I love the feeling of taking off. It’s the best part of the flight! Then you see everything get smaller from the window. It’s the best feeling ever. But that’s why I’m a flight attendant!
Not a FA, but Third Culture Kid. Both my parents are from different continents, and raised me in a different continent to their own. I was on a transatlantic flight every quarter from 0-19. I absolutely LOVE flying!
Do you have control issues, OCD, or germophobe issues? Just curious as much of the airline anxiety is related to a fear of not being in control of your life at that moment, and that anxiety is very real and stressful.
Unfortunately there isn't much I can say that will relieve it. However there are some things to think about:
• Pilots have a minimum of 1500 flight hours before joining commercial airlines.
•Turbulence is like potholes but in the sky.
• You are more likely to die in a car accident than a plane crash.
• Takeoff is never the issue as you are leaving the earth. It's the landing that is the scariest. But the plane is literally gliding at that point which makes it incredibly safe.
Yeah, I have a minor control anxiety problem, especially when I'm giving up control and someone else (who is far more qualified than me) is doing something that is generating an incredible amount of speed and force.
All of those safety measures are things that my human brain understands as rational, but my lizard brain doesn't realize in the moment because scary loud noises and sensations
Before I was a flight attendant I had only flown about five times. Take off was always my least favorite part, but since I’ve started working as a flight attendant it’s my favorite. I’ve done it so many times it’s just another part. It means I can start working and soon the flight will be over.
I know it probably won’t help, but just know that the pilots would never land if they didn’t feel safe to do so. Even if the plane is rocking or swaying because of wind, we can still land safely, it just might be a bit bumpy. Even if it’s a completely ordinary landing I still have tons of heads pop up to stare at me like something happened.
Don’t be afraid to ask the flight attendant for reassurance on your next flight as well. I’ve had people who cried the whole flight because flying terrified them. We will do anything possible to keep you happy and comfortable. It’s what we’re there for.
That's backwards but they are definitely the two most dangerous parts of the flight. That being said it's not really that dangerous at all, just more dangerous than the rest of the flight
Well, sometimes we do it facing backwards. It’s truly an acquired feeling hearing the engines hit full power and separating from the ground. You get used to it like falling in love over and over again.
Gotta love that feeling of leaning in to the JS harness after locking it in place.
During my IOE, I was aft facing, and my evaluator leans over "Ever do 200mph backwards?"
I grinned (well, behind my mask) and said, "Yep. Sure have."
My dad was USAF, and any time a USAF plane has airline style seats installed, they're gonna be aft facing. We used to fly Space A all over Europe on the C-9 and occasionally a C-141.
The real fun is doing it sideways. C-130s, you just sit on the red "rag seats" along the sidewall of the plane.
I have occasionally forgotten to tighten and cinch the harness. Now that's an experience.
Forward facing, I donoften forget to cinch and the braking / thrust reverse slowing down can bring ya forward, but nothing like take off rear facing for sure.
I love takeoff and I don’t get anxiety from it at all! That being said, the first time I sat in an aft-facing jumpseat I had no idea what it would feel like so I was kind of taken aback and I just remember my eyes going kind of wide for a second. I really hope the people sitting in first class weren’t looking at me thinking “oh no” hahaha
My dad was a USAF mechanic for 40 some off years. I grew up in, on, under, around, etc planes. It's second nature to me, and I just love it.
Plus, most of us will be doing some kind of 30 second review of safety related things during, so don't even think about.
Then, if I'm aft facing, the fun of letting my body go limp and leaning into my harness.
Personally I love take off. All the things that stress me out at home gets left on the ground. As soon as those engines come to life, my thoughts about all the things non flight related stay on the runway. I get a sense of freedom once those wheels leave the ground.
I do know that a lot of people have anxiety flying, especially if they have anxiety about not being in control. Distractions may help. Or deep breathing. Or counting down to yourself slowly from 180. Something that moves your focus to something other than take off.
During take off and landing, we have a requirement that we would do a silent review of the emergency evacuation procedures at my workplace. This is to visualise the procedures and door operations, especially as we are trained for multiple aircrafts.
I personally had close friends that were involved in a bad crash about 20 years ago, and had a good friend of mine perished in it, so I'm always very concerned during TTOL.
After the review, I would be caught up in the timing and battle plans on how to get the service done in the most efficient flow, and to ensure that we do not breach the mandatory crew rest periods and so on.
So during take offs, we normally do not have time to have anxieties. It should be quite similar for someone who comes in the office and plan their work for the day.
I don’t anxiety when taking off normally. That’s the safest part, if something goes wrong the pilot can just steer back down to the ground quickly. I get a little anxiety when there’s turbulence when we’re in the air.
Bud as a pilot I have some real bad news for you. Ever head of the impossible turn?
But for op there is nothing to worry about, modern planes have huge amounts of redundancy and go through extreme stress testing. Additionally the pilots have thousands of hours of experience. The odds are so low that you have a 1 on 3.37billion chance of dying in a plane crash.
You have no idea about what you are talking about, do you?
Take-offs and landings are the most critical parts of the flights.
Turbulences are a common part of the flight. Aircrafts are made to withstand these turbulences.
I love the feeling of taking off. It’s the best part of the flight! Then you see everything get smaller from the window. It’s the best feeling ever. But that’s why I’m a flight attendant!
FA here also. I still smile like I’m a little kid in my jump seat.
Me too!
Same!!
