves the tarmac that whole sense of for me a weightlessness beneath you, the rattling, shakes and noise combined and then the climb skywards until it’s up in the air straight, it scares the shit out of me and I don’t like it at all, it’s horrible.

 

I think being cramped, fearful of heights and the sheer complexity of aviation also doesn’t help me. A few years back I think I managed 14 or so flights in one year and thought I’d gotten over it because I was flying so much and so regularly.

 

Not even a few whiskies helps. The relief when we land though, that’s a good feeling.

 

Ive been on some horrific flights due to turbulence and one easy jet one where pressure in the cabin was lost and oxygen masks dropped. came into Chicago once where I honestly thought the plane was going to slam into the ground, also had a flight into Philadelphia where an aborted landing was performed and had to go around that was truly terrifying

[Guest Howaythetoon]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Landing I’m OK, 36000 ft up in a straight line I’m OK. It’s the whole buildup to take off and then take off I’m not fine with. Or any sudden turns or noises. I scan the faces of the stewards for signs of concern and I find comfort in seeing others just as scared as I am.

 

Take off though, it’s the whole rumble as the engines fire up, the slingshot trajectory down the tarmac from a standstill  and then when it leaves the tarmac that whole sense of for me a weightlessness beneath you, the rattling, shakes and noise combined and then the climb skywards until it’s up in the air straight, it scares the shit out of me and I don’t like it at all, it’s horrible.

 

I think being cramped, fearful of heights and the sheer complexity of aviation also doesn’t help me. A few years back I think I managed 14 or so flights in one year and thought I’d gotten over it because I was flying so much and so regularly.

 

Not even a few whiskies helps. The relief when we land though, that’s a good feeling.

 

This 100 percent. The noises freak me out to an insane degree. I'm always thinking "is that normal, should it be making that noise"

 

I assume that stance with a lot of things, condensation on the inside of the window? It’s cracked and I’m gonna be sucked out. Cabin crew going into the cockpit? Something is wrong. I take my seat and the first thing I think about is whether I’m better off in that seating area or somewhere else if we go down. It’s fucking horrible and tortured me. My poor wife and kids and those new me yesterday, grumpy, snappy, irritated, on edge. It’s irrational I know and the likelihood of anything happening is lottery winning odds, but the whole experience puts me at an emotional, physical and mental unease that I can’t control or bare at times. I’ve cried on take off, I’ve had a panic attack, I’ve actually used another mode of transport despite having a flight booked bruise I’ve had bad thoughts about it, I’ve done that several times. It’s privablg prevented me from traveling the world over and I love traveling to different places and it will no doubt limit my kids’ experience abroad when it comes to traveling to certain places or how we travel if I’m with them.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

I feel your pain. I once spent a flight to Italy staring at a missing screw at the bottom of the door, just getting more and more anxious. It was probably just to hold the carpet down.

 

I hate every moment of flying, every second I'm just waiting for something bad to happen. Seconds feel like minutes, minutes feel like hours and hours feel like days. I know how safe flying is really but I just can't get past the fear of the fear if something were to happen.

 

That’s me, I’m much better these days mind and I’m now OK once in the air and on landing, although always on edge and worrying. I just try and occupy my mind as much as possible and find solace again in seeing others scared as I am or talking to people who try and calm me down.

 

My way of thinking when in the air though is constantly towards what if. For example, I’ve reasoned with myself that landing is better than take off because we are closer to the ground as we come into land and that in a few minutes, if we touch down and stop that is, it’s over. That and the crash will be less hard hitting. I do worry about all the houses below us though...

 

When in the air 3600 feet up I also think well if something is wrong that gives the crew time to try and solve things or me time to put on my life jacket and prepare myself. Things like that to comfort myself. Takeoff though we are going to nosedive and bomb into to the ground this instant, right now, that’s my train of thought all the way until we get level and the seatbelt lights come on or cabin crew start walking the isles.

 

But even then I’m looking for signs that everything’s not right and thinking how good it would be to have airbags in the headrests, or why don’t we put on our life jackets as soon as we board so if we go down over sea, we won’t have to faff on looking for it. Or parachutes at either end of the plaine so if the engines fail it can drop like a feather to a safe landing. I haven’t thought about whatever happens to whatever we land on.

