PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - The Fear of Falling????
View Single Post
Old 17th Aug 2011, 10:26
  #36 (permalink)  
caroberts
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: England
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi KNIEVEL77

I've watched this thread with some interest as I recently went on a rickety little Ferris wheel and was very unhappy, and nearly had a fit with my 6-year old rocking the seat. She thought it rather funny that her pilot father was uncomfortable at an altitude of about 50 ft! My wife is also uncomfortable whenever our aircraft banks.

My rationalisation is that it is a matter of confidence in whatever you are in or on. When new to any device preventing you from falling to your death, it is probably wise to be a little circumspect. However, with time and further experience, you build up trust in the device. You learn what it is you should be scared of, and what you don't need to be afraid of. Perhaps the irrationality of the fear may become clear when nothing happens and you see other people NOT falling out of the sky.

I'm not sure the steep banking by the instructor will be helpful - I find it's better to build up confidence in new flyers slowly by flying with only rate 1 turns and not pushing their boundaries any more than necessary. But then I'm not trained as an instructor and there may be some merit in demonstrating the excessive to show the normal is , well, normal!

Best wishes
caroberts is offline