Attitudes about flying

[SpoofyChop]

I despise flying in commercial airliners. I hate the feeling of being strapped into a giant hurtling tin can in a shitty seat with one hundred people I don't know. I actually don't mind small planes or helicopters one bit though.

I am currently actively trying to avoid flying anywhere. Haven't been on an airliner since 2003.

For some reason, the idea that the operation of the plane is completely out of my control and that I couldn't even possibly operate the thing if I wanted to is a big problem for me.

In a small plane I at least have the feeling (probably somewhat overly optimistic) that if something bad happened to the pilot I could take over the controls. I'm aware that "general aviation" (meaning small planes flown by private individuals or small charter companies I guess) is actually less safe than commercial aviation.

What do the rest of you think?

[Phil_Stein]

I dislike travel in general (anything over 2 hours or so in a car), but if I have to travel 300+ miles, I'd rather be flying than driving.

That said, I've cut back my amount of long distance travel by probably 3/4 in the last 4-5 years.

[Nick Walter]

I typically prefer driving to flying. I dislike being in a tiny seat with seriously restricted freedom for hours on end. Driving might not be any more comfortable but if it starts to make me nuts I can pull over and stretch my legs.

Plus driving somewhere means that when I get there, I have a car. This usually costs extra when flying somewhere.

[txa1265]

I just did coast-to-coast for the SPIE Microlithography conference last week, so I got squished and bad service ... but the question was about flying, and I have no problem.

Mike

[Fugitive]

I don't mind the actual flying, but having an introductory level of knowledge of aviation makes my mind wander a bit too far sometimes.

"Hmmm, I hope the pilot remembered to extend the flaps. Damn, can't see them from here. I don't remember hearing the flaps... OH GOD ARE WE ABOUT TO TAKE OFF WITHOUT FLAPS?!?! Oh there they go..."

[Marcus]

Yeah its not that I really hate flying its just I hate the feeling of not being in control. I have been flying since I was like 2 and I even took lessons for a few years and I had no problem with that. Its just when I get in to a large air liner I get very uncomforable.

[Kalle]

I love flying. It's by far the cheapest and quickest way to travel long distances. I love seeing the world from 4,000 m, and I love the slight thrill I get at takeoff and landing. But mainly it's a matter of time. A one hour flight is a 5 hour train trip or a 6-7 hour car ride. Even adding the security checks and boarding times flying comes out way ahead.

[chet]

Not the biggest fan, but did 75,000+ miles last year so I learned to ignore most of the hassles, almost. This last flight on united, they actually had an infomercial for some health product as the inflight entertainment. That was too much.

Favorite flight of last year, leaving cleveland at dusk on july 4 and flying to seattle just in time to see each city along the way celebrate the 4th. Amazingly cool. The only time I didn't sleep through that 4 hour flight.

If you have to fly, take echinacea 1 day before and after and day of the flight. I found that really, really helps protect you from picking up a bug.

Chet

[noun]

I dislike flying, even though I know the science behind it is solid and it really is the safest and fastest way to travel. I'll never really be completely relaxed when I'm 30-40K feet in the air with no backup plan if something goes wrong.

[Lunch of Kong]

For some reason, the idea that the operation of the plane is completely out of my control and that I couldn't even possibly operate the thing if I wanted to is a big problem for me.

Speak for yourself. When the pilots all die of food poisoning and the stewardess asks "can anyone here fly this plane?" All my years of flight sim practice will pay off!

[Old Man Gravy]

Favorite flight of last year, leaving cleveland at dusk on july 4 and flying to seattle just in time to see each city along the way celebrate the 4th. Amazingly cool. The only time I didn't sleep through that 4 hour flight.

That's pretty cool!


I don't really like flying - I'm a little too tall for it to be comfortable. But it IS pretty neat to get on a plane in D.C. in the morning and get off the plane in Seattle in the late morning.

[Rywill]

I've been flying as long as I can remember, so I don't mind it at all. I mean, like anybody, I don't particularly enjoy being jammed into a small space with strangers and limited entertainment options. But as compared to spending five or ten times as much time driving, I'll fly every time. I routinely fly even when I go to Las Vegas, which is only a 45 minute flight (4.5 - 5 hours if you go by road and hit no significant problems). In terms of safety or worrying about lack of control, none of that concerns me. I feel more threatened by forces outside my control when driving than flying.

