[ARCHIVED THREAD] - First time flying next week (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 8/29/2008 12:11:33 AM EDT
|
Well first time in 16 years, since I was younger. I am petrified as fuck to get on an airplane. My father got a call that his sister has less than 2 weeks left to live (lung cancer) and we are booking a flight to Pittsburgh to see her, hopefully, before she passes. I was planning on taking a small dose of Xanax and slamming a few drinks before the 4 hour flight. Would that be a good idea? I'll have my MP3 player and a few magazines handy as well. And please, no bullshit about plane crashes. |
|
Don't take anything You want to have your wits about you if you need them I won't go into the reasons why becaused you asked us not to. Eat a light meal, drink lots of water and if you need it, Drammamine works Additionally I would spend some time HERE Ray is one of our pilots and has ALOT of great info for those that need it |
Sorry to hear about your Aunt, that sucks -  In regards to your fear of flying, Man-up and get a window seat. Do a little research on general principals of flight and try and understand that when there's a "thump" or a "Whirr" what the landing gear or flaps are doing and why. Take a pack of gum and a good Tom Clancy book. Oh, and when (not if) you hit a little turbulance, don't grab the insurance salesman in the seat next to you and scream like a little girl. Bucking the winds is part of the ride! |
Don't do this. If you really feel you need it, take the Xanax - but don't drink with it. Alcohol & flying generally don't mix that well, especially for the inexperienced flyer. Throw a strong drug like Xanax into the mix and all bets are off. |
+1 I have flown a bunch of times nothing to worry about . The puddle jumpers can get a little freaky at times. The Funny thing about flying is Dealing With TSA. |
|
I fly alot for work and used to ride Hueys in the Army. Just relax and enjoy the view. As for dealing with the TSA nazis, be polite and curtious. Have all your stuff ready to go into the totes before you pass through security. If your flying out of Houston, be ready for the most inept gang of TSA personel around. Once through security, grab a sammich from Shlotzkies. Best food in that airport. PM me if you have any questions about the fees for bags or stuff in your carry on. |
|
Keep yourself hydrated but not so much that you need to go pee just as they turn on the "Fasten seat Belts" sign for your final descent. mmm, change "final descent" to "Airport Approach" Go ahead and grab the insurance salesman and scream in his ears. Why not? You'll have fun and he's an insurance salesman he deserves it. Read the TSA pages on how to prepare for a flight. Being ready for going through the inspection is the key. They seem to run pretty much on automatic with those that seem to be doing things the easy way. Things go to fuck when some bozo isn't ready and screws up the lines, has to unpack his bags, can't find ticket, etc. Wear slip-on shoes, avoid the really big Texas buckle or be ready to pull the whole belt off and put it in the tub. put your change, keys, chapstick, etc in a baggie so you can pull everything out of your pockets quickly, etc |
|
Airplanes are VERY safe. They actually have a lot more problems then most people know. At first this might sound bad, but keep reading. Every day there is a plane that has some sort of electrical issue, an engine failure, a warning light for a screwed up landing gear, etc. Now how many crashes are there every day? Zero. This is because they have redundant systems, they have generations of engineering to prevent or work around any problems they might have. The pilots also TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN to deal with any failure that could ever happen. Airplanes don't crash until several things go wrong at the same time, which is extreeeeemely rare. There's nothing to worry about. |
+1 Most horrible things that could possibly happen to a plane have already happened on somebody else's flight, and you're reaping the benefits of the engineering that came from the incident. Also, a great deal of even the worst plane crashes are survivable. |
| Let me put it this way about flying. The only time you need to worry about getting on the plane is if one of the pilots, or a mechanic looks the plane over and says, "I'm not getting on that plane." In my 10 years of working on airplanes as a mechanic, I haven't refused to get on a plane yet. |
|
Just remember the Pilots went to school for years and have years of flying experience. The pilots also value their lives and would not be flying if they did not think it was safe. Also if someone is responsible and professional enough to pilot a commercial airliner they have my respect and trust. I always thank the flight crew before deboarding. |
|
Change your fear of flying into an adventure! Instead of freaking out over what MAY happen, look at it as a learning adventure about what WILL happen! Airplanes make noise...they're supposed to. Every thump or whirl you hear is something that's supposed to happen...do a little research ahead of time and learn what those noises are. Don't drink booze before ya go. I've seen people who are terrified of flying become even worse when the booze takes effect. Have fun and make it a learning experience. Oh, and don't let the TSA assholes get to ya  |
I remember that one when it first aired. Don't be fooled, that's a Great In-Flight Flick 
|
Agree with every comment above. Your flight will be fine. If you want to DO something to prepare for any possibility, memorize the emergency procedures, and note the locations of emergency exits. Count how many seats are between you and the exit row. Take note of any other passengers who look like they would have trouble in an emergency. Recognize that the flight attendants also have a pretty good amount of emergency training as well. |
Don't get too sloppy or they won't let you on the plane, maybe wait till you get on the plane to take the pill. I had a friend who had a few too many drinks and he had to wait for the next flight to sober up. |
You can take it with you in your checked bag. Sorry for your loss, and I hope the flight doesn't cause you too much problem. Good luck with it. |
www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm |
|
I posted a imilar thread a little over a year ago. I was terrified of it. But, it had to be done. After a summer of flying back and forth from work to home every month, I no longer fear it. But, I still hate the whole mess with security, long waits, planes that don't arrive on time, etc. That part of it sucks. |
|
My biggest reason I don't fly(since 2000)is I just might tell a TSA clown where to go,and what he/she can do once they get there. I don't do well with some gov types,almost told off a customs clown at the US/CAN border.(don't try to come back into US,and pay the border fee with CAN $) Flying? Safe as can be,Dad was a Delta pilot for 33 years. Only scary thing that happened to me,in regards to flying,was Dad flying over the farm in the 727,at 4000ft,and seeing nothing done on the farm. I caught hell for that......... |
|
cougargnw, you seem to have some knowledge of the TSA so what is it with "no container capable of holding more than 3 ounces" may go through the security check point yet, I can buy a 20 oz bottled drink from a vendor/vending machine once past security. Seems really stupid to me. |
|
|
Sorry for your loss. Have no fear about the flight. I've been flying 4-5 days per week for over three years and will be spending 8 hours in the bird tomorrow. The crews and pilots are good at what they do and want to go home too. I recommend that you eat light and drink water or juice to keep any bloating down. Ear plugs may be a good idea as well. |
|
|
|