 

How about big fuck offf air bags that inflate when hitting water or why don’t we build planes with a floor or roof that opens up like an escape pod and we drop out of or eject out of with parachutes. Stupid stuff like that which actually helps me as it occupies my mind and childishly and delusionaly makes me think, maybe I can offer the aviation industry some ideas to help them.

 

Fear of heights or rather not liking heights is part of the fear I know, when I cross the Forth Road Bridge or even the Redhugh Bridge I stick to the lane closest to the middle and drive at a much slower speed. You won’t catch me on a roller coaster, even kids rides can be too much for me.

 

Fear of drowning too and what’s below you lurking in the sea which despite my love of Sharks which is fucking daft I know, keeps me out of deeper water or unclear water and that plays on my mind when in the air too.

 

The biggest thing though is control which is what I think is what my fear is really all about as I’ve explod it. I wouldn’t say I’m a control freak because I’ll happily let others take the lead or whatever, but when it comes to my own mortality, safety and that of loved ones, I have to be  in control. That’s why I can’t sleep when a passenger in a car on a long journey for example or real secure letting my wife drive abroad or for such long trips despite being a great diver.

 

Up in the air if anything goes wrong I have some semblance of control or trick myself into think I do, I can control how I’m going to react, my thoughts while something is wrong, on take off though I can’t control anything because if anything happens as we’ve seen sadly with the tragedy that this thread was posted about, it’s over in the blink of an eye and constantly in my mind the plane I’m in is going to smash into the ground.

 

Stupidly that would probably be better or certainly more preferable than an agonising wait or a buildup to the enevitable or a slow death but as long as I think I’m in control or have time to put myself in a position where I can at least control my thoughts, I trick myself into thinking well I can get out of this, I can do something to help myself. I have control of my thoughts, think, think, act. Etc.

 

I’m fucked up aren’t I I’m only like that mind in situations I don’t feel comfortable in like flying, an ironic flight or fight response? Fuck knows.

 

I desperately want to get over it though mostly because of how flying makes me feel before, during and even after which is terrifying in itself that I can be so terrified of something so safe, so amazing and so beneficial. I want to enjoy it because I’m in awe of the technology, captains piloting the plane, that we can build something to fly in the air that can be flown by a human or by a computer or computers that us humans also created.

 

Mind I have probably more trust in the computers than the humans when it comes to flying.

 

Thankfully on our recent holiday which started last Tuesday and ended late last night with the flight out pretty bumpy due to the winds, which set me off on a panic attack, my son’s friend from school his dad was on our from and return flights, he’s a steward and learning to be a pilot. He was so great with me and in a morose way I comforted myself with if anything happened I’ll be with someone I know even though I was with my wife and kids who I tried to block out in terms of any negative thinking. Thankfully they love it despite my obvious physical hatred of it, and my friend let my youngest see  the pilots in the cockpit after we had landed and has told me if I want he can try and arrange some day for me to go in there while they are flying the plane as it can help, but couldn’t last night due to security. Not that I wanted to mind. Going to the toilet and flushing the chain thing button and the noise had me thinking if I have a shit I could be sucked out. My poor boy though, he had about 5 minutes with the pilots and after a quick photo I whisked him out of there so I could finally get off the plane and be at ease. 1 minute if that he had.

 

tl/dr I know but I’ve had no proper internet for a week so I’m like a kid at Christmas here and I could never relay my fear of flying thoughts by simply talking.

 

Just such a shame a tragedy like this brings me and others who have mentioned their fears to this thread my thoughts and prayers once again go out to the loved ones and friends of those who died and hopefully these things serve only to make aviation even more safer so this never happens again.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

It's not really irrational, matey. It's pretty logical as you are in a riveted metal tube thrown forward by exploding-liquid-powered jets.

 

Also it's not lottery winning odds, unfortunately. The lottery odds are 1 in 45 million (?). Plane crashes 1 in 11 million. So the lottery jackpot is way more unlikely.

 

Basically, I'm not helping. Sorry

 

well if I’ve survived so many flights thus far I’m putting the lottery on tomorrow and if I win I’ll buy you a first class ticket on a plane to a destination of your choice mate. I’ll get the bus!

[LV]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Landing I’m OK, 36000 ft up in a straight line I’m OK. It’s the whole buildup to take off and then take off I’m not fine with. Or any sudden turns or noises. I scan the faces of the stewards for signs of concern and I find comfort in seeing others just as scared as I am.

