The Fear of Falling????
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KNEIVEL77
I'm a 3,200hr airline pilot & flight instructor and I hate heights. You will not catch me up a ladder or on the edge of a tall building. I have an inane fear of falling over the edge. It's not actually the height that I am scared of, it's the thought of me falling off it. I went to Australia on holiday a few years ago and I was watching the sun set on top of my hotel which was about 30 stories high. There was a small wall on the edge of the building about waist high and I couldn't get the image out of my head of me saying to myself "I'll just sit on the ledge and dangle my feet over the edge", and then slipping and falling off. It is like this every time I am near anything with height. When I go to the local Mall and go up the top of John Lewis' for a cuppa they have a glass panel that stops you falling 4 floors to the basement where the escalators are. My kids lean against the glass and then I start having those thoughts again, but this time it's me doing a Michael Jackson and dangling my kid over the edge (of course I never would) and then accidentally letting go. It's pretty hard to explain but it sends shivers down my spine. Put me in an aeroplane though and those fears disappear, as I am sure they will for you in time. Eventually the view from an aeroplane will look normal to you and you won't even appreciate how high you are.
Good luck.
I'm a 3,200hr airline pilot & flight instructor and I hate heights. You will not catch me up a ladder or on the edge of a tall building. I have an inane fear of falling over the edge. It's not actually the height that I am scared of, it's the thought of me falling off it. I went to Australia on holiday a few years ago and I was watching the sun set on top of my hotel which was about 30 stories high. There was a small wall on the edge of the building about waist high and I couldn't get the image out of my head of me saying to myself "I'll just sit on the ledge and dangle my feet over the edge", and then slipping and falling off. It is like this every time I am near anything with height. When I go to the local Mall and go up the top of John Lewis' for a cuppa they have a glass panel that stops you falling 4 floors to the basement where the escalators are. My kids lean against the glass and then I start having those thoughts again, but this time it's me doing a Michael Jackson and dangling my kid over the edge (of course I never would) and then accidentally letting go. It's pretty hard to explain but it sends shivers down my spine. Put me in an aeroplane though and those fears disappear, as I am sure they will for you in time. Eventually the view from an aeroplane will look normal to you and you won't even appreciate how high you are.
Good luck.
Join Date: Feb 1998
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Well I'm a 18,000 hour airline jock and feel quite at home at
FL400, but put me 10 feet up a step ladder and I'm ****ting
bricks.
The only other time I have fear of heights is falling off the bar
stool nearing stumps. It takes a lot of teeth-gritting not to go
over and sit at the Lounge.
FL400, but put me 10 feet up a step ladder and I'm ****ting
bricks.
The only other time I have fear of heights is falling off the bar
stool nearing stumps. It takes a lot of teeth-gritting not to go
over and sit at the Lounge.
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During my PPL, I found I really didn't like banking hard or doing stalls, as I had read do much about spins & approach stalls that I had scared myself. I actually asked my instructor if we could go up & do some spins, luckily we were flying a C150 aerobat, so it was quite a good aircraft to get some experience in.
On the climb up to 5000', I was actually almost panicking about what we were about to do. The key to it is to find a good instructor, as mine briefed me fully, then flew the first spin, which as anyone will tell you is quite an experience! However, after 5 or so spins, the realization kicks in that the aircraft is still in a flyable condition, you just have to respond correctly. I still have a very keen eye for airspeed in the circuit, as prevention is better than cure! The point I am getting at is to attack your fear, after I did a single lesson on spins, my handing confidence came on very quickly, which might well benefit you!
On the climb up to 5000', I was actually almost panicking about what we were about to do. The key to it is to find a good instructor, as mine briefed me fully, then flew the first spin, which as anyone will tell you is quite an experience! However, after 5 or so spins, the realization kicks in that the aircraft is still in a flyable condition, you just have to respond correctly. I still have a very keen eye for airspeed in the circuit, as prevention is better than cure! The point I am getting at is to attack your fear, after I did a single lesson on spins, my handing confidence came on very quickly, which might well benefit you!
The Original Whirly
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Knievel77, I'm rarely on here these days, but I think you may have emailed me personally. ;-) Anyway, I'm a helicopter instructor; I also have a degree in psychology and know a teeny bit about phobias. Oh, and I'm scared of heights in some situations, though not in a helicopter unless flying low over hills followed by valleys or throwing the aircraft off a pinnacle.
Anyway, enough of my qualifications. I wanted to say that in my opinion your instructor who banked the aircraft sharply to show you that R22s could put up with it should be shot! At any rate, find another instructor. That's not how you deal with phobias. All that does is scare you, convince you it's scary, and confirm in your mind that you were right to be frightened. In other words, it makes matters worse.
The usual way is to take things slowly and gently. Get used to flying straight and level with a sympathetic instructor. When you feel OK with that, then bank the aircraft a few degrees. When that's alright, try more. If you start to sweat or feel bad, stop. In other words, push yourself to your comfortable limit, but not a millimetre further...or things can get worse.
This worked for me in getting used to climbing ladders and similar. I still don't like it much, but I can do it. About the grabbing for support in a turn, I've had trial lesson students do that, often. One grabbed me in a complete panic once, which wasn't nice! I then learned to take things very slowly until I knew he/she was OK with what was going on. So you're not unique. But it may take time. And at £300 an hour, it may cost. I don't know what you can do about that, other than accept it, if you want to fly helicopters.
