How can I be less afraid of flying?

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Lear_Pilot

Several good advice already. Sitting up front in the airplane for a living I would just like to add my own $0.02;

Just remember that the pilots have families and pets and homes and hobbies and a life they want to come home to too, at the end of the day. They wouldn't be doing this for a living if it was dangerous and the risk of 'falling out of the sky' was as high as it may feel when you're sitting in the back worrying. We don't want to crash either! :)

Ace

It always helps to have someone with you who you are comfortable with. Take your own pillow and your iPod and sleep. iPod always helps for music loud enough to tune out the airplane noise. Do a puzzle to occupy your mind or read a book, and if you can't concentrate, do it while listening to classical music =) My best advice, good luck!

Alex

get smashed! fun and effective :)

perfectlybaked

You could keep in mind the statistics, citing that it's more likely to be killed in a car crash or hit while on a bicycle than to experience a plane crash. It's true. If you see the air traffic control screens, there are thousands of planes in the air 24/7. We only hear of crashes every now and then. As well, airplanes are built with so many auxiliary functions that their default action is to avoid a crash, and a crash would occur when all of these are exhausted.

My comfort when flying is knowing that everything would happen so fast that there probably wouldn't be any time to realize that it's over. That pleasant a fate isn't something that anyone can plan.

Emanuel

There is a lot of good advice in here already but you can try short flights for starters. Like maybe go to a town or city close by because you can find cheapo tickets and maybe just head out for the weekend.

fiveamrunner

Don't look out the windows and think about all the loose screws on the wing or what would happen if too many of them popped off... cuz they do, yanno...

thatguy

try and sleep on the plane so that you wont think about it or bring and ipod or just anything to help occupy your time

Runner Runner

Just know that your fears are probably unjustified. We have all heard and know that you were more at risk encountering a fatal accident driving to the airport versus flying in the airplane itself.
I do know what you feel, a little clammyness in the hands but I think sometimes that is more adrenaline due to not flying often was my previous experience.
Honestly, now I sometimes fall asleep before we take off and do not realize I am in the air until the flight attendants walk around taking drink orders.
One other thing to realize that it might help understand your feeling is that people although falsely believing (confimed by stats) believe that they are safer when they are in control, say an automobile versus in this case letting a pilot fly a plane.
The more you fly, the less adrenaline will flow and the less you will have these feelings.

San Diego Art Nut

There are some good books on overcoming your flying phobia. Some methods include going to the airport and watching the planes take off and land. Leaning to recognize the various noises planes make in flight and taxiing.

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