 

Take off though, it’s the whole rumble as the engines fire up, the slingshot trajectory down the tarmac from a standstill  and then when it leaves the tarmac that whole sense of for me a weightlessness beneath you, the rattling, shakes and noise combined and then the climb skywards until it’s up in the air straight, it scares the shit out of me and I don’t like it at all, it’s horrible.

 

I think being cramped, fearful of heights and the sheer complexity of aviation also doesn’t help me. A few years back I think I managed 14 or so flights in one year and thought I’d gotten over it because I was flying so much and so regularly.

 

Not even a few whiskies helps. The relief when we land though, that’s a good feeling.

 

This 100 percent. The noises freak me out to an insane degree. I'm always thinking "is that normal, should it be making that noise"

 

I assume that stance with a lot of things, condensation on the inside of the window? It’s cracked and I’m gonna be sucked out. Cabin crew going into the cockpit? Something is wrong. I take my seat and the first thing I think about is whether I’m better off in that seating area or somewhere else if we go down. It’s fucking horrible and tortured me. My poor wife and kids and those new me yesterday, grumpy, snappy, irritated, on edge. It’s irrational I know and the likelihood of anything happening is lottery winning odds, but the whole experience puts me at an emotional, physical and mental unease that I can’t control or bare at times. I’ve cried on take off, I’ve had a panic attack, I’ve actually used another mode of transport despite having a flight booked bruise I’ve had bad thoughts about it, I’ve done that several times. It’s privablg prevented me from traveling the world over and I love traveling to different places and it will no doubt limit my kids’ experience abroad when it comes to traveling to certain places or how we travel if I’m with them.

 

I’m the same as you HTT. Have to take medication if I’m going to fly

[samptime29]

I hate take-off. Fine up in the air and landing.

[sbnufc]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Landing I’m OK, 36000 ft up in a straight line I’m OK. It’s the whole buildup to take off and then take off I’m not fine with. Or any sudden turns or noises. I scan the faces of the stewards for signs of concern and I find comfort in seeing others just as scared as I am.

 

Take off though, it’s the whole rumble as the engines fire up, the slingshot trajectory down the tarmac from a standstill  and then when it leaves the tarmac that whole sense of for me a weightlessness beneath you, the rattling, shakes and noise combined and then the climb skywards until it’s up in the air straight, it scares the shit out of me and I don’t like it at all, it’s horrible.

 

I think being cramped, fearful of heights and the sheer complexity of aviation also doesn’t help me. A few years back I think I managed 14 or so flights in one year and thought I’d gotten over it because I was flying so much and so regularly.

 

Not even a few whiskies helps. The relief when we land though, that’s a good feeling.

 

This 100 percent. The noises freak me out to an insane degree. I'm always thinking "is that normal, should it be making that noise"

 

I assume that stance with a lot of things, condensation on the inside of the window? It’s cracked and I’m gonna be sucked out. Cabin crew going into the cockpit? Something is wrong. I take my seat and the first thing I think about is whether I’m better off in that seating area or somewhere else if we go down. It’s fucking horrible and tortured me. My poor wife and kids and those new me yesterday, grumpy, snappy, irritated, on edge. It’s irrational I know and the likelihood of anything happening is lottery winning odds, but the whole experience puts me at an emotional, physical and mental unease that I can’t control or bare at times. I’ve cried on take off, I’ve had a panic attack, I’ve actually used another mode of transport despite having a flight booked bruise I’ve had bad thoughts about it, I’ve done that several times. It’s privablg prevented me from traveling the world over and I love traveling to different places and it will no doubt limit my kids’ experience abroad when it comes to traveling to certain places or how we travel if I’m with them.

(keep your seatbelt on loosely for the whole flight)

 

First officer/captain needs a shit

 

Sit within 7 rows of an exit and you're waaaaay more likely to be safe (get out) if the plane lands on water

 

[mickthemagpie]

Statistically it's pretty fucking safe, but I've never liked helicopters either. I don't like how if anything goes massively wrong you're almost certainly dead. At least planes glide and there's the chance to pull out of a nosedive or spin if there's a catastrophic failure. Helicopters just plummet and AFAIK there's nothing you can do.

 

Yep, agree with this. You have a chance, if something goes wrong with a plane, but helicopter is nearly always fatal.