Good luck!
Anyway, enough of my qualifications. I wanted to say that in my opinion your instructor who banked the aircraft sharply to show you that R22s could put up with it should be shot! At any rate, find another instructor. That's not how you deal with phobias. All that does is scare you, convince you it's scary, and confirm in your mind that you were right to be frightened. In other words, it makes matters worse.
The usual way is to take things slowly and gently. Get used to flying straight and level with a sympathetic instructor. When you feel OK with that, then bank the aircraft a few degrees. When that's alright, try more. If you start to sweat or feel bad, stop. In other words, push yourself to your comfortable limit, but not a millimetre further...or things can get worse.
This worked for me in getting used to climbing ladders and similar. I still don't like it much, but I can do it. About the grabbing for support in a turn, I've had trial lesson students do that, often. One grabbed me in a complete panic once, which wasn't nice! I then learned to take things very slowly until I knew he/she was OK with what was going on. So you're not unique. But it may take time. And at £300 an hour, it may cost. I don't know what you can do about that, other than accept it, if you want to fly helicopters.
Good luck!
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I'm not a great fan of being near cliff edges etc. I wonder whether flyers find it easier to cope with heights when flying because they are sitting down and thus unable to 'fall' anywhere? I can look over a cliff edge no problems if I lay on my stomach and look over. I know I'm not going to fall then.
I must admit, flying has never bothered me much, whether doing aeros, low level in choppers etc. I think the only thing that bothers me about flying light aircraft is a mid air. I've always flown gliders with a parachute and I feel slightly naked not wearing one in a light aircraft. I know you can argue about the chances of getting out etc but logic doesn't count for much when you talk about fears.
I have heard that really high altitude flyers, spy planes and the like sometimes get the feeling that they are balanced on a knife edge and the plane will topple over at any moment.
My phobia is deep sea. I'm a strong swimmer, love swimming in the sea but I won't swim in the ocean, as in really deep ocean. Don't know why, it's one of those primeval things, there's stuff lurking down there you know.......
I must admit, flying has never bothered me much, whether doing aeros, low level in choppers etc. I think the only thing that bothers me about flying light aircraft is a mid air. I've always flown gliders with a parachute and I feel slightly naked not wearing one in a light aircraft. I know you can argue about the chances of getting out etc but logic doesn't count for much when you talk about fears.
I have heard that really high altitude flyers, spy planes and the like sometimes get the feeling that they are balanced on a knife edge and the plane will topple over at any moment.
My phobia is deep sea. I'm a strong swimmer, love swimming in the sea but I won't swim in the ocean, as in really deep ocean. Don't know why, it's one of those primeval things, there's stuff lurking down there you know.......
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Despite having a spinning endorsement, I found after a 7 yr layoff from flying, I had real trouble doing steep turns in a FW. The instructor i asked to help me out with this took me to an area of small islands and waterways inbetween. We then pretended it was a racetrack and I had to follow the waterways at 500' AGL. This required me to turn at least 50 degrees of bank. It turned into a great game, a bit like a video game, and no probs since.
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I thought I was the only one with this fear!
When I explain to people that I hate heights, yet have a PPL, they all think I am crazy. I too think it is more of a fear of falling than the actual height. I am quite happy buzzing around at 3000ft inside a closed cockpit yet i recently did one of those "Go-Ape"high rope courses and found it hard to climb up a 50ft tree!
I also climbed Snowdon a month ago and there was one point near the top where, after climbing 800m of the total 1000 or so, I nearly had to turn back. A 10m stretch consisting of a 6m wide ledge with 800m drop either side To say I sh*t myself is an understatement. I literally had to run across that section. I thought that completing it may cure my fear, or atleast ease it but it didn't!
Being in control when flying definatley makes a difference. I used to dread stalls (fear of falling out of the sky!) when my instructor was in control yet when I do them i'm fine. Its purely because I am in control and can stop the falling if I need to. I even told my examiner of my fear and he was very understanding. Still had to stall etc but he didn't dwell on the subject for any longer than necessary!
Stick with the flying. Once you get more into it and feel more comfortable and understand what is going on in greater detail, you will be fine.
When I explain to people that I hate heights, yet have a PPL, they all think I am crazy. I too think it is more of a fear of falling than the actual height. I am quite happy buzzing around at 3000ft inside a closed cockpit yet i recently did one of those "Go-Ape"high rope courses and found it hard to climb up a 50ft tree!
I also climbed Snowdon a month ago and there was one point near the top where, after climbing 800m of the total 1000 or so, I nearly had to turn back. A 10m stretch consisting of a 6m wide ledge with 800m drop either side To say I sh*t myself is an understatement. I literally had to run across that section. I thought that completing it may cure my fear, or atleast ease it but it didn't!
Being in control when flying definatley makes a difference. I used to dread stalls (fear of falling out of the sky!) when my instructor was in control yet when I do them i'm fine. Its purely because I am in control and can stop the falling if I need to. I even told my examiner of my fear and he was very understanding. Still had to stall etc but he didn't dwell on the subject for any longer than necessary!
Stick with the flying. Once you get more into it and feel more comfortable and understand what is going on in greater detail, you will be fine.
