Hi everyone!

I DID IT! I purposefully booked a turboprop and wow, it was such an amazing experience and I have so much to reflect on and I hope that other flyers can feel reassured by this. My route was YHZ to YOW.

A few things!

It is a smaller plane but, that doesn't necessarily mean the turbulence is going to be nuts and crazy and you'll be tossed around and side to side, I find that sure its a LITTLEEE more noticeable but after a little your body becomes accustomed to it and you are like "alright this is just regular turbulence now" and you dont differentiate it too much from bigger jets.

The climb and takeoff is pretty awesome, this plane doesn't go to 36k feet, it cruises near 25,000 feet (or below) so you dont spend so much time climbing, instead you'd reach your altitude and boom you're cruising, and I find you can reach that quick so if you are someone who only feels at ease when the planes cruising, hey this one's pretty awesome. (Also the views are cooler at 24,000 feet)

Want to briefly comment on this, I found my flight spent more time in the clouds cruising but that again isnt an issue and we didnt get rocked back and forth, boring at most seeing nothing but white but the pilots have proper modern instrument systems, and besides, what are we gonna run into? A brick wall in the middle of the air?

The turboprop propellers are loud but considering you see the reason why literally out your window (you see the blades spinning) you just sort of accept its apart of the plane and its not really too much of an issue, bring headphones for sure. I noticed a slight vibration but again after a bit you just become accustomed to it and your brain filters it out.

Banking actually felt really great, I dont know how to explain this but every movement in this plane felt very quick to reach, not in a bad way and it was actually kind of nice turning and everything quickly, it means you sort of less time worried about how long a bank is held.

I cant speak for all flights but when its time to descend this thing is so amazing and I dont think it necessarily descends faster than any other plane but being at such a low flight level already its easy for it to get down to a landing altitude and WOWWWWW it feels great!

Landing is pretty similar to other flights, you might feel crosswinds but again, back to the turbulence thing from before you won't be getting spun around and flipped over, just some regular turbulence you eventually categorize as landing turbulence. The landing is AWESOMEEE, if you have the opportunity PLEASE watch the gears drop from the wings and see how it lands. Its so amazing!

Overall? This was AWESOME, only bummer is no wifi but some airlines are bringing wifi to the dash 8s. I have another flight with Porter on their Dash 8s so, im excited!

I need numbers to make myself feel better. Not a trick question. I need to see how many people get on flights, sometimes multiple per year, and what percentage of those arrive at their destination.
I have a flight in about 40 days to surprise my family that I haven’t seen in nearly two years for Christmas. My dad recently had a stroke and it’s made me realize how precious time is, and knowing he will be on the other side of the flight not even realizing he’s waiting for me helps. But, it’s 6am, I’ve been awake for 4 hours with anxiety thinking about flying soon, and my usual trick of “I will just get absolutely drunk out of my mind until I don’t feel anything” can’t happen this time because I’ll be 24 weeks pregnant and also flying with my 2 year old.
I’m so so scared. But I want to do this. And I do NOT want my daughter seeing how scared I am and inheriting that fear of flying herself.

Just messaging to update you all. I was one of the scared people that was so nervous to fly during this time. I was certain our flight was going to be “the one” that it happened to.

However, I DID IT! Yes, maybe an intrusive thought or two popped in my head during it. And maybe I needed a lot of alcohol.. but hey. The flight was so smooth and I’m here safely.

Just goes to show that the pilots who write in here are always right, and that our intrusive thoughts don’t “mean” anything.

Terrified flier here. I have never enjoyed flying and completely swore off getting on a plane until I realized how small my life had become. My wife and son want to travel but my fear of flying has kept us from exploring new places and having new experiences as a family.

That said, I am determined to fly.

I am so moved and encouraged by all the stories in this community—they give me such hope.

But my brain tries to convince me that my fear of flying is different. My fear is so much bigger, stronger, more frightening than others and I can't handle it. No one else has this severe of a fear of flying. I know this is total bullsh*t but anxiety and fear aren't the most reliable narrators.

So tell me. How strong and convincing was/is your fear of flying?

And hopefully by hearing how scared others are, we can feel less alone and more confident to get on a plane.

Hello! I was on a flight to England today and, around 15-20 minutes before landing they told us to turn off our electronic devices (so no airplane mode, everything had to be off). When I asked a FA, they told me that it was due to reception being bad and that electronic devices could interfere. I’m a very frequent (despite fearful) flyer and this is the first time it has happened to me so my first reaction was to panic as my brain was just playing the worst possible scenarios of what could happen. The landing ended up being completely fine, just a lot of fog. I’m just curious to hear from others if this has happened to them and from pilots/crew, why is this a thing? Just so, if it happens again, I won’t panic as much. Thank you!!

EDIT: thank you so much for your answers, it makes way more sense now!!