[Raife]

The only time I get nervous about flying are when people that I'm with or around start freaking out about it. The worst experience I've had with that type of situation was actually on a train, though. On a train in Spain it was mainly, not a plane. I still have scars on my left arm from the fingernails of the girl I was with. She wasn't really keen on the creaking cars and the tunnels.

I wear an ankle brace (c/o the US Army) which has metal parts, so when I fly nowadays, I always get pulled aside so they can rub their explosive detection chemicals all over it.

[Tim Partlett]

I used to love flying, with my only problem being that I couldn't sleep on the damn things. Then on one long haul flight back from Australia, after I'd been awake for about 36 hours non-stop, I got my first ever case of claustrophobia. The cabin suddenly appeared to stretch out and narrowed in front of me, and I felt like I had to get out immediately. I managed to control myself, and after a few very unpleasant minutes it passed, but I was never the same again.

Now flights are sort of "don't mind" mixed with a little apprehension that I might get another bout of claustrophobia, and a small amount of post 9-11 terrorism paranoia (both diminishing).

Personally I prefer trains, especially German ones. British ones are mostly dirty, slow and unreliable. With all the security at airports these days, it can take forever to make it onto the plane, but with a train I am on and away in minutes. With Germany's 250kmh trains, and the new channel tunnel, I can take a train from Frankfurt to London and be there in 5-6 hours, which for me is amazing.

[Robert Sharp]

I feel more threatened by forces outside my control when driving than flying.

That's a point that is rarely considered. People think they are in control when they drive because they steer the car, but the truth is you aren't. People get in wrecks that aren't their fault all the time, far more often than planes crash (Even as a percentage). I think people (myself included) also overestimate their ability to avoid other cars, control blowouts, etc.

As for flying, it's OK. I have to fly to Hawaii in two weeks, and I am dreading that flight because it will be 12 hours (one way!). I've never flown that long before. But we have a seat near the back so we can get up and stretch without bothering other people. And I'll take my GBA, a book, some cards (to play with my wife), and hopefully all will be OK.

[TheRock]

It used to take me 3 plane flights to get into a remote fishing village in Alaska every summer. The planes were progressively smaller and after the summer was over, I was so freaked out to fly back out as I had my big summer long check and I wanted to spend the damn thing before I crashed. Those bush pilots up there are definitely a brave bunch.

[Marcus]

As for flying, it's OK. I have to fly to Hawaii in two weeks, and I am dreading that flight because it will be 12 hours (one way!). I've never flown that long before. But we have a seat near the back so we can get up and stretch without bothering other people. And I'll take my GBA, a book, some cards (to play with my wife), and hopefully all will be OK.

Having just done that flight a few months ago I say good luck. Its a shitty flight no matter how you slice it.... unless you are in first class then its not so bad.

[Nathan]

I dislike flying, but not because of the actual flight part. I just don't like mucking about in the terminal followed by sitting in cattle-class seating for four hours. At least when I drive, I can stop and stretch my legs. I can also get some food better than the Delta-allocated cheese, crackers, and a box of raisins. If I'm going someplace that I can drive to in 6-7 hours, I'll drive it. Here to Vegas is about an 8-9 hour drive, but it's Vegas, so that's the limit of my driveable destinations. I'll be flying for my upcoming trip to Austin, Texas.

This excludes actual road trips where the whole point is to drive and see stuff along the way. This June, I'll be flying to New York and driving back, with stops at Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, etc.

[Supertanker]

I dislike flying, even though I know the science behind it is solid and it really is the safest and fastest way to travel. I'll never really be completely relaxed when I'm 30-40K feet in the air with no backup plan if something goes wrong.

This is how I feel. Being in the train wreck partially removed my ability to ignore the dangers. I still get on planes and fly places, but I'm slightly less blase about it.

[fire]

I take short (1.5-hour) flights just about monthly, to visit my family. A few times a year I fly cross-country, and once a year or two I fly internationally. If I had a job that required me to fly weekly, it might get tedious, but it's not so bad for now.

[Ben Sones]

I dislike the experience of flying (unless I'm in first class, which I never am), but appreciate the convenience. It's not something I ever look forward to, though--generally, it's just a hassle to be endured in order to get someplace relatively quickly.

I enjoy road trips quite a bit, though.

[Rywill]

As for flying, it's OK. I have to fly to Hawaii in two weeks, and I am dreading that flight because it will be 12 hours (one way!). I've never flown that long before. But we have a seat near the back so we can get up and stretch without bothering other people. And I'll take my GBA, a book, some cards (to play with my wife), and hopefully all will be OK.