 

That's just not true. At all.

 

This was a mechanical failure of the tail rotor which makes it very very difficult to control. But if there is no mechanical locking or breaking a helicopter can land with no power. Only light planes can do that. Jets drop with no forward momentum. Helicopters don't. Physics works.

 

When you learn how to fly them, even rc ones, you have to learn how to land with no power as part of your licence. It's called autorotation. Use the rushing air for lift and right before landing you pull up and it smoothly lands. It's very basic physics.

 

Obviously when helicopters do go they can look far more dramatic, which probably gives the impression they're unsavable.

 

 

It's not true that airliners just drop out of the sky. Depending on altitude they can glide a long way. The case of a Quantas plane that flew through an ash cloud from an erupting volcano in Indonesia was a case in point. All engines flamed out and the flight crew were planning on landing at the nearest runway while trying repeatedly to restart the engines. Eventually they got them started so the decided to retun to the airport they took off from and flew through the ash cloud again. Same thing happened. Again they got the engines restarted a second time and landed safely despite the windscreen being so damaged by the ash that they could barely see through it.

 

It's amazing what these pilots can do given half a chance. This pilot didn't get that have chance though.

 

It was a BA  jet not Quantas and only one engine failed on the way back.

[mickthemagpie]

Aye you did but if a plane is in the air flying it's going to have forward momentum anyway so is potentially recoverable. If a plane loses its tail though it will drop like a stone just like a helicopter losing its tail rotor. The helicopter at least has a chnce as you say but would probaly tip over as it would be spinning as it hit the ground i guess. Survivable provided it doesn't catch fire as was the case here. As you say though heroes all.

 

The BA case had the pilots planning to land without engines by the way. They used autopilot for the glide and it took the plane from 37000 to 12000 when the engines were restarted. One of the most tense episodes of Air Crash Investigation i've watched.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Landing I’m OK, 36000 ft up in a straight line I’m OK. It’s the whole buildup to take off and then take off I’m not fine with. Or any sudden turns or noises. I scan the faces of the stewards for signs of concern and I find comfort in seeing others just as scared as I am.

 

Take off though, it’s the whole rumble as the engines fire up, the slingshot trajectory down the tarmac from a standstill  and then when it leaves the tarmac that whole sense of for me a weightlessness beneath you, the rattling, shakes and noise combined and then the climb skywards until it’s up in the air straight, it scares the shit out of me and I don’t like it at all, it’s horrible.

 

I think being cramped, fearful of heights and the sheer complexity of aviation also doesn’t help me. A few years back I think I managed 14 or so flights in one year and thought I’d gotten over it because I was flying so much and so regularly.

 

Not even a few whiskies helps. The relief when we land though, that’s a good feeling.

 

This 100 percent. The noises freak me out to an insane degree. I'm always thinking "is that normal, should it be making that noise"

 

I assume that stance with a lot of things, condensation on the inside of the window? It’s cracked and I’m gonna be sucked out. Cabin crew going into the cockpit? Something is wrong. I take my seat and the first thing I think about is whether I’m better off in that seating area or somewhere else if we go down. It’s fucking horrible and tortured me. My poor wife and kids and those new me yesterday, grumpy, snappy, irritated, on edge. It’s irrational I know and the likelihood of anything happening is lottery winning odds, but the whole experience puts me at an emotional, physical and mental unease that I can’t control or bare at times. I’ve cried on take off, I’ve had a panic attack, I’ve actually used another mode of transport despite having a flight booked bruise I’ve had bad thoughts about it, I’ve done that several times. It’s privablg prevented me from traveling the world over and I love traveling to different places and it will no doubt limit my kids’ experience abroad when it comes to traveling to certain places or how we travel if I’m with them.

 

I’m the same as you HTT. Have to take medication if I’m going to fly

 

When I flew to Kenya last year, 3 flights, 16 or so hours in total, almost a full day of airports and flying, my sis in law gave me some tablets, tremodol or something and something else, she said one was to calm me in terms of loosening up and relaxing physically and the other to make me sleep better, I necked them and some calmers over a few hours and drank about 4 double whiskies before and some whiskey on board, it helped a bit but I still couldn’t sleep and was wrecked by the time I got to Mombasa, I was like a zombie for days. I didn’t like that feeling.