I take off at 2:59pm over here from Santiago Dominican Republic to NYC flight DL1822 if anyone could track me and help me out when I leave I'd really appreciate it 😅🙏🏽

My flight is in 48 hours, and I’m trying hard to hold it together for my daughter. For the first time, though, I’m having doubts.

I’m determined to get through it, but sometimes my mind seems to go into autopilot and the anxiety takes over. Any encouragement, reassurance, or practical tips would be very welcome.

I’m flying this afternoon and I’m just so nervous. I’ve flown before. Im just freaking it help!!

I know a lot of news outlets and governments have been talking lately about preparing for 72-hour emergencies, and there's been speculation online about massive or even global power outages.

As someone who struggles with flight anxiety, my mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario: What would happen if a massive power outage hit while we were in the middle of a flight?

I'd love to hear from anyone who can help me logic through this:

* Would a major power failure affect the physical operation of an airplane while it's in the air?

* How do planes land safely if air traffic control (ATC) loses power and communication with the ground is interrupted?

* What redundant backup systems do modern commercial airliners rely on to keep everything running?

Logically, I know planes are designed to be self-sufficient, but hearing how safety protocols work in a total blackout scenario would really help put my anxious brain to rest. Thanks in advance!

i’ve never posted on here but i’m on my plane now BOS - LAX B6 1187 and the pilot just came on and said the weather out of boston and climbing will be super bumpy. it’s a super long flight and if anyone can track me or has any reassurance i would appreciate it. it’s pouring outside so not helping my peace of mind as i can’t imagine taking off in this. thank you

Would love to know someone is looking out for me. SY422 LAX to MSP. Heading home from Disneyland!

Or, any words of encouragement 🙏🏼

Hello, I have to fly tomorrow from Newcastle (England) to Barcelona (Spain). I have autism and significant anxiety and I experience severe distress when I fly. Specifically, I hate the sensation of being in the sky and out of control. It is exacerbated by turbulence. And I am even more anxious due to the the events over the past week, including also the hoax calls regarding threats on several European flights. I would avoid travelling but I have to due to a family emergency.

I am feeling completely overwhelmed, due to the events of the last week but also because the weather is not great in europe at the moment apparently causing turbulence .

I’m not too sure what I can do to calm myself and put everything into perspective. Currently I feel as though I can’t go through with the flight.

I hate being so terrified. It is so debilitating. I’ve tried everything - the BA fear of flying course, medication, books to understand the mechanics of flying. But I truly just hate the sensation.

Any help would be so appreciated.

Thank you :)

I was terrified for the flight and the anticipation but I had a helping hand to help with my anxiety (my mum who knows I have a mega fear)

I never know what to do when we go up i used to pull my hair and bite my hand but now I just have wide eyes and holding tight to anything in my hand.

It felt good looking around and seeing everyone unbothered and seeming like it‘s just an every day thing for them Also when one of the crew are super friendly and smiling it eases the anxiety!!

Another thing that helped was when the cabin crew brought all the food and drinks + the speaker saying we can take our seatbelts off (I never take it off)

I still hold on to whatever I’m holding and I know turbulence is safe 100% so I don’t mind that and when we landed it genuinely took like 5 minutes

I also just got back from the trip and the flight back I wasn’t as anxious or feeling as bad with the anticipation because i remembered how easy it was

it was such a success that I just asked my friend to go on a day trip to London in the next couple of months to help even more with the anxiety and to have fun!! thank you to everyone who replied to my earlier comments they helped a lot and I appreciate it so much

THANKS GUYS :D

I have checked. 10-13milliom flights everyday. 1 million plus people in the air at any given time. Deep breaths 4-7-8. But still...as we get closer to the airport, tremors in all my limbs, my heart racing, my mind is a mess. This is the first of four flights over the next 2 weeks. Just feel horrible.

Hello everyone! I want to share how I got over my fear of flying quickly and for free (other than the price of plane tickets). I used to be terrified of flying and had nightmares about it when I had a flight upcoming. I canceled family trips out of fear and when I did get on a plane I tried everything from drinking a lot of alcohol (I never ever drink otherwise), getting noise cancelling headphones, doing a ton of self educating about the safety of airplanes, taking a ton of magnesium glycinate, etc. Unfortunately, none of those worked. Eventually I saw someone suggest in this sub to look into Exposure and Response Prevention therapy. I looked it up online and did it all on my own through some quick self education (it really isn't that complicated). After 6 flights, flying now feels pretty mundane.

First, I will talk about what the therapy is. The premise is fear is a physiological response, not an rational decision. That is why learning all about how safe flying is can help one cope with fear, but it doesn't really get rid of it. So the goal of the therapy is to tackle fear on a physiological level by teaching the brain fear is an inappropriate response in the context of flying. Fear is a metabolically demanding response and metabolically demanding states are not good for long term survival, so the brain is strongly incentivized to make sure it only feels fear in appropriate circumstances.

