Is it scary to fly on a plane for the first time?

Travelling by plane can be a scary experience for people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly if they've not flown before or have experienced a traumatic event. It is not something to be ashamed of: it is no different from the personal fears and dislikes of other things that very many people have.



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How to Overcome Fear of Flying?
  1. Educate yourself about flying.
  2. Talk to someone who has experience flying. ...
  3. Choose the perfect seat for you. ...
  4. Distract yourself during the flight. ...
  5. Don't be afraid to ask for help. ...
  6. Practise relaxation techniques. ...
  7. Seek professional help. ...
  8. Fly with a friend or family member.


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It is not something to be ashamed of: it is no different from the personal fears and dislikes of other things that very many people have. For some, understanding something about how aircraft work and what happens during a flight may help to overcome a fear which is based on the unknown or on not being in control.

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Takeoff and landing are widely considered the most dangerous parts of a flight.

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The average age of onset of fearful flying is 27 years. Fearful flyers often report that their anxiety developed after the birth of a child.

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Face your fear, repeatedly but in small doses
That could mean less anxiety in the long run. You're basically moving up a ladder of fear, says Marques. Before you move to the next level of exposure, make sure your fight-or-flight response is less active.

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“Some of the primary reasons some people are afraid to fly are a fear of crashing, a fear of being out of control, a fear of the unknown, a fear of heights, having lost a loved one in a plane crash and feeling claustrophobic,” says Ora Nadrich, a certified mindfulness meditation instructor and life coach.

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Per the FAA website's Safety Information page, “The FCC and FAA ban cell phones for airborne use because its signals could interfere with critical aircraft instruments. Devices must be used in airplane mode or with the cellular connection disabled.

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Fear of flying afflicts as much as 40 percent of the U.S. population. The nation's armrest-grippers may be heartened to know that “aviophobia” is perfectly normal, and easily treated. Only about 5 percent of Americans have aviophobia so severe that they cannot fly.

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Flying is still the safest way to travel long-distance, according to the International Air Transport Association. Aircraft accidents and fatalities are less common than car, truck, motorcycle, train, and bus accidents.

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Fear of flying afflicts as much as 40 percent of the U.S. population. The nation's armrest-grippers may be heartened to know that “aviophobia” is perfectly normal, and easily treated. Only about 5 percent of Americans have aviophobia so severe that they cannot fly.

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Feeling trapped in a middle seat when the plane is bumping around may induce more panic or fear than in a window seat, where you can look out the window or lean against the plane's wall and close your eyes, or the aisle seat, which can often feel a bit more spacious.

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Nonetheless, a TIME investigation that looked at 35 years of aircraft accident data found the middle rear seats of an aircraft had the lowest fatality rate: 28%, compared with 44% for the middle aisle seats. This logically makes sense too.

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Whether flying at night or during the day, pilots need to see some kind of horizon. They use this to determine the airplane's attitude. At night pilots will turn their gaze from outside to inside and use the artificial horizon. The artificial horizon is normally a simply globe split into two hemispheres.

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Pilots are trained to handle all sorts of nerve-racking situations, but that doesn't mean that they don't get scared—especially in these real instances, told by the pilots who experienced them, of serious in-flight fear.

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Severe turbulence can cause a plane to drop so suddenly that pilots temporarily lose control. But, again, that's not enough to crash the plane. That's not to say it's never happened. In 1966, human error and turbulence combined to bring a plane down over Mount Fuji.

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If it's your first time flying, you likely don't have any special security clearance like TSA PreCheck, so be prepared to remove your toiletries bag, your laptop, as well as coats, belts, and shoes.

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According to Travel and Leisure, there has never been a crash due to a phone not being in airplane mode. It's more of a courtesy to make sure that there isn't distracting interference. Even though the plane won't crash, it's important to switch your phone to airplane mode.

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