Any pilots here scared of heights ?

[anengineer]

Just had an odd thought... I'm not very good with heights up close (like the edge of a sheer drop), but am in heaven in the jumpseat at 370!

Genuine question...(and not a journo trying to publish some 'Shock! - xx% of pilots admit..' crap ! :) )

[MikeSamuel]

There was a very long topic in regard to this subject not so long ago...Try reading down, you'll find all of your scaredy pilots there ;)

Regards

Mike

[anengineer]

I did search before posting - but 'heights' came up with nothing... how can I find it ?

Cheers.

[critcaact]

No, but I'm terrified of Hagis.

[Checkboard]

Isn't Hagis one of the characters in the Harry Potter books?

[chicken6]

No, that's Hagrid, but he is a half-giant and the first-years at Hogwarts were often scared of him at first...


waiting for number 5 now...

[Golden Monkey]

Yeah, I love heights when I'm in a plane. I think with me at least it's a "if you're connected to the ground it's scary" thing.

Ladders, I dislike. Tall buildings and bridges, I dislike. Cable cars are sort of in-between because it's not a solid connection to the ground. Aircraft, absolutely fine.

As a point of note, I decided to do a bungy jump a couple of years back to cure my vertigo. The experience, however, has merely substituted one sort of fear for another. Whereas originally I had a fear of falling off things, now I have an irrational urge to jump. I wouldn't recommend that course of action to anyone else!

[Big Red ' L ']

anengineer...... I put up a question like this ages ago and got some really interesting replies... I will try and find the address for you...


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Its not the fall that kills you...Its the sudden stop.....

[Big Red ' L ']

Found it, check out JetBlast.....

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Its not the fall that kills you...Its the sudden stop.....

[PFD]

My Ex was terrifed of heights, but she sat right next to the open para door of a C130 at 14000 and loved it. She was sat down and strapped in, perhaps she knew that she couldn't fall out. Being 10feet up a ladder is less safe.

Regards

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'If at first you don't succeed, skydiving probably isn't the hobby for you'

PFD

[anengineer]

Thanks Big Red - on my way there now. Cheers !

[Evo7]

I don't like heights much, but when I'm 3000 feet in a PA-38 it never crosses my mind.

Anyone been up the CN tower in Toronto? It has a glass floor a long way up. Took me a whole lot of time (and a couple of beers) to go on it. Funny thing was that all the kids there just ran on to it - only the adults worried. Must be something we learn??

[NorthernSky]

Funny thing this - yes, I used to be scared of heights, but managed to 'cure' myself to a good degree some years ago.

At the gliding club which I frequent, there was a need to renew the lights in the hangar. These were strip lights suspended by chains from the ceiling about 30ft up.

Electrics are no problem, heights were, but I decided to take the challenge. I think I was hoping to achieve some sort of aversion therapy.

The first time I went up the scaffolding tower was difficult, the second less so, and by the end of the day (and the last new light fitting), I was almost comfortable with it.

Oddly, I was happiest when there was no-one near the bottom of the tower! Doubtless a good 'trick-cyclist' would make much of this (and probably stop me flying!!).

Since then, whilst I wouldn't choose to spend a day painting the Forth bridge, going up ladders at home is not too scary!

As to fear of heights airborne, I did experience a little discomfort once, a long time ago. I was instructing in an aircraft with prominent tip-tanks, and looked down the wing whilst the student held a 90 degree bank to my side of the cockpit. It was a beautiful clear day, and there was something about the presentation of the wing, tip tank, and ground beneath, which gave an uncomfortable feeling. Never before or since, though.

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'Brighten my Northern Sky' Nick Drake R.I.P.

[This message has been edited by NorthernSky (edited 06 June 2001).]

[Speedbird252]

Im with Golden Monkey........I hate heights with a passion....hey Evo, have you ever been at the top of the Cascades in Portsmouth? Frightens the crap out of me to be near the edge. (the sides are glass) Get into the front seat of an aircraft and all is calm. I feel safe and secure, im in control and i think knowing im boss is the difference.

Thats my excuse......

[Big Red ' L ']

Here is the view from the top of the CN Tower in Toronto......
http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0LAAAABoPm02kuGnNIPpOo7zrstHZgKPkKJK7ud!pAOfbWVsVSUxH5fNX2AU osOP8LkUKBmvVbB8/cntower1.gif

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Its not the fall that kills you...Its the sudden stop.....

[low n' slow]

I think being frightened from heights is connected with being on terra firma.
I, for example, can never be close to the ceiling indoors or stand without support on the roof of some high-rise building. It's weird. But in the cockpit, it never scares me. Once though, flying a glider at 2500 meters, I got a bit scared. I started thinking, what if the seat tore through the fuselage? that scared me!
cheers/lns

[SLF]

Big L ... and here's the view from the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere, in Auckland.

(Aaargh, given up trying to insert it!)

Evo - those are my feet above, which I had to slide on from the edge, fighting every instinct! Just before, a couple of 10 year olds had been jumping on it with both feet, most of the surrounding adults gritting their teeth and wincing at each thud...

Cheers - SLF

[Evo7]

SLF

Exactly what I did - inch by painful inch. Took a couple of beers inside me to get that far, plus a feeling that I couldn't go there and then chicken out :)

[Justin Ilyushin]

That CN Tower floor is Scary - I couldn't leave 'til I'd walked on it though, but it took me while!
No problems with flying at all.
Went hot air ballooning last year and was a little curious about fear of heights, but again - no problem, I was hanging over the edge of the basket without the feeling I get looking over a cliff.

[anengineer]

Well, I'm relieved to hear some of the comments here ! I've always adored flying as a pax, and only once did I get the jitters... in the loo of an AOM DC-10 to Havana, when it suddenly struck me that there was only a few feet of aluminium between my arse and 37,000 feet of sheer drop to a very cold Atlantic. :)

When you stop and think about it, it's a very unnatural place for a human to be. (..come on, I've fed you the line !)...

[Capt Claret]

Try http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/Forum4/HTML/003903.html

or http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/peepwall.gif , this one's even better, http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/Forum41/HTML/001265.html



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bottums up !