Afraid to fly?

[Dutchboy 0]

After hearing a couple complaints from other skydivers for having a little fun in the jump plane this weekend, I started wondering.
How many skydivers out there are afraid of flying? Seems like any deviation form the normal standard takeoff, climb, jump really scares allot of jumpers.
I was speaking to a flight instructor who used to be a jump pilot and he seemed to think the majority of us are afraid of flying.
The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

[mouth 0]

I don't mind flying at all since I used to do it for a living. Those of us in the back never got worried until landing time...then we would take bets as to if the pilot was Navy (hit hard and stick it), Army or Airforce (take 3/4 of the runway and just ease it in), or civilian (Bounce, bounce, bounce). At least by only hitching a ride up I don't have to worry about the pilots landing.

[PalmettoTiger 1]

I used to love flying. I got hooked when I saw Topgun (I think I was 5 at the time), and that was when I switched my "when I grow up" dream from firefighting to flying jet fighters. I was always calmer than most people when I flew commercially - I would often sleep through takeoffs and landings, and turbulence didn't bother me at all. But 2 years ago when I was flying Delta from SC to NJ after Thanksgiving, we must have had a near miss or something else and it scared the hell out of me.
I was sitting in the second to last (penultimate?) row, right between the engines. We were at the point in the climbout when the engines throttle back and the plane reduces its climb angle to just a few degrees. But instead of merely throttling back, the engines cut off. The pilot must have taken them all the way back to idle. Simultaneously, the aircraft dived sharply and we felt like the nose was pointed straight down. I absolutely thought I was going to die at that moment; all the other passengers I talked to afterwards felt the same. It lasted for about two seconds, then the pilot brought the engines back up, leveled off, and didn't say anything to us.
It was the most terrifying moment I've ever had in flight. Far far worse than the Door-Dread of my first jump. The only thing I can think of is that either another plane was mistakenly flying at our altitude, or our pilot had overshot and was almost at another plane's flight level.
I've never been comfortable flying ever since that. The smallest doses of turbulence will make me grip the armrests and look anxiously out the window. I've tried to relax a little more but I haven't made much progress. I actually dislike flying now, even to the point that I prefer to drive or take the train if time permits.
Strangely enough I'm very comfortable in the jump plane. I don't think it's because I have a parachute on, either.
Blues, Squares,
PTiger
*insert sub-100 character sig here*

[Zennie 0]

Funny thing.
On most rides up, you can definitely feel the tension until you reach about 2.5K or so. I'm one of 'em, though I'm getting better.
I've been one of those that has been afraid of flying for a while. Takeoffs are bad for me (and landings in Las Vegas). I'd get all sweaty palmed. Since I've been jumping I've been a lot better about it. Especially since you learn a bit about airplanes just by being around them all the time.
I can almost say I enjoy the ride up, but I'm not quite there yet. I do like the door seat though!
------------
Blue Skies!
Zennie

[PhillyKev 0]

I love flying...that's why I wanted to try diving in the first place...figured I should get out and do it myself instead of relying on the plane.
I had a bad ride from Toronto to Pittsburgh in a little 8 seater turbo prop. Through a thunderstorm, lightening striking all around and the plane bouncing up and down hundreds of feet at a time. 2 others on the ride besides me (and the pilots). They were scared poopless, I was loving the ride!!
Only times I've been scared flying are in jumbo jets. Had a scary non-landing wave off in dense fog in Puerto Rico. And had a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen masks drop from the overhead on the way to atlanta. Other then those, I love it.

[GeekStreak 0]

NOT ME! I love being in the air. Skydiving is just a new way of landing 1111,
GeekStreak

[FallDown 0]

i'm not scared at all really on comercial flights though i've yet to have a bad experience on one so that might change yet! in the jump plane i'm only a bit nervous on take until about 1500ft when i know i can get out and survive, though this is depentant on the pilot, some of our pilots are truely excellent and i love it when they throw the plane about and spice upthe ride.
jeff

[Brokeneagle 0]

LOVE to fly! Rather fly than any other form of transportation- the variance and beauty of the earth spread out for me to see is awe-inspiring and uplifting to my soul-- only thing better is to make a skydive....I've been known to bring my rig as carry-on in a backpack on commercial flights- IF anything happened, and god forbid, it looked like we were going to crash, I'd try to make it out the closest door, altitude and other passengers' panic permitting, of course. 'S bad form to go in without all yer handles pulled.... DEFINITELY enjoy stunt flying....flown under several bridges on a base-jumping trip, at an undisclosed location, just for the fun of it, to see the folk on top point and shout- you can almost read their lips: What the fu(K??!!!! It's only the giving that makes you what you are...

