Most United Airlines offer "from the cockpit" services on their audio selection, and for someone who is afraid of flying this is incredibly helpful. Not only do you hear the nonchalance of the pilots in dealing with things, but you also get advanced notice of just about every other thing going on in the plane. From "Cleared for Takeoff" a few seconds before the engines kick up to "turn right 40 degrees" before the plane turns. or "speed up or slow down" calls before the subsequent action on the plane. You really get a feel for what is about to happen before it happens and it makes the whole thing seem much more routine.

On some newer airlines they offer live camera footage from the cockpit looking forward. Some feel this is helpful as well.

Only other suggestion is foreign movies on your iPad. Why? You have to read them to pay attention, which keeps you focused on the movie and not what's going on elsewhere on the plane.

I love to travel, but when I was in my 20s, my fear of flying got so bad that I didn't fly anywhere for 3 years.

Talk to your doctor (either primary care or psychiatrist) about getting medication. I use Xanax, but not everyone responds well to it and there are other options. It conks me out during the flight because I take a number of them, but you could taken enough to take the edge off. I still get quite anxious in the days leading up to the flight and when I'm at the airport, at which time, I take half of a pill.

Check out fearofflyinghelp.com. There is some useful and reassuring information on the website. It isn't going to magically make the fear go away, but you can use some of the info to beat back the irrational fear in your head.

Cognitive behavior therapy would be a good think to explore with a mental health professional. Among other things, it can help you to devise a strategy to work up to the flight (i.e., sit in your backyard and look at planes, another day drive by the airport, another day go into the airport and watch planes land and take off and just hang out there dealing with your feelings of anxiety, and so on).

Flying is never going to be my favorite thing to do and I still have a good bit of fear surrounding it, but I decided I wouldn't let my fear stop me and my family from doing what we love -- travel.

Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why a seat as close to the front?

NP here, but I'll guess it is the claustrophobia? Just to get off quickly after landing?

Pp here about claustrophobia. Ugh. It's multi facetd, but yes, sitting up towards the front makes me feel like I have a bit more privacy (being embarrassed about having an outwardly obvious panic attack in front of a plateful of strangers is part of my phobia of flying), but also when the plane lands and you get to the gate, I feel enormously panicked by the crush of passengers who stand up and wait in the aisles.

So, bulkhead means I can get off that plane faster and at least I can see my way to an exit. Bulkhead/first class gives me immediate access to the bathroom, too. Another aspect of my panic is that all the adrenaline coursing thru my body does a number on my intestines.

I'm describing what happened on my last flight with a medicine that barely mitigated my anxiety. Next time,I'm going for what I consider the nuclear option: Xanax.

Anonymous wrote:Always get an aisle seat as close to the front as possible. A bit of xanax and a cocktail before boarding helps as well.

In the front you get more of the motion on ascent and descent. Out of Dulles I'm fine but not DCA. I like to fly in the middle: http://medicalservices.swiss.com/en/aviation/duringflight/Pages/MotionSickness.aspx
Good article on turbulence, ascent/descent , late afternoon, mountains etc: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/11/travel/turbulence-explainer/

Air travel is safer than the Beltway, mixing bowl, GW Parkway-just listen to WTOP. In bad weather the planes are delayed and cancelled. Highways are still open.

Anonymous wrote:Why a seat as close to the front?

NP here, but I'll guess it is the claustrophobia? Just to get off quickly after landing?

Why a seat as close to the front?

Always get an aisle seat as close to the front as possible. A bit of xanax and a cocktail before boarding helps as well.

Anonymous wrote:To get a handle on fear of flying read this. Login at http://goo.gl/MFgZYC username = soarbook & password = 54321

Is it really "goo.gl" Also, are to share what exactly this is? I'm not comfortable logging into some random website without an explanation. The address looks very strange.

To get a handle on fear of flying read this. Login at http://goo.gl/MFgZYC username = soarbook & password = 54321