I Can Do This . . . Deep Breaths

As an aerospace engineer who has done extensive study into aviation accidents, I can assure you that there is practically nothing to be afraid of in flying, especially in North America. The airplanes are maintained very well, and pilots are good at their jobs. Air travel is extremely safe.

My furthest flight? To China!

That trip started me on ancient Chinese and ancients in general. I have never regretted it.

 

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It depends on the statistic you use. If it is fatalities per mile traveled, then airplanes are by far the safest. If it is fatalities per trip, riding a bus is the safest, by a surprisingly huge margin. But then again, both statistics are heavily skewed in one way or another.

 

That's also where the fuel tanks are.

I usually get a bit dizzy and light-headed. It's pretty cool. I guess that is what getting high is like. (Pun intended )

It's one of the coolest parts of the flight! If you are not impressed with a giant metal machine gracefully becoming airborne, you have something wrong with you.

But it is a little freaky to look as buildings, trees, etc. going by at 150+ knots at very low altitude.

 

True, it's also structurely sound, takes a lot of abuse yes.
But to quote you,

The plane (Tatoo "boss the plane, the plane")

The wing (not a good view)
Flap

It's a job

 

Awesome Smojo.

Building cool stuff is a rewarding job

 

That's a big flap. I'm used to the tiny things on the HondaJet.

 

A few beers always worked for me.

 

Lol.
I thought these were tiny compared to the 777.
Funny you wanted on the GS project, which is still possible the new GS is a pretty plane.
I still want to build fighters or bombers. Still on my bucket list of to do's .

 

I fly out to offshore platforms every few days, some of those ex nam helicopter pilots are terrifying. To get off of the platforms, they hover high over the platform and take a nose dive to get some speed going. That's something that you just don't really get used to doing. Not to mention that if you're the only passenger, you sit in the co-pilot seat. After dealing with that, I can sleep like a baby on airplane now.

 

Loarazepam, risperdol, morphine are what I give people who are nervous...I work at a hospice though.

 

Ah, a doc with heart.
I have a friend whose a hospice nurse. Now you want to talk about doing something good. I have a lot of admiration for those who can do that.

 

Good luck, Erin! Traveling with family will probably help. I don't have any particular advice other than if you have meds for anxiety, use them .

I have no flying phobias but I do have a terrible sense of equilibrium and become motion sick embarrassingly easily. Cars (if I'm not the driver), small planes (turboprops, sea planes, private planes), ferries, and even elevators on occasion!

 

Helicopters are a blast if you get a good pilot.

 

That is a bummer. Modern life is motion. The equilibrium issue must be frustrating. I am fortunate that I do not perceive phobias with myself, rather I can be very intrepid. Life experience has gotten me to temper that a bit. My only phobia that I am aware seems to be lack of Control. I temper that with a more Buddhist approach to life... it helps, but probably does not totally alleviate it.

 

Everything's relative. You worked on the 777?!?! That's one of my favorite planes!

As for GS, I hope to intern there a couple summers from now once my Co-Op with Honda is over. I want to get a feel for other companies.

 

I've worked on severeal Boeing planes. This 650 is the smallest for me.
I started in the 90's with the UH-60 then moved to planes.
You will do great wherever you land, but I hope you can get where you want to be.
The 650 is what a 9yr old program? Doubt it'll be in production for much longer. The new GS has companies bidding for, maybe I'll get lucky there. If not the east coast has work I'd like, when I'm able to relocate my family or leave them here with no worry.

 

My next mode of transportation:



I would love to go to that part of Canada again since I have a great interest in the French and Indian War (1754 to 1763).






Have a fun and safe trip.

 

Erin,
Good luck. Of all the advice I'd just say ditto to @Alegandron's. I just came back from Iceland, England, Norway and Sweden. About 80+ Atlantic crossings for me, and I'm still kicking.

My son was going to be a USAF pilot, but now has a flying phobia. I don't take it lightly because I have acrophobia. Flying doesn't bother me, but if you'd offer me $1million to climb a water tower I'd say "Thanks, but no thanks."

I usually ask myself (if there is a lot of turbulence, e.g.) "What's the worst that could happen?" In all seriousness, it's not that I could die. I could think of many other far worse scenarios (and they are unlikely).

Try to enjoy the takeoff (feel that power), pray for clear skies so you can enjoy the view of the wildness of Canada, and think of the MILLIONS in the air the same time as you, and ask yourself when the last major air disaster happened. Bet you can't recall it .

Steve

 

I'm very undertraveled, having grown up in a small town in a family of modest means. We did not travel except occasionally by car and never more than a few hours' drive.

I still had not flown in a plane by the time I graduated from university and was rather embarrassed about it. One weekend I decided to fly to Houston to see a friend, primarily just so I could say I'd flown.

The flight to Houston was at night and I was very excited. No window seats remained. Wah! I wanted a window seat for my first flight. In my row the it was occupied by a bored-looking young boy. I couldn't help it... I asked if I could trade seats with him.

He rolled his eyes up at me and said, "Sure, lady. Whatever." LOL, Mr. World Traveler at age 8, I guess.

Takeoff was thrilling! I loved that sensation of massive power as I was pushed back into the seat, and then feeling the rough bumping of the wheels cease as first the front and then rear wheels lifted and we were off! Amazing!

I'm sure I looked like a total child through all of this even though I was trying to be cool

I blew it though about ten or fifteen minutes later. Prior to that the plane had been climbing upward rather steeply. Suddenly-- rather dramatically, I thought-- the nose of the plane went down!

"Be cool, be cool," I thought, cutting my eyes to and fro to see if anyone else was concerned. Nope, just me. The steep downward angle continued and I became more concerned and just couldn't help asking a neighbor what was going on. The neighbor looked puzzled and opened his mouth to answer, when...

"Ladies and Gentlemen in preparation for landing please make sure your seat backs are raised and your tray tables stowed..."

Yep, San Antonio to Houston is a very short flight

The whole thing was magical and I'll never forget the thrill

Now though, flying is just a way to get from point A to point B, usually much more expensively than I would like for it to be.

 

Don't get worried unless the dive or bank is more than 45 degrees.

There was one time my sister and I were waiting to board an airplane, and I was telling her stories about how similar airplanes had crashed (I know, I have problems...). I did not realize that another passenger was listening and got really unnerved to the point that he interrupted me to reassure him that the plane was not going to crash. Oops...