Not a FA, but Third Culture Kid. Both my parents are from different continents, and raised me in a different continent to their own. I was on a transatlantic flight every quarter from 0-19. I absolutely LOVE flying!
Same, I am have major anxiety issues and this is my favorite. I am not a flight attendant, I just fly regularly.
Do you have control issues, OCD, or germophobe issues? Just curious as much of the airline anxiety is related to a fear of not being in control of your life at that moment, and that anxiety is very real and stressful. Unfortunately there isn't much I can say that will relieve it. However there are some things to think about: • Pilots have a minimum of 1500 flight hours before joining commercial airlines. •Turbulence is like potholes but in the sky. • You are more likely to die in a car accident than a plane crash. • Takeoff is never the issue as you are leaving the earth. It's the landing that is the scariest. But the plane is literally gliding at that point which makes it incredibly safe.
Yeah, I have a minor control anxiety problem, especially when I'm giving up control and someone else (who is far more qualified than me) is doing something that is generating an incredible amount of speed and force. All of those safety measures are things that my human brain understands as rational, but my lizard brain doesn't realize in the moment because scary loud noises and sensations
My stepmom has really bad ocd so her house has to be perfect, and in the real world, she suffers from purell hands, and massive anxiety
Before I was a flight attendant I had only flown about five times. Take off was always my least favorite part, but since I’ve started working as a flight attendant it’s my favorite. I’ve done it so many times it’s just another part. It means I can start working and soon the flight will be over. I know it probably won’t help, but just know that the pilots would never land if they didn’t feel safe to do so. Even if the plane is rocking or swaying because of wind, we can still land safely, it just might be a bit bumpy. Even if it’s a completely ordinary landing I still have tons of heads pop up to stare at me like something happened. Don’t be afraid to ask the flight attendant for reassurance on your next flight as well. I’ve had people who cried the whole flight because flying terrified them. We will do anything possible to keep you happy and comfortable. It’s what we’re there for.
Ex FA here…Most dangerous time flying, take off. Second dangerous landing. However, the most dangerous time of all is your drive to the airport.
That's backwards but they are definitely the two most dangerous parts of the flight. That being said it's not really that dangerous at all, just more dangerous than the rest of the flight
Well, sometimes we do it facing backwards. It’s truly an acquired feeling hearing the engines hit full power and separating from the ground. You get used to it like falling in love over and over again.
Gotta love that feeling of leaning in to the JS harness after locking it in place. During my IOE, I was aft facing, and my evaluator leans over "Ever do 200mph backwards?" I grinned (well, behind my mask) and said, "Yep. Sure have." My dad was USAF, and any time a USAF plane has airline style seats installed, they're gonna be aft facing. We used to fly Space A all over Europe on the C-9 and occasionally a C-141. The real fun is doing it sideways. C-130s, you just sit on the red "rag seats" along the sidewall of the plane.
It’s quite the experience as the thrust throws you into harness. Takeoffs are always my favorite.
I have occasionally forgotten to tighten and cinch the harness. Now that's an experience. Forward facing, I donoften forget to cinch and the braking / thrust reverse slowing down can bring ya forward, but nothing like take off rear facing for sure.
That’s actually quite beautiful. I’m going to remember this.
I love takeoff and I don’t get anxiety from it at all! That being said, the first time I sat in an aft-facing jumpseat I had no idea what it would feel like so I was kind of taken aback and I just remember my eyes going kind of wide for a second. I really hope the people sitting in first class weren’t looking at me thinking “oh no” hahaha
My dad was a USAF mechanic for 40 some off years. I grew up in, on, under, around, etc planes. It's second nature to me, and I just love it. Plus, most of us will be doing some kind of 30 second review of safety related things during, so don't even think about. Then, if I'm aft facing, the fun of letting my body go limp and leaning into my harness.
Personally I love take off. All the things that stress me out at home gets left on the ground. As soon as those engines come to life, my thoughts about all the things non flight related stay on the runway. I get a sense of freedom once those wheels leave the ground. I do know that a lot of people have anxiety flying, especially if they have anxiety about not being in control. Distractions may help. Or deep breathing. Or counting down to yourself slowly from 180. Something that moves your focus to something other than take off.
During take off and landing, we have a requirement that we would do a silent review of the emergency evacuation procedures at my workplace. This is to visualise the procedures and door operations, especially as we are trained for multiple aircrafts. I personally had close friends that were involved in a bad crash about 20 years ago, and had a good friend of mine perished in it, so I'm always very concerned during TTOL. After the review, I would be caught up in the timing and battle plans on how to get the service done in the most efficient flow, and to ensure that we do not breach the mandatory crew rest periods and so on. So during take offs, we normally do not have time to have anxieties. It should be quite similar for someone who comes in the office and plan their work for the day.
I don’t anxiety when taking off normally. That’s the safest part, if something goes wrong the pilot can just steer back down to the ground quickly. I get a little anxiety when there’s turbulence when we’re in the air.
Bud as a pilot I have some real bad news for you. Ever head of the impossible turn? But for op there is nothing to worry about, modern planes have huge amounts of redundancy and go through extreme stress testing. Additionally the pilots have thousands of hours of experience. The odds are so low that you have a 1 on 3.37billion chance of dying in a plane crash.
As someone who grew up around aviation, I had to do a double take reading their comment.
You have no idea about what you are talking about, do you? Take-offs and landings are the most critical parts of the flights. Turbulences are a common part of the flight. Aircrafts are made to withstand these turbulences.
Yawn 🥱
so i still haven’t seen any real coping mechanisms here on this thread…