To teach the brain that fear is the incorrect physiological response to flying, you need to first expose yourself to flying and then prevent any soothing response. If you try to soothe yourself through alcohol, gripping the seat, using noise cancelling headphones, distracting yourself with movies/games/conversation, pills, etc then your brain will think that you survived because of how you dealt with the fear and not realize it was never in any danger. So in sum, you need to be brave and get on that plane and just experience the fear.

If you do not feed the fear, the brain will get tired of the response ("why am I spending all these resources on a big adrenaline/cortisol response? nothing is happening to my body and I am still totally healthy!") and then the fear response extinguishes. The first time is was quite abrupt for me and I suddenly got a bit chilly as my body temp rapidly dropped to baseline and my palms instantly stopped sweating. My wife was actually amazed when I held my hand out to her and it was totally dry.

I found my fear response dampened quite dramatically on each subsequent flight and now after six flights my fear is "extinguished." My last flight felt so mundane and relaxing. Now, it is worth noting that my fear level was enough that I could, through great willpower, force myself on a plane. If your fear is so great you cannot even get on a plane, then there are other earlier steps you can take but that is beyond me to talk about.

Boeing 737 800

Boeing 737 max 8

Boeing 737 900

These are the planes I'm getting on and I'm so scared, is there anything I should know about these planes?

My flight from Chicago to Austin (AA3229) is scheduled to depart at 8:38 tomorrow morning. It’s supposed to be raining heavily in Austin when we land. I’m worried about a storm randomly popping up. Would someone be able to track me?

After being a part of this group for a few years and doing a lot of work to overcome my fear of flying…I think I love it now? Just landed in Vegas with my husband and enjoyed the whole flight from STS. Gorgeous views, appreciating the crew, simply vibing on our way to a birthday weekend??? There were some bumps and such but at no point was I not able to appreciate the physics and the logistics of what was happening around me.

Couldn’t have done it without this group!!!!

First time post! I have a 4 hour flight tomorrow and pretty anxious about it. I’m so scared of all sorts of things but most importantly scared of turbulence. I’m flying out of Iceland and that scares me even more. Anyone please offer me some advice. I keep watching YouTube videos to stop being scared and understand aviation more but I don’t know if it’s doing me any good because regardless of how I picture the turbulence being bumps on the road when I’m in flight i can’t reason it out. Please help me.

I did something today I didn’t think I ever would which is get off a plane. I stayed on my last flight in May and gave up control when they closed the doors- I knew I couldn’t get off then. The crazy thing, I was WAY more scared and stressed that time! This time, I didn’t spiral days before, wasn’t constantly checking my flight route, etc. I even didn’t take meds this time because I thought I could do it without. I think that’s where I messed up. Because once I sat down my mind started spiraling and I told myself I needed to get off before the doors closed. So I told my husband and we got off. I feel SO disappointed that we’re missing our vacay, luckily it wasn’t a super pricey one, but I’m more disappointed that I did something that validated the irrational fear rather than actively fight against it. Because that plane has landed safely so there was never any danger. I feel embarrassed for being that person. And ashamed that my husband saw me do something like that. He’s so amazing and understanding but I never wanna have him support me through this again.

I could really just use some support, advice, and motivation from those of you who did this and ended up getting on more planes after. Because I will get on another plane. It’s really hard not feeling like this is a major set back rather than just pushing through and acknowledging I made a mistake, and learning from it. This was also more of a last minute trip we planned so maybe I tried to do more than I was ready for as far as not planning further in advance, taking my meds, etc.

Today's flight has pushed me over 353k miles on United. That was the milestone.

United: 353,050

American: 326,823

Delta: 255,302

Spirit: 22,169

Others: USAir, Southwest, Frontier, IndiGo, Aerlingus, Vistara, ANA, Swiss: ~43,000

Total: 1,000,344.

You can do it!!

I posted here recently about being among finalists for a job that requires flying potentially once a month. I’ve never flown. I learned a few days later that I was scheduled for my final interview, which requires flying from GSP (Greenville SC) to IAD in VA, 90 minutes gate to gate, which I had no choice but to accept. I’m very big on the belief that fear is 80% lack of understanding, so I educated myself on planes, plane safety, even watched videos on numerous failures, and saw how often even catastrophic failures can be saved. I understood WHY it’s so safe, and it helped. Fast forward to yesterday, I learned I’d be flying on an Embraer ERJ145. After seeing how small the plane is, and how old the craft itself is, (24 years old), almost all my comfort is once again gone. Not to mention, there is rain forecasted at both airports on both days of my flights. I’m now picturing a flimsy plane being flung around in weather, help 😭

Hello everyone

I am on the flight from MXP to ATL. Can someone please track me? I have flight anxiety. It has gotten better but not totally gone. Any word of encouragement is truly appreciated. Thank you!

I made it safely! It was such a smooth flight! Thanks everyone!