Fear of Flying

[H Azmal 0]

I know it's kind of oxymoronic - a plane lover who's afraid to fly, but I'm one living proof of one and am wondering if there's anyone else out there like me.

 

I flew only once from KUA to KUL onboard a B734 and that was enough for me. It didn't kill my love for airplanes in general though.

 

 

[Mohd Nizam 0]

Azmal,

 

Unlike you, myself actually don't have any fear while flying. I even joke about aircraft flying into thunderstorm and lost control to my friend who was seating next to me (KUL-PEN MH A333). And this dude was like, "Zam, Don't play around .." ..

 

I must be nuts talking about that in an aircraft at 30k feet..

[T Azahan 1]

i wish i could at least experience once in a lifetime of the followings:-

 

a. aborted take off

b. inflight fuel dumping and emergency landing

c. one engine shut down en route

d. landing/take off under strong cross wind

 

i have experienced go around. twice on different occasion. at TGG. both during rainy seasons. plane went back to KUL, refuelled and flew back again.

[Walter Sim 1]

well i dont have fear but i do get nervous sometimes.

 

I remembered my flight was extra bumpy when landing at Sydney Kingsford Smith long time ago. It shook and even the bins opened!

[Y. J. Foo 0]

Never had any problems while aboard...Thought I heard one of my friends said that she experienced depressurisation while aboard AK and the oxygen masks dropped down. Would be an exciting experience for me, even thought she doesn't agree on me!!

[Saiful Bahari 0]

I freaked out first time flying "Oh my god!!! mommy!!!"

[Hazani Razalli 0]

Flying is my life and to say that I'm not scare, I lie.

I'm always scare everytime I walk to the aircraft, scare in the sense that everything I do I'll do it thoroughly - double check and sometime triple check. While flying when you know what you're doing than you'll have the confident but don't be 'overconfidence'. You'll start doing things beyond your ability and your machine capability with this kind of attitude.

So I keep a little bit of fear so that I 'll always ready for any unexpected situation that might happen and maintain my confidence level at its best.

 

Like a famous quote ' Safely and confidently'

 

That is fear of flying from my perspective.

[Norman 1]

Well said, and a very good attitude Capt Hazani

I'll fly with you anytime, and will use Nizam's joke to others too anytime in your flight:lol:

 

Azahan.... I've experienced # c. in a twin

First it was the left engine at 5000ft;

After it fired back at 5600ft, then the right engine at 6000ft;

and restarted at 6400ft

 

Then the Capt said...

"Ok guys.. next time if we fly this aircraft in mountainous area

just make sure that the left engine is the one to quit.."

 

It was a proving flight....

Edited December 17, 2005 by Norman

[S V Choong 4]

d. landing/take off under strong cross wind

 

I am getting a lot of that when landing at Wellington Airport. Wellington is well known for strong winds. It can be quite scary at times as the wind is unpredictable. You still get some jolts and drops when approaching the runway upon landing.

Edited December 17, 2005 by S V Choong

[T Azahan 1]

wuhuuuuu norman. never experience those. but it would be exciting to fly on a triple with one engine flying at ETOPS 180mins to the nearest airport. but of course, i'll be praying like hell in my seat.

 

crosswind SV, i keep wellington in mind. thot amsterdam also is quite bad.

[Pieter C. 5]

thot amsterdam also is quite bad.

 

You're quite right, Azahan: remember the Transavia 757 a few years back which "crash" landed during Christmas...it landed on 18R (this runway now 18C), while winds were from the West (270) with more than 30 knots...landing on 27 was not allowed, due environmental issues

This very same 757 is now operating with the Royal New Zealand Air Force

[PC Yuen 0]

hi everybody! I have a few things to share especially this topic. I love planes since young and i always wanted to become a pilot not until recently i have taken flying lessons albeit to some "fears". Sitting inside big airliners are different feeling man. I dont feel scared whenever i'm inside a airliners including props. There's one incident when I'm in Saudi Arabia many yrs ago. I was inside 737-200 Saudia domestic flight from Tabuk to Jeddah during Ramadhan month. A huge storm is kicking in and turbulence throughout the flight. Really dark and errie fast moving cloud outside thru the windows. Almost everyone is reciting prayers. I looked at my Swedish friends and they said "Why are they praying? Are we going to crash?" I almost laughed out...sorry. I told them it was normal. Although i'm a bit worried myself. Anyway on my first trial flight, I was scared the s#1t out of me. I thought I'm gonna crashed. It was a single piston engine aircraft. I actually aborted a flight sortie due to my fear and anxiety being confined in a crampy cockpit. I felt so dejected. Thought about being a pilot all this years..hah! consulted some doctor friends as well as airline pilot friends, and guess what? there's no medicine for fears and claustraphobia. The only way to overcome is get use to it. So I actually sit inside and closed the hatch and practise my checks on the tarmac. On my first sortie, I told my instructor my concern and he was gentle with me.haha! Now, I feel like a brand new man everytime I landed after my sorties. Of course, ada lagi sikit takut la...during steep turn la tu....

[E Faizal 0]

c. one engine shut down en route

20507[/snapback]

 

In 94 or 95, my flight from KK to Labuan with Fokker 50, the right engine is quit.... and we landed at Labuan airport with only 1 engine... Safely....

 

Scared enough... but good experience to feel it...

Edited December 19, 2005 by E Faizal

[Delwin A 0]

When I was 8 yrs old, I was in a Fokker 50 flight from SBW to KCH. When we landed the Fokker braked really hard that I ended up having a phobia of the F50.

 

But it didn't take long before I wanted to fly F50 again .

[Andrew K 0]

I used to be scared shitless of turbulence due to a bad experience over the phillipines where I floated for a few seconds on the way back from the loo (no seat belt sign). Now however, its kind of fun having the plane shake about. I love rainy takeoffs and cloudy landings.

On my last KCH-KUL flight last week, we taxied on the runway as i think the captain overshot the turn to the (only) taxiway tight past an AK flight which taxied earlier then we did. That was fun. When I landed last Saturday, we missed the exit to the taxiway near runway 7 and made a 180 degree turn and taxied on the runway. Again.

[Radzi 2]

I'm not afraid of flying an aircraft, especially when I am in control.

 

But I do have cold feet when riding a cable car.

[Rozhan 0]

I would not mind flying but the cable car, especially at Langkawi, gives me the jitters. Why must they design it so steep?!

 

For those 'senior' enough around here, Bukit Nanas in KL (yes, the place near the KL Tower) used to have cable car and cable chair rides in the 1970s. That was fun. It started from Jalan Raja Chulan station, passing by my old school St John's Primary and Sis's Convent Bukit Nanas from a distance, and ended at somewhere near Wisma Singapore Airlines in Jalan Ampang...if I recall correctly. Half the journey was on the cable car and half on the chair, changed at a mid stop station. I believe they stopped it due to soil erosion. It would be nice if it still operates especially now that the KL skyline has changed so dramatically in the past 3 decades.

[S V Choong 4]

But I do have cold feet when riding a cable car.

 

Captain, a gondola or a cable car?

 

Azahan bro, you gonna like this. I will be off to Wellington tomorrow. According to S Chang, there will be some rough weather for my flight to Wellington at around 7:30-8:30pm tomorrow. So I should write a report and take some photos?

Edited December 19, 2005 by S V Choong

[Fitri Shukri 0]

c. one engine shut down en route

20507[/snapback]

 

Experience once on a B747-200 from Jeddah to KL flight in 1994 after performing umrah(mini-hajj) after my SPM. 1 hour 30 minute after take-off, pilot announced the plane had to make a 'technical stop' but the pilot did not mention where. I thought we will be landing in Kuwait International Airport. The older people were really scared as if the plane is gonna crash. I wasn't scared because I knew there were 3 other engines.

I was however angry because the announcement were made during dinner and we had to finish dinner quickly. Hurriedly ate up mine and help finished my grandmum's dinner too Those days, MAS still serve their famous satay in Economy.

I was more surprise that we didn't land in Kuwait, but it was Dubai instead...yahoo.. but sorry-lah, at that time Imran still a baby larrr... We had to stay in Dubai for 12 hours before boarding a B747-400 flight from London to KL. Our luggage still in the B747-200 so we had to claim them a day after landing in KL.

[Min Chun 0]

I would not mind flying but the cable car, especially at Langkawi, gives me the jitters. Why must they design it so steep?!

 

20747[/snapback]

 

Agree...its scary when the wind come and shake..here's some pic I hv taken when i visit there...

 

Before 'boarding'

 

Cruising

 

Gunung Mak Cincang.You can see a woman's face up there

 

Pokok Ros

 

Telaga Tujuh which has no even 1 drop of water

 

"Landed" on the mountain

 

Not many ppl dare to cross this bridge...me..one of them

 

 

**ps: sorry..a bit out of topic

[Rozhan 0]

Thanks for the fantastic views Min Chun. I can never bring myself to ride it anytime in the near or distant future! By the way what month did you go there? Telaga Tujuh used to have gushing waters but somehow has reduced to a trickle these days.

[S V Choong 4]

Guys, the thing in the pics of Min Chun are not Cable cars, they should be "GONDOLA"

[Fitri Shukri 0]

The bridge open already huh? Have to pay extra or not?

 

Do I sense a Fear Factor Malaysia veneu in Langkawi...

[Min Chun 0]

Rozhan..i think is around January or February..chinese new year..

Fitri..the bridge opened long time ago ler...no need to pay extra..its on the top of mountain and seems like hanging..really scary!

[Hisham Albakri 0]

I always thought I feared the gondola/cable car more than an airplane but my gondola ride with my wife and kids in Queenstown, NZ in June this year was surprisingly ok as compared to my fear during the much more harmless gondola ride from the Tooronga Zoo jetty to the zoo proper in Sydney (December 2003).

 

However, our flight back from AKL in June via Air NZ to SIN was really scary and I consider it to be my worst experience in and airplane About an hour out of AKL whilst cruising along the Tasman Sea towards Oz, the plane encountered (what the pilot described as) an invisible turbulence. The B767-300ER was really shaking and rocking for almost half an hour non-stop This happened just when the FAs were about to serve lunch. The pilot had to instruct all FAs to return to their seats to buckle up and all inflight services were temporarily suspended. All in my family were nervous s#1t except for my youngest son, Anas, who was 3 and a half years then ... he was shouting all the way to his siblings trying to create a conversation. The 6 of us were seated in three A and B seats in a row (forgot the seat numbers though).