Don't get your hopes up. I flew to Australia and back several times, and to the Philippines and back a couple times, and to China and back a couple times (flights of 12-20 hours depending on winds). It really does suck. Every flight, there was at least a 5-10 minute period where I was like "I CANNOT STAND THIS FREAKING PLANE ANY LONGER." But then you eventually get over it and go back to your book. If you find yourself hating it, just remember that on one China-to-US flight, the guy next to me spilled an entire coke in my lap literally 20 minutes after takeoff, and I had no change of clothes with me because it was the trip home (going out I always keep a change in my carryon in case luggage gets lost, but coming home I didn't bother). So it could be worse.

If you know what type of plane you'll be in, you can usually find out online whether the seats have any sort of power source. Some planes have plugs and some have cigarette-lighter style plugs, so you can bring a charger onboard for stuff that runs out of battery.

[Jasper Phillips]

The biggest thing I've found to watch out for on long international flights is smoking. If you're a non smoker, make sure your plane is no smoking, or that at least you're nowhere near the smoking section -- being on the edge of smoking is just as bad as being in it.

This totally caught me off guard one time, as planes in the US are always non smoking. The ticket attendant asked, and I was so stunned all I could say was "Non-smoking"... and ended up with a seat in the row right behind the smokers. The smoking section was small too, and so the people in it needed to smoke, and I swear chainsmoked for the entire 10-12 hour flight. At least I figured out what those little air vents are for. :-/

[Greedo]

Speak for yourself. When the pilots all die of food poisoning and the stewardess asks "can anyone here fly this plane?" All my years of flight sim practice will pay off!

Heh. Actually, the captain & FO aren't allowed to have the same meal from the same place.

[Greedo]

I'm a ramp coordinator for one of the airlines.

One day we had to wait for about an hour for the FO to show up (crew scheduling screw-up), so I went up to shoot the shit with the captain for awhile. Most of that time was spent showing me what's what in the cockpit (the plane was an Airbus A319).

Those things really do just about fly themselves.

[Jojo]

I mainly just find flying uncomfortable, tedious, boring and frustrating. However, it is the most convenient way to get to distant places, so I'm forced to put up with it. Someone please hurry up and invent the teleporter.

The worst thing about flying is when someone throws up nearby - the sound and smell seems to trigger chain reactions of other people throwing up.

I would love it if airlines would just re-design all their plane interiors like the spaceship on Fifth Element, so you get shoved into a little pod compartment and then knocked out with sleeping gas.

[Tim Partlett]

Flights can often be interesting, but not usually in a fun way. I flew Garuda (Indonesia's flag carrier) to Jakarta once, and they flew an old KLM 747 like it was a bus service. They picked up passengers in London, Amsterdam, Zurich, Abu Dubai and Singapore. In Abu Dubai the entire plane filled up with pilgrims returning from Mecca, which was an experience in itself, but then came the landing at Jakarta. The clapped out old 747 hit that runway hard, and felt like it bounced off it three or four times before the rubber finally caught the tarmac. Every single person on the plane bar me was praying loudly to Allah.

A recent flight to Lisbon on TAP was similarly "interesting". The pilot's final turn before take-off was more like a swerve in a F1 chicane. The wing-tips keeled over to one side, along with all the passengers. During the flight one of the passengers freaked out. I wasn't sure what was going on, but it looked like she was trying to kick the windows out. I think she puked on the passenger next to her. The landing was similarly hair raising, with unusually strong storm force winds blowing in off the Atlantic and buffeting the plane like crazy. The passengers applauded the pilot on landing. I was amazed to have so many incidents in one flight.

TAP are really good, though, and safe. The return flight from Porto was excellent. The same can't be said for Garuda.

[Lunch of Kong]

Heh. Actually, the captain & FO aren't allowed to have the same meal from the same place.

REally? Awesome.

I had heard that there was an airline that would't let both of them be Christians. The reasoning being that if the second coming of Jesus happened, there had to be someone left who could fly the plane full of heathens. Don't remember which it wsa, but it was probably bought out by one of the big three.

[Lunch of Kong]

The passengers applauded the pilot on landing. I was amazed to have so many incidents in one flight.

Passengers break out into spontaneous applause when landing in a Turkish Airlines aircraft, and according to my friend's wife, on most flights landing in Puerto Rico.

[Bill Dungsroman]

One day we had to wait for about an hour for the FO to show up (crew scheduling screw-up), so I went up to shoot the shit with the captain for awhile.

GREEDO SHOT FIRST.