Let me just add that seat belts should be fastened at all times, not just when the light is on. I cringe when I read about passengers being tossed out of their seats during extreme turbulence when it is so unnecessary. Whether I'm in a plane or a car, my belt goes on when I first sit down and it stays fastened until I get to the destination (physiological needs as required).

I have spent the last 15 minutes reading and learning... I will be flying soon - my first flight to Europe (7 hours from NY) and the only reason I have not done it yet is my fear of flying. I am a part time travel agent who has spent the last 20 years traveling 4+ times a year and traveling = flying since I am not a "road trip" type girl.

Try some of these things that help me: first, I always get to the airport early. It makes me more relaxed not to be rushing thru the terminal, and I like to be aware of my surroundings (i.e. people). I take an anti anxiety medicine (except the time my pocketbook was stolen out of my rental car in San Francisco, and my anti anxiety meds happened to be in there - with my cash & ID for that matter)... right before boarding and listen to music as soon as I buckle up. I find I am relaxed at take off, and that makes for a more pleasant flight. I agree that watching the flight attendents - they do this all day, everyday so they are good indicators of whats really going on and opposed to whats going on in the mind of a fearful traveler.

Good luck to you... and enjoy your travels.

My friend the flight attendant tells me its like hitting bumps in the car. It sucks, but it won't make the car fall apart.

My biggest advice is to tell the flight attendant you're a nervous flier. Sometimes they will come out of there way to warn you that turbulance is ahead (it helps to know its coming). Sometimes they give you an extra drink.

Remember to breathe. I focus on my destination. Only way to see beautiful places in a reasonable amount of time is flying. So I try to focus on what I am getting out of it.

Good luck!

How do you know if there is a pilot in the room? Wait 5 minutes and he'll tell you. Here I am. My experience - 32 years flying in the military (not US).

All aircraft are designed to spend their whole lives in light to moderate turbulence. They will not break. Severe turbulence isn't nice and can cause damage but the aircraft will not fall out of the sky. They are extraordinarily strong. I have NEVER experienced severe turbulence in all my years flying transport aircraft round the world. I have avoided it by not flying into thunderstorms, and by paying attention to weather briefs and what my radar shows me. Your airline crews will do the same. They talk to Air Traffic Control constantly about where any turbulence is and at what heights.

Turbulence at cruise levels (high up) is caused by different temperatures in different places and is dependent on weather patterns and systems, nothing to do with the time of day. Turbulence at low levels is usually due to a combination of high wind speeds and local factors such as mountains. You will only come across it in the initial climb out and on the approach to land so it will only be temporary. There will be a small variation during the day due to heating from the sun.

I repeat, the aircraft will come to no harm from being shaken about a bit. It's just uncomfortable for all inside. Stay strapped in at all times that you don't have to walk about even if the sign is off.

Hope this helps. Old and bold pilots - I'm an old one.

Now, if you ask how 200 tons of metal stays in the air, that really is magic.

Hi Scarboroughmom --- and thank you to all the other posters so far! It's great to get some reassuring word of mouth from a pilot or two or three...

In terms of simply feeling calmer if/when there's a bumpy patch, I've found that ginger tea is soothing (and easy on the stomach). A little lavender oil is a good thing too---it's calming, not objectionable for your seatmates, and fights off the "stale air" sense that can sometimes make a flyer feel a bit claustrophobic.

Hope it's a smooth flight!

Try propranolol! It doesnt allow your body to react to the nervousness (your heart rate doesn't increase, etc...), so you don't feel as nervous. I will be using it on my 12 hour flight to Hawaii next week.

I don't fly well either, but my dr. gives me 3 valiums (depending on flight)and it takes the anxiety out of me. Just got back from the Netherlands via Heathrow and it does the trick..May want to ask your dr what works well for you.

Since a young child, I have flown numerous times a year. I always enjoyed that exhilarating feeling of being up in the clouds. However, I now start getting that nervous stomach feeling just before a flight. Just last week, I spent the whole time watching the tv screen that shows the progress of the plane (altitude and mph) and willing the plane safely to its desination. I would rather have spent the time reading a book!! I do find it helpful if the pilot gives passengers a heads up of impending turbulence. Thanks for this thread - lots of good ideas and I take comfort that I am not the only fearful flyer!

First suggestion: Valium. Visit your regular doctor (sometimes just a phone call will do) and ask for enough Valium to last you your flight, and return, plus an extra.

I usually take one Valium just before boarding the plane. My longest flight--Florida to New York, New York to Dubaii, Dubaii to South Africa--I took three Valiums, each one about 7 hours apart. Helped me get through nasty turbulence in the North Sea area.

Second tip: Pilot friend told me that tubulence is just the "potholes of the sky".

Third tip: Remind yourself that whenever you fly over mountain ranges, where bodies of water meet land, or cold meets hot, you will experience turbulence, it is to be expected and is nothing unusual. It's like if you were to go to the beach--the water is cooler than the air (generally) and there is almost always a nice breeze. But inland, just a few miles, different story.

