The word 'panic' in my dictionary = sudden and infectious fear.
The word 'panic' in my thesaurus = alarm, costernation, fear, fright, scare, terror.
As this is a CRM/Human Factors related question... I would like to make reference to a well known publication written by Bob Tait used in Australia from PPL to ATPL level examination.
It states that fear is an emotional consideration. A pilot who never experiences anxiety, depression or fear would likely to have a fairly short career in aviation.
Fear is the result of millions of years of evolution. It is nature's way of alerting us to situations which are threatening.
It becomes destructive when there is no rational reason for such emotions.
Perhaps the word 'panic' instills a meaning to most of being scared witless and out of control, which is not really the case in aviation because we are taught from the beginning how to deal with emergency events that lead to the onset of fear.
Thread Bear