 

Did the same a few months back going to Benidorm too and a few of my mates thought I was on coke or something because I was so out of it, I slept most of the way thankfully and felt fresh as a daisy once landing. I only had a pint at the airport before we boarded though.

 

I don’t like taking tablets full stop because of any effects afterwards so nowadays I just have a whiskey before and two mini bottles straight on the flight for short flights.

 

I actually prefer longer flights than short flights but I hate having to fly multiple times in one day, it destroys me and I can’t explain how I feel. It’s like I’m losing control of my mind and control over my body and again that’s what terrifies me more than the actual flying once landed and thinking about it. I really do believe it’s all in the head though and mind over matter and that this fear of mine can be undone and that I alone can do a lot to help myself with this, myself.

 

I hope so anyway because it troubles me how debilitating it is physically, emotionally and mentally just how this flying thing is alone or has become, it’s abnormal behaviour by me and not me in every way in terms of how I am otherwise, if flying can do that to me, what else or what next as I get older and with a family?

 

Someone recommended sky diving to me and I know people who have done that to combat their fear and it’s had a positive effect, but I honesty think I’d have a heart attack mid-air or something. No chance.

 

I’d love to just have no fears though and to even enjoy it which I kind of have done a few times, but always on edge. I know they are kids of course so wired differently to us adults, but I look at my boys and how excited they are to get on a plane and by the whole experience and I want to share that with them rather than sit there like the world is going to end and actually detract from their fun by not even being unable to pretend I’m enjoying the ride or happy to be sat next to them or anyone.

 

Again my poor son getting to meet the pilots and I just wanted off the plane, I don’t think he even got to ask them any questions and I’m sure they thought I was rude, I know I was in terms of my attitude. If it was the cockpit of a Ferrari you couldn’t drag me away from it.

 

I’ve probably got 2 more flights before Xmas so I’m gonna try and do something about my fear other than grim and bear it somehow because next year my wife wants us to go back to Kenya and this time fly out together as she struggled badly with luggage and the boys over 3 flights and almost a full day at airports last year.

 

I went separately 2 weeks later into their month stay due to work and took my brother with me to hold my hand. We all flew back together and my fear she said made it just as unbearable for them as me and I was kind of like that coming back from Tunisia last night and going to it. I also want to not feel so anxious, sweat so much and have the kind of panic attacks I’ve had in the past because it’s awful. I’d rather sit in pain with a broken lefg or something than experience all that time and time again.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

People who are terrified of flying telling others their misinformation about how helicopters work.

 

Statistically you're far more likely to die in a car than a plane or helicopter. I'll accept it's probably more terrifyingly to imagine dying in an air crash than a car crash.

 

There's a reason aircraft crashes make the news and car crashes rarely do. Air crashes are rare where as people die in car crashes frequently.

[Away Toon]

One of the girls I worked with was in a small two person helicopter that crash landed in Florida firstly onto a house roof and then they slid off onto a parked car, both her and the pilot walked out virtually untouched. Two weeks before I was up in the same chopper with the same pilot sight seeing over Fort Lauderdale. Never again, I just don't believe they are safe and when they go wrong that's normally it. As someone said earlier flying in planes is alright, it's boring though and unless you can afford to fly in the front it's a pretty horrible experience now.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

More cars on the road, operated by people and not computers etc. so of course more accidents. I’d fancy my chances more in a car crash than a plane crash. Your are right though, statistically it’s very safe flying, safer than driving. The stats are skewed though.

 

Me if I’m driving, I feel I’d have to be driving dangerously recklessly or not paying enough attention to be involved in a crash which is the cause of most crashes. That or falling asleep at the road.

 

If you keep a safe distance, don’t zoom in and out of lanes constantly, over speed at daft speeds and read the road ahead and constantly scan lanes for cars coming in or leaving the chances of being involved in an accident with another vehicle is so low the bookies wouldn’t even give odds.

 

Even bad weather shouldn’t increase the risk if you apply those things to your own driving, you can’t legislate for other drivers of course or blow outs but it’s usually your own errors/driving style that either causes you to have an accident or involves you in one.

 

Most accidents are not fatal either.

 

I done a speeding course a few years back and according to one of the instructors who was an ex traffic cop the risk of serous injury and even death in a car crash inceases massively if you’re not wearing seat belts (no shit) for example and can even be the result of things on the parcel shelf or dash hitting you and even your steering wheel position on adjust or how your head rest is adjusted.

