Fears n phobias

Only really been scared twice in aircraft,

I was down the back of a Seneca on a short hop. Weather was cloudy and we had climbed above it no problem. At our destination we popped out of cloud at about 100ft above the threshold of the runway, the pilot then started doing very steep S turns to lose altitude. He did 3 S's with the stall warner blaring all the time at low altitude. He got us down but I refused the offer of a return trip and went home by car.

On another occasion I scrounged a lift with 2 pilots on a navex back to base, I was in the back and fell asleep, when I woke to the sound of the stall warner to see we were in cloud, the aircraft was cycling between overspeed and the stall warner sounding about every 5 seconds. The two guys up front were arguing about what to do. It seemed like forever but was probably only a few mins before we flew out of the cloud and normal service resumed. I now only do the trip by commercial airliner or with me sat up front.

Birdy, get some G force style landing gear then the amount of un-landable terrain you fly over will decrease. :yo:
 
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The “gut feeling” Birdy mentioned should always get attention.

I have felt it and used it many times in my career. Now I never ignore it.

One time I had been away from work for 10 days and when I returned the Boss said to grab my kit as we were going to do an air test. As soon as I got close to the aircraft it somehow felt wrong. I didn’t know what it was but I had a slightly nervous feeling about the air test. This never normally happens to me.

I knew the aircraft had extensive airframe and engine repairs, but this is what I did for a living. Most air test I did was after similar repairs but this one felt different.

I inspected the aircraft as far as I could and it looked OK, everything in order.

The Boss said “We are flying it not buying it, stop messing about and get in”.

I put my (irrational fears) to the back of my mind and got in. We briefed that the Boss would fly and I would observe and assist with radio calls and checklist.

Everything was fine until half way through the 5 min climb we were aware that the oil temp was slowly rising and the pressure slowly dropping, this was mostly normal. We discussed it and monitored it. At the top of the climb it was getting close to oil temp and press limits so we agreed to lower the nose to allow more air into the oil cooler.

All the way through the climb the RPM had remained stable but as we lowered the nose the rpm went through the roof, rapidly climbing through the red line with the engine screaming and starting to shake. We quickly closed the throttle which just reduced the rpm to the red line. The engine was running, throttle closed but with the rpm at red line max. We turned back towards the airfield and called the tower…………… no response.

With the drag of the prop we were descending quite steeply, another call to the tower……….. no response.

By now I had done some quick calculations and decided it was going to be very close run thing to make it back to the airfield. Realising we may have to land off airport my next call to the tower was “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. That woke ATC up and they offered us to land anywhere on the airfield.

To cut an already long story short, we squeaked in over the fence, just, and landed on the runway.

It turns out someone had assembled the engine with chrome rings in a chrome bore, the rings broke up and debris got into the prop CSU jamming it in a low pitch position. No amount of pre flight by me would have found this defect, but it confirmed to me that when your gut says “this doesn’t feel right” its for a good reason.
 
Birdy, get some G force style landing gear then the amount of un-landable terrain you fly over will decrease.
Mate, i coulda spoted it in anywhere, but the inconvieniance of haven to 'sky hook' it out didnt appeal to me at the time.
 
Birdy, get some G force style landing gear then the amount of un-landable terrain you fly over will decrease.
Mate, i coulda spoted it in anywhere, but the inconvieniance of haven to 'sky hook' it out didnt appeal to me at the time.

Ahhh then your fear was nothing to do with landing there but the inconvenience and expense of recovering it. Hahaha now I can understand your concern. Just teasing. The advice that Tom gave sounds worth a try.
 
I get scared frequently. Im flying in an area that you will rot in if you dont land lucky and there are a lot of freaking birds. When I find I have a death grip on the stick and morbid thoughts I do two things. I remind myself that I am up there to feel alive and that I only need to do what my CFI drilled into me.... fly the machine.

It always passes.

Kudos to The Bird Man for opening up. Birdy you usually put up a crusty front so it was nice to get a glimpse into your humanity and give us all a chance to admit it can get really freaking nerve wracking and there doesnt have to be a reason!
 
Birdy,

Bottom Line: Fatigue, especially chronic fatigue, can manifest itself in the way you have described. The compounded effects can affect the nervous system to such an extent that hormone and nervous system imbalance can result;

In other words, your body may be generating higher levels of adrenaline and testosterone to combat the fatigue, which may lead to increased pangs of "fear" or whatever it was that you described.

The answer there is to get quality rest - and that ain't watching Rugby and drinking pints. And it will need to be rest over the long haul - not just a an extra nap over a couple of days. A vacation is in order, with some major sleep and relaxation.

On the other hand, and I'm no doctor, you may be having another problem with your body generating excess levels of adrenaline or hormones based upon malfunctioning glands. My stepfather, who is 65, had his thyroid go haywire, and it caused untold mood changes and sudden outbursts and sudden pangs of fear. Once he had it irradiated, he was back to an even keel....

Not saying you have anything wrong with you that a week's vacation and some damned quality rest won't fix, but to have continued pangs as you describe probably indicates that your body is producing extra quantities of whatever chemical that it shouldn't.

Just my 2 cents....

Good on ya for at least identifying it and asking questions. Realization that you are having a problem is 50% of the battle right there.

Now go get some rest.

The poster who mentioned battle fatigue is most certainly on the mark.

Good luck to you, mate.
 
Birdy you usually put up a crusty front so it was nice to get a glimpse into your humanity
Now thats one hell ofa missinterpritation!!!!
Mate, if you knew me, youd know theres not an ounce of humanity ere. [ wotever that is]

Bottom Line: Fatigue, especially chronic fatigue, can manifest itself in the way you have described. The compounded effects can affect the nervous system to such an extent that hormone and nervous system imbalance can result;
Mate, been there n dun that, but the time i shat meself i wasnt tyred. It was at the end of one of the easiest days iv had.

A vacation is in order, with some major sleep and relaxation.
Your the kinda bloke i want to work for. :)
The bastered im workn for now dont believe in time off.

Thanx for the thoughts tho Spence. But i think im just a sook.
 
Aaah there there Birdy, come on dry those :Cry:. Go get the Ferel out and take it for a spin.

And in case anyone thinks I am being a bastard, Dave brought that up first, and he didn't mean chook.

Spence's explanation sounds pretty convincing though.
 
Birdy, let me share this.....I think you will find that a good majority of us share some form of flying phobia. In my younger years I was scared to death of heights or should I say unsecured heights, Yet I found myself strangely drawn to want to elevate myself. I use to climb the highest tree I could just to get the sense of flying and all the while I've got the shakes.
I would climb 500' microwave antennas and have sweaty palms and the shakes so bad in both feet I would have to climb faster to keep control of my motor nerves. And then when I would get to the top and have a 12'x12' platform to stand on I would not leave the center. I had the jitters so bad I would have to stand there for a moment trying to clear up the shakes only to have what on earth was I thinking running through my mind to want to come up here… and could not think of anything better than getting back down But being young and needing my high I would do it year after year time after time till I was about 18.

When I started flying gyros (age 21) it never once bothered me to be up there although I did not like to go real high. Now after several months of flying I begin to get the jitters. I could not understand why...I LOVE THIS STUFF!! but I soon realized my fears were not of heights but of what could go wrong...bolts snapping, blade slings out of hub, seat bracket brakes and lock up my controls, you name it I thought it.

All of a sudden flying was not enjoyable I wanted to be up there so bad but the thought of something going wrong kept me on the ground. I was not about to let this whoop me so I begin to trace back the fears of my youth, could it be that I was more scared of the thing I was climbing, towers, tree, buildings etc. that they were unstable and going to fall over or something was going to break which would lead to me plummeting to mother earth. I reason with myself that it was, and figured if I was going to go down it was not because I failed to take care of my machine and do a thorough pre-flight.