[Rhonda66 0]

I was paranoid of flying UNTIL I started skydiving. Well, I think I was afraid of life in general until I started jumping. The first time I flew, I was 14 and my uncle brought my cousin and I up in this clunky old Cessna. We were flying over the ocean spotting for tuna fish and my uncle starts saying he's going to intentionally "stall the plane". Now we thought, of course, that that meant he was literally going to turn off the engine or something and we both freaked out. I was scared to death during the flight and I couldn't wait to get down, but another part of me was totally mesmerized by it as well. I really looked up to my Uncle the Pilot. Fortunately, he did not intentioanally stall the aircraft or else I may never have stepped foot in a plane again.
The funny thing is that my Uncle is now an aerobatics pilot and he thinks that I'm insane to jump out of planes. He says he can't even imagine opening up the door and leaving the plane and that he hopes he'll never have to use the Emergency Pilot's Parachute that he wears on every flight.
I think he's crazy to be doing some of the manuevers he does now, but after I graduate from college next year, the next thing on my list is to get my pilot's license.
One of my sisters made her first (and only) jump with me when we made our first tandems in 1996. She had never even flown before! She had no fears in the plane and no fears when she left it, but when she got down she said that once was enough for her.
There is always that fear that the plane is going to crash or that you're going to stall on jump run, but the actual flying itself is a blast. I think that most people would not have much difficulty flying if the possibility of crashing (or of something going wrong) wasn't always there in the back of your mind.
Also, in a jump plane you're basically at the mercy of the pilot - Once you leave the plane, the control is back with you. I think that I will like flying a lot better when I am in the pilot's seat and I understand the mechanics of it better - I love it now, but there have been times when I'm the guy stuck in the back of the Cessna and I wonder what the heck I would do to get out if the plane stalled, or crashed or whatever so I think it's just the lack of control thing that bothers me the most.
Rhonda

[jfields 0]

I'm generally fine with flying. I went on rides once in an open cockpit plane when I was little. We did loops and rolls. I loved it.
The only really scary flight I've been on was when I was in the Army. I was loaded on a C-130 for a jump, so I had a parachute (static line) and everything. Then one of the engines caught on fire. Whatever, we had 3 more.
The pilots wouldn't let us jump. I assume they were worried about canopies catching on fire. We ended up doing an off-runway landing. The tailgate wouldn't lower, so we were forced to jump out of the jump doors onto the ground. Of course, in typical paratrooper fashion, we all asked, "Can we log it?"
I mention this incident anytime someone blubbers on about "jumping out of perfectly good airplanes".
Justin
"If it can't kill you, it isn't worth doing."

[Jessica 0]

I love to fly! My parents are private pilots and we had our own plane. It feels like I spent half my childhood in that Piper Cherokee. N6633L, baby!!
I was grateful to have no fear of flying and small planes when I started skydiving -- just one less thing to be nervous about on that first jump.

[DZBone 0]

I am terrified of flying on commercial airliners.
The first terrifying thing is at the gate check in. "Oh, my God, are they going to make me check my gear bag?!?". Next comes the always frightful, "Oh, my God, I'm seated in the middle seat between Orca and his smelly wife!!". I won't even begin to describe thre trepidation waiting for the (dare I say it) IN-FLIGHT MEAL!!! Wait, is the guy in front of me actually going to recline all the way?!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Aviatrr 0]

I'm absolutely terrified of flying. All phases of flight scare the bajeezus out of me. I just try not to let the passengers know about my fear of flying.
Mike

[SpeedRacer 1]

I haven't noticed any fear of flying among skydivers, at least not anything like what Dutchboy was describing. I was nervous on my first jump, not just about the skydive but also because it was my first time in a plane that wasn't a big commercial jet.
I am not afraid on commercial jets, even when we hit a lot of turbulence (such as happened last month flying into Denver). When you're on a jet, there isn't jack you can do if the plane crashes. You might as well sit back, relax, and eat your little packet of honey-roasted peanuts. If the plane goes in, you're not going to improve your chances by getting all tensed and ready, so you might as well just enjoy the ride.
Speed Racer
"De plaene!! De plaene!!"

[Dutchboy 0]

I think you have the answer. If the skydivers are scared we'll just serve peanuts and soda on the way to altitude. If we want to make it really interesting we could serve baked beans. The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra