Steve, I'm glad you've overcome your fear of flying. It makes life a whole lot easier, especially if you want to take a long trip. For me a plane works just like a sleeping pill. It must be the stale air, but almost the minute I get on a plane I can't keep my eyes open. I usually doze off before take-off & get woken up when the the flight attendant invariably hits my head with the drink cart.

I flew a lot when I was in my twenties, mostly puddle jumpers to my little ozark town from the airport in St. Louis. I just looked at them as a long distance taxi. Some of the planes were so small, you had to crawl across the wing to get in a seat. LOL.

Then, something happened and I can't put my finger on what, I became petrified of flying. I did it, but died a thousand deaths if the wheels weren't firmly planted on terra firma.

Then, my daughter moves to England and I know if I don't overcome my flying phobias, I'd never get to see her. The first trip over was for her wedding, and it was in January, and I had to make transfers at O'hare. Somehow I made each connection in the hours long window between storms. This trip involved sitting six hours in the belly of the plane for mechanical problems before a take-off and also an aborted landing. Walking away from that intact, every trip after that was uphill. I not only don't mind flying now but sometimes enjoy it .

Congrats Steve, if one doesn't fly anymore, it's almost a disability.

(God, please gimmie just one more chance to stare death in the eye on that deadly first 400' of climb-out.)

Good for you, Steve! That's no small feat for someone with common sense; really!
----I'll be the one with her face pressed against the window, taking it all in.

Fear of Flying is what comes from riding in other people's planes and/or letting other people do the piloting.

Or was that some novel by Erica SomebodyOrOther....

It's a d***ed good thing somebody else is doing the flying, when I go up.. rofl. First off, even with instruments, it helps to have a sense of direction. Secondly, if you fly enough, sooner or later you are going to have a situation where you are afraid, or should be. You may not give yourself the luxury of feeling it until after the fact, when you land safely and want to toss cookies, but you know fear. Like childbirth, however, you forget it the next time up.

I still think they're safer than edging out on a highway in your own car.

I am a little nervous each time but I do it. One time I was hijacked sort of. I was in the airplane in Atlanta. Everything seeemed OK. But I did notice that there seemed to be an extra stewardess. On the way down there had been two. There were three on that flight. One headed for the rear of the plane. A couple of meinutes later the other two scurried back. Then one of them went to the pilots cabin and there was a lot of whispering. The pliot stode determidely back. A couple of minutes later the pilot came on the intercom and said he was sorry there would be a slight delay. Two of the stewardesses started handing out free drinks. Two more stewardessses came on and headed for the back of the plane. About then my seatmate poked me and said, "Look out there! What the he!! is going on?!!" There were police cars parked all around the plane with their lights flashing. I scrunched down in my seat as far as I possibly could. I was trying to figure out if it was possible to wedge a person of my girth under the seat. (No way, really.) The pilot came on and said they were experiencing some minor difficulties and if they were not resolved in five minutes we would have to get off and would be put on other flights. A couple minutes later three stewdardesses came from the back of the plane one of whom was crying hysterically and shouting "I wanna go home!"

Almost immediately the pilot came on and said "we are cleared for take off please make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened, We are starting a little late but I think I can make up a lot of the time in flight."

The stewardess then explained that the other stewardess had been told for the third time that week that she had to work a double shift. The Overtime stewardess refused and locked herself in the bathroom. Of course the plane is not allowed to take off with someone in the bathroom.

The amazing thing is we started 45 minutes late but we arrived only five minutes late. We hurtled down that runway and suddenly I new what astronauts feel like as we blasted into the sky. No one came on to tell us at exactly what speed we were traveling, but I promise it was not slow. It makes you wonder how short flights could be if they really tried their hardest, but I suppose it is just as well they do not.

I find myself, on take-off, visualising cartoon feet under the plane, all running like mad down the runway, until "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhh!!!!!!" we're up. Daft, but it makes me smile, every time.

I hate flying, but because its long, boring and the airports are hassle. Most flights I take are trans-atlantic, and it's teeeeeeeeedious.

(Himself tells tales of engine fires in South America; bird strikes and emergency landings in Paris, complete with exit via the emergency chute; crazy man trying to open the exit door and hitting the flight attendant so hard with his cane he broke her arm, in San Francisco. He's real fun to travel with . . . .)

If you've flown a lot you have your set of war stories, but I prefer not to think about them.

My worst flight had nothing to do with danger. We were coming back from Paris, flying TWA & when we got to the airport they had changed equipment & we all had to get new seat assignments because the plane was smaller. The guy behind us was b*tching about how there wouldn't be enough fuel in the plane to make it all the way to New York, & it ended up he worked for McDonnell-Douglas who made the plane.

Anyway, the gate agent basically told him to sit down & shut up, but at some point 3/4 the way through the flight, the pilot came on the intercom & said "We're going to have to make an unscheduled stop st Gander AFB in Newfoundland to re-fuel" Almost everyone on the plane had connections in NYC to somewhere else, so you can imagine the pandemonium that broke out. But at least I can now say I've been to Newfoundland, but you don't want to know how long it took us to get home.

Well. if nothing else my post prompted many interesting stories about flight. Steve in Baltimore County.

Flying has always been a thrill for me.
It's a good thing i'm not afraid to fly I would
have missed out on a lot of wonderful adventures in my life.

My best friend is afraid to fly and has to take a
tranquilizer before every flight.

Steve, i'm glad you can now sit back and enjoy it.