For the most part all the jitters of flying are gone ( I still do not like high places) But, what still gets me is flying into turbulence or rough air. I don’t doubt my own skills but the fear of my winged chariot coming apart. I've come to the reality of this....no matter how good a pilot I am If my bird don’t hold together I don’t have a pray! I perhaps rob myself of some flying time do to higher than normal winds but I can't enjoy myself if the wind is whipping me all over and got me all white knuckled on the controls
 
your thoughts describe mine right down to a T! My love of flying outweighs any fears tho! This maybe differnt for birdy since this is how he makes his living! I'm expressing my experience only with fixed wing tho, I've never flew a gyro!

Birdy, let me share this.....I think you will find that a good majority of us share some form of flying phobia. In my younger years I was scared to death of heights or should I say unsecured heights, Yet I found myself strangely drawn to want to elevate myself. I use to climb the highest tree I could just to get the sense of flying and all the while I've got the shakes.
I would climb 500' microwave antennas and have sweaty palms and the shakes so bad in both feet I would have to climb faster to keep control of my motor nerves. And then when I would get to the top and have a 12'x12' platform to stand on I would not leave the center. I had the jitters so bad I would have to stand there for a moment trying to clear up the shakes only to have what on earth was I thinking running through my mind to want to come up here… and could not think of anything better than getting back down But being young and needing my high I would do it year after year time after time till I was about 18.

When I started flying gyros (age 21) it never once bothered me to be up there although I did not like to go real high. Now after several months of flying I begin to get the jitters. I could not understand why...I LOVE THIS STUFF!! but I soon realized my fears were not of heights but of what could go wrong...bolts snapping, blade slings out of hub, seat bracket brakes and lock up my controls, you name it I thought it.

All of a sudden flying was not enjoyable I wanted to be up there so bad but the thought of something going wrong kept me on the ground. I was not about to let this whoop me so I begin to trace back the fears of my youth, could it be that I was more scared of the thing I was climbing, towers, tree, buildings etc. that they were unstable and going to fall over or something was going to break which would lead to me plummeting to mother earth. I reason with myself that it was, and figured if I was going to go down it was not because I failed to take care of my machine and do a thorough pre-flight.

For the most part all the jitters of flying are gone ( I still do not like high places) But, what still gets me is flying into turbulence or rough air. I don’t doubt my own skills but the fear of my winged chariot coming apart. I've come to the reality of this....no matter how good a pilot I am If my bird don’t hold together I don’t have a pray! I perhaps rob myself of some flying time do to higher than normal winds but I can't enjoy myself if the wind is whipping me all over and got me all white knuckled on the controls
 
I cant for the life of me figure out why I was a firefighter for so long since I hate heights. But I love flying and as long as the wings, or whatever is holding the thing up stay on and the control surfaces do what they are supposed to I feel fine. As long as Im in charge of my fate. I hate flying in commercial jets cause I am helpless and not in charge of anything much less my fate.
 
Birdy.....

Birdy.....

I'm one of those people who's knees get shakey when I climb to the 5th rung of a ladder, yet flying my gyro has not given me that feeling since my training days. The reason (as explained by a prominant psychologist) is CONTORL. When I climbed the 'standard' ladder, it was wobbly and unstable, and I was not in control of it....however, if I were to use a different ladder; for example, a tripod type with a wider bottom that narrows as you assend, then it is much more stable and affords a feeling of security (being in control). This made sense to me. Bottom line.....when you are in control, fear disipates.
BUT....I dont think it's wise to lose it entirely.
Many years ago (in my previous life) while attending the Police Academy, I remembered an instructor telling us something I have never forgotten.
He said "We are all given the 5 basic senses but mostly ignore the most imporant one, our 6th sense....Paranoia". "It is there for a reason". "It is in our DNA". "It is what keeps you ALIVE". "You must learn to turn that overwhelming feeling to your advantage and when you recognize it, confront it head on." "It will save your life!!"
Birdy, there is nothing wrong with you that the rest of the flying world hasn't felt before. Sometimes, we simply need to sit back and evaluate. You have already taken those steps