Ask HN: How to overcome fear of flying?

I've been in a Cesna and it's dropped 100+ meters only to catch the wind again and we kept flying no issue. Inside the cabin was a different story (like after a frat party).

Your fear of flying isn't a fear of flying, it's a fear of not having control, about putting your life in the hands of other people. As Paul said, Fear is the Mind Killer.

But seriously, you have little-to-no chance of dying in a plane crash. If you flew every day of your life, you'll be in 3 or 4 emergencies though.

Of course I check the airline, the plane details, and when it was put into rotation (hopefully at least 1 or 2 legs before my scheduled flight) before I buy a ticket :-)

What did I do next? I got to know that this is going to kill my career and will not help me grow. So, I asked myself what I should do. Went to therapists and all but nothing worked out. All they do is to help you reimagine the situation and give you some tablets for temporary relief. It doesn't help.

So what you should do? Start small, I started taking small flights like 30 mins flights then 45 mins flights and then took a long flight of 3 hours. You might ask me how it helped? Taking small flights will help you realize what are the threats and what your mind is thinking while flying. See, it is natural, many flyers in an airplane will be scared and that is true but that doesn't mean there is a harm and something is going to happen.

Some pointers that might help you,

> All you should be doing is developing an excitement pleasure instead of fearful thoughts. > Think about the pilots and air hostesses, they might have flown like thousands of times. > Pilots are so well trained and he/she is not any regular truck driver or a bus driver. They are good at what they do and they will have a good track record. > Think about the celebrities, I believe most of the times they will be in the air. > I think about all the good things I am going to see after reaching my destination. > Talk to yourself, the positive affirmations. Like 'I know I am scared but I am going to do it' > Learn how an airplane flies, there are many videos on YouTube and what get familiar with things like turbulence. Turbulence is just a slight in-comfort you experience while flying but is nothing to be worried about. > Get a friend along on your next flight, you will feel good. > Don't think much, just let it be. One or the other day you have to do it. > Listen to music and motivational talks on your phone, if that helps you. > Next time when you take a flight, talk to the flight air hostess or pilot. Talk about your fear of the flying, they will help you out.

That is it. Take small steps and that should help you. We are all going to die one day, why think so much? Just do it. Lol, you should also see the live plane status of how many are flying above currently, you will be amazed.

Hope this helps:)

In the 1980s I was on a regional flight that had to come back around and land after a cracked engine manifold caused a small fire that burned a grapefruit-sized hole in the cowling. It was a wide circle and a smooth landing, but I didn't care for it. After that, I really didn't want to get on anything smaller than a 737.

Some time later I found myself on another puddle jumper. The fellow across the aisle was another nervous flier, it seemed. He was deeply unhappy to realize that the woman collecting tickets at the steps was the co-pilot, so that there was an all-female cockpit. That and the mild turbulence kept him unhappy for the duration of the flight. My amusement killed my nervousness, which has not returned.

https://www.liveatc.net/play/kfwa1_zau.pls

which in turn links to a resource like

http://d.liveatc.net/kfwa1_zau

which you can play in lots of tools (two examples are mpg123 and mplayer).