Good luck.

I do find it helpful if the pilot gives passengers a heads up of impending turbulence. Thanks for this thread - lots of good ideas and I take comfort that I am not the only fearful flyer!

I agree wholeheartedly with both of the sentiments in this post. Pilots, please take note -- advance warning is very much appreciated!


Now, if you ask how 200 tons of metal stays in the air, that really is magic.

See, that's the problem in a nutshell, it SHOULDN'T stay in the air!

May I also BEG pilots (and FAs who have some control over the PA system) to SPEAK UP! or fix the volume on the PA system.

Nothing is more upsetting than hearing distant muttering coming from overhead -- "....your pilot....a few minutes..mmmnnmnmm....please....should be....mmmmmm....mmmchchchmm....seat belt.....mmmmmnnnnkkkkkksxx..."

This was a really helpful thread...thanks to everyone. I fly a lot and, as I've gotten older, I've become more nervous (don't know why that is). I agree with all the helpful tips and just want to add that, when the turbulence hits, starting taking very, very deep breaths and blowing it out slowly through your mouth. It helps a lot (along with the meds, of course). Your seat mate won't even notice.

My wife belongs to the 'white knuckle flyer' club AND tends to get motion sickness. Take-offs and landings are her worst times. She takes meclizine (Antivert) prior to flying. OTC (Over The Counter) dose is 1 or 2, 25mg tablets, once daily. I think she takes two or three!

BTW - no alcohol in combination with meclizine.

The mention above about watching the stew's is funny. I'm a flight nurse on an air medical helicopter. Sometimes I'll (humorously) tell my patients they don't have anything to worry about unless they see us starting to get worried looking. Nothing like bumping along in a helicopter at 1500' on a hot, windy, summer day.

John

Another vote for Valium (or Xanax or another "anti-anxiety" prescription medication). I don't get on a plane these days without. Also useful for sleep the first couple nights in a new time zone.

"In terms of simply feeling calmer if/when there's a bumpy patch, I've found that ginger tea is soothing (and easy on the stomach)"

Well... not advised when ON a plane, as the belt sign is always on when you must use the lavatory!

I have had trouble hearing what the pilots or flight attendants are saying very rarely. Sometimes if you're very nervous you have trouble focusing - and then what they say may not be clear.

If you really think they're all mumbling I would have your hearing checked. (Not hearing voices above a constant noise - as in the drone of the engines - is one of the first signs of hearing loss.)

Having flown through all sorts of turbulence MANY times (I have, at times flown a lot - like 60/70 trips, not flights, a year on business) I can confirm that light turbulence - esp at high altitudes is nothing to worry about. That's like the boat and waves analogy.

The only time turbulence is really an issue is take offs and landings -think of the boat and the dock analogy. Had this happen only once (wind shear) just before landing in Cincy - and it was NOT fun - but lasted only a couple of seconds. This is EXTREMELY RARE - since the airports are usually aware of local conditions. This was on a day that there had been a bunch of tornados through the area that had closed the airport. I guess they reopened it too soon.

It's not my hearing (my husband accuses me of having the hearing of a bat -- or maybe he was comparing me to a bat on other grounds...). It may, however, be the airlines I fly. I rarely have trouble on long-haul, large plane, "legacy" airlines. The trouble comes most often on the short-haul, regional and commuter lines.

On occasion, I've mentioned the problem to the FAs and had everyone around me say, "yes, yes, tell him to speak up"!

I don't know if it's the pilots or the sound system, but I find it difficult to hear what they're saying often. I haven't isolated whether it's only on certain airlines or certain aircraft.

A useful thread. Very much applies to me, my worry level is such that friends and family refer to me as "Ms Worst Case Scenario".

One thing that I use that really does help are the wristbands that have the little plastic bumps. It is a kind of accu-pressure. Their purpose is to prevent motion sickness, but one of the ways they do it is to diminish your physical reaction to movement. This allows you to process the bumpiness as less than it actually is.

Flying east and west is worse than north and south, IME, but just our luck that LA and Chicago are 2 of our most frequent trips from Boston. Oh, well.

Re: the flt attendants, one of our worst experiences was when the pilot said, "We're going to be experiencing some bumpy air, so I am going to go ahead and tell the flt attendants to sit down and put on their seat belts." They were seated for almost the entire Bos-Chicago trip. That was scary!

Thanks to all you lovely folks who offer all of this information and support. I think dmlove understands me though. I know I am at more risk driving to the airport than I am flying through some bumpy air. But somehow, knowledge only helps a little. Antianxiety drugs don't really help because they need to be used everyday in order to work. They are not situational type solutions. Tranquilizers just make me drowsy until the bumps start, and then I wake right up, scared as ever. Square breathing takes the edge off. Blaming my husband for it all also helps. (only kidding). Mostly, I just try to figure out if there is some voodoo I can do with timing the flight either time-of-day or time-of-year wise to avoid it. If I ever do have a really bad flight, I'll probably take a bus home, and never fly again.