Freaking out
My older son just arrived on a three leg flight LAX-JFK-PRG-RIX for a visit. He's one of them that has a fear of flying and admitted he used the barf bag four times. Asked about the flight conditions, he admitted that they were fine except some thunderstorms departing New York.
This goes with the quote of the passenger who said she was "freaking out" even before the plane was airborne but she was "really freaking out" when she saw flames.
I don't know how to explain it properly, but we all have some kind of phobias. As a formerly trained pilot I don't have any problems in the cockpit or in the cabin. I can sit by the window and the whole world whirls below without any problems because I know I'm safe.
Put me in a car in the driver's position going over a very high bridge (Lisbon, Seville) and I'm a wreck, concentrating on the center line and not feeling too good in my stomach. For me, also high mountain roads are off limits.
Interestingly enough, aircraft don' affect me at all. Maybe because I was a former pilot and I know what they're doing there up-front.