Fear of Flying

The fear of flying may have as much to do with the feeling of being confined as being air born, but in either case it’s debilitating for those who suffer from aerophobia.

Defining the Fear

Sometimes our jobs require air travel and we may think it foolish to tell our boss that we are uncomfortable flying, yet one foot on that plane and the fear is real. You may find it interesting to know that the fear of flying is generally symptomatic of a separate, but real fear. A fear you may have yet to identify.

Two of the most common fears related to flying include…

• Acrophobia  – the fear of heights
• Claustrophobia – the fear of enclosed spaces

Sometimes these fears can commingle to create a sort of mega-fear. The truth is a fear of flying can be symptomatic of other fears as well including separation anxiety or the fear of crowds (keep reading for more specifics).

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Flying Phobia Signals

When an individual expressed a fear of flying there can be several signals that may be visible to others and additional symptoms that may affect them physiologically.

• Sweating
• Tremors of trembling
• Lack of concentration on what others may be saying
• Paralyzed intestinal tract
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Heart palpitations
• Increased blood pressure
• Respiratory issues
• Crying

Many flight attendants are experienced in aiding passengers that may be overcome by the fear of flying, but it can still be a traumatic event for the passenger.

Overcoming the Fear of Flying

You can conquer your fear of flying. The process may start in going back to  the source of your original fear. Instead of treating the symptom (flying) you might be better served by dealing with the underlying fear.  This could be the threat of a hijacking, flying over an ocean, not believing the pilot is qualified to fly or even the noise of the plane.

Many passengers who have worked at overcoming their fear of flying have been helped by taking medications that work to calm them during flight. Others have worked on breathing and relaxation techniques. Still others have found therapy to provide a great deal of help in mastering their fear.

Some who fear flying may even find that reading a book or listening to an mp3 player can provide a positive means of coping with the situation.

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Advice to those seeking to help

It will not be at all helpful to bring up the fact that there are fewer accidents involving planes than automobiles. When this type of fear is expressed it can rarely be reasoned with. There may be time for that later. If you really want to help during a crisis of anxiety you may want to simply work to calm the individual to the best of your ability or find someone who can.

How About You?

Have you struggled with air travel? If you are a regular traveler what have you done to alleviate the stress? What have others done to be helpful – or not so helpful? Tell us your story?

The fear of flying is also referred to as:

• flying phobias
• fear of flying phobia
• phobia for flying
• fear of flying phobia name
• pteromechanophobia
• aviophobia
• aviatophobia

Additional Resources

• AGC — Quarterly Enforcement Report – provides information from the
  Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about which airlines have been fined
  or disciplined by the FAA in the last few years.
• Aviation Accident Statistics – are compiled by the FAA.
• NTSB Aviation Accident/Incident Database – provides searchable database information from The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
• Passenger Injuries and Injury Rates, by year, are compiled by the NTSB.

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