 

He also said the position of the front wheels can dictate so much influence. He said at a junction for example if you are turning say right don’t turn your wheels right until you move off but keep them straight because if someone hits you from behind at speed and with such force it could push your car into a spin which makes it almost certain you will lose control of the car or push it into traffic also turning. He also said it’s best to put your hand brake on and keep your foot on the foot brake if you are stationary for more than 30 seconds.

 

I dunno like and actually said regardless if someone hits you hard and at speed you’re not going to have a firm grip of the steering on impact or be able to jolt into some kind of subversive action anyway and if the handbrake is on will that make any impact more forceful and he said it’s all about minimising the risk and the practice of safer driving habits and that’s what I took away from the course and try and bear in mind at all times when driving anyway even though I thought some of what he said didn’t make sense or couldntbstatsically be proven to be advantageous or not.

 

Mind I’m talking about the motorways, on normal roads and country lanes especially it doesn’t matter how vigilant you are if someone is tear around a bend or texting at the wheel approaching red lights and bump into you.

 

Driving in high winds scares me when driving our vans because it can tip you over and although I know what to do if a gust of wind hits you so hard it it lifts wheels off tarmac, and it’s happened to me thousands of times and I kid you not fucking scary, if it catches you sweet you’re going over no matter what. Heavy fog scares me as well. I either won’t go out at all or pull over.

 

Snow and ice doesn’t bother me in terms of my own driving, but others... no matter how good a driver you are or how safe you are in such conditions its not worth it at times when so many don’t know how to drive in such conditions or don’t drive to the conditions and thereore become a danger to you regardless.

 

Anyayway cars and the roads all day over planes and the skies.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

One of the girls I worked with was in a small two person helicopter that crash landed in Florida firstly onto a house roof and then they slid off onto a parked car, both her and the pilot walked out virtually untouched. Two weeks before I was up in the same chopper with the same pilot sight seeing over Fort Lauderdale. Never again, I just don't believe they are safe and when they go wrong that's normally it. As someone said earlier flying in planes is alright, it's boring though and unless you can afford to fly in the front it's a pretty horrible experience now.

As explained by others, there is something called autorotation which helicopters can do when there is a loss of power. It's not true to say you're doomed if anything goes wrong. If there is a catastrophic failure (e.g the tail rotor fails) then your chances of survival are greatly reduced but how often does that happen? Not very often. If any aircraft fails it's thoroughly investigated to find out what happened and lessons are learned and rules regarding checking and replacing parts are inforced. Are private helicopters statistically less safe than a commercial aeroplane? Yes but they're not the death trap some of you fear them to be. There are millions of air hours being flown without incident. Saying "I don't believe them to be safe" is your personal fears talking rather than statistical fact.

 

HTT, you have experience in driving cars. You don't have experience in flying apart from as a passenger and you've already said you're a nervous passenger. I've already said the idea of dying in an air accident is worse than the idea of dying in a car crash. Just like being eaten by a shark is worse than the statistically far more likely falling down the stairs and dying as a result.

[LV]

All travel through the air gives me major anxiety. I properly inspect the plane when I'm boarding looking for loose nuts or anything. Grim.

 

Landing I’m OK, 36000 ft up in a straight line I’m OK. It’s the whole buildup to take off and then take off I’m not fine with. Or any sudden turns or noises. I scan the faces of the stewards for signs of concern and I find comfort in seeing others just as scared as I am.

 

Take off though, it’s the whole rumble as the engines fire up, the slingshot trajectory down the tarmac from a standstill  and then when it leaves the tarmac that whole sense of for me a weightlessness beneath you, the rattling, shakes and noise combined and then the climb skywards until it’s up in the air straight, it scares the shit out of me and I don’t like it at all, it’s horrible.

 

I think being cramped, fearful of heights and the sheer complexity of aviation also doesn’t help me. A few years back I think I managed 14 or so flights in one year and thought I’d gotten over it because I was flying so much and so regularly.

 

Not even a few whiskies helps. The relief when we land though, that’s a good feeling.

 

This 100 percent. The noises freak me out to an insane degree. I'm always thinking "is that normal, should it be making that noise"

 

I assume that stance with a lot of things, condensation on the inside of the window? It’s cracked and I’m gonna be sucked out. Cabin crew going into the cockpit? Something is wrong. I take my seat and the first thing I think about is whether I’m better off in that seating area or somewhere else if we go down. It’s fucking horrible and tortured me. My poor wife and kids and those new me yesterday, grumpy, snappy, irritated, on edge. It’s irrational I know and the likelihood of anything happening is lottery winning odds, but the whole experience puts me at an emotional, physical and mental unease that I can’t control or bare at times. I’ve cried on take off, I’ve had a panic attack, I’ve actually used another mode of transport despite having a flight booked bruise I’ve had bad thoughts about it, I’ve done that several times. It’s privablg prevented me from traveling the world over and I love traveling to different places and it will no doubt limit my kids’ experience abroad when it comes to traveling to certain places or how we travel if I’m with them.

 

I’m the same as you HTT. Have to take medication if I’m going to fly

 

When I flew to Kenya last year, 3 flights, 16 or so hours in total, almost a full day of airports and flying, my sis in law gave me some tablets, tremodol or something and something else, she said one was to calm me in terms of loosening up and relaxing physically and the other to make me sleep better, I necked them and some calmers over a few hours and drank about 4 double whiskies before and some whiskey on board, it helped a bit but I still couldn’t sleep and was wrecked by the time I got to Mombasa, I was like a zombie for days. I didn’t like that feeling.

 

Did the same a few months back going to Benidorm too and a few of my mates thought I was on coke or something because I was so out of it, I slept most of the way thankfully and felt fresh as a daisy once landing. I only had a pint at the airport before we boarded though.

 

I don’t like taking tablets full stop because of any effects afterwards so nowadays I just have a whiskey before and two mini bottles straight on the flight for short flights.

 

I actually prefer longer flights than short flights but I hate having to fly multiple times in one day, it destroys me and I can’t explain how I feel. It’s like I’m losing control of my mind and control over my body and again that’s what terrifies me more than the actual flying once landed and thinking about it. I really do believe it’s all in the head though and mind over matter and that this fear of mine can be undone and that I alone can do a lot to help myself with this, myself.

 

I hope so anyway because it troubles me how debilitating it is physically, emotionally and mentally just how this flying thing is alone or has become, it’s abnormal behaviour by me and not me in every way in terms of how I am otherwise, if flying can do that to me, what else or what next as I get older and with a family?

 

Someone recommended sky diving to me and I know people who have done that to combat their fear and it’s had a positive effect, but I honesty think I’d have a heart attack mid-air or something. No chance.

 

I’d love to just have no fears though and to even enjoy it which I kind of have done a few times, but always on edge. I know they are kids of course so wired differently to us adults, but I look at my boys and how excited they are to get on a plane and by the whole experience and I want to share that with them rather than sit there like the world is going to end and actually detract from their fun by not even being unable to pretend I’m enjoying the ride or happy to be sat next to them or anyone.

 

Again my poor son getting to meet the pilots and I just wanted off the plane, I don’t think he even got to ask them any questions and I’m sure they thought I was rude, I know I was in terms of my attitude. If it was the cockpit of a Ferrari you couldn’t drag me away from it.

 

I’ve probably got 2 more flights before Xmas so I’m gonna try and do something about my fear other than grim and bear it somehow because next year my wife wants us to go back to Kenya and this time fly out together as she struggled badly with luggage and the boys over 3 flights and almost a full day at airports last year.

 

I went separately 2 weeks later into their month stay due to work and took my brother with me to hold my hand. We all flew back together and my fear she said made it just as unbearable for them as me and I was kind of like that coming back from Tunisia last night and going to it. I also want to not feel so anxious, sweat so much and have the kind of panic attacks I’ve had in the past because it’s awful. I’d rather sit in pain with a broken lefg or something than experience all that time and time again.

 

Totally understand where you’re coming from. I’m pretty much the same. TBH I take the pills more to make it easier on the people around me. I turn into a monster when I have to fly and the medication calms me down. I’m still scared but a bit more subdued and it makes it a much more pleasant experience for my loved ones!

 

I’m thinking of trying hypnosis because these fears are in the subconscious mind, not in the thinking mind. There must be a way to overcome it.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

Virgin Airlines run the following for people afraid of flying: -

https://www.flyingwithoutfear.co.uk

[ToonArmy1892]

Back to the footage, is that puff of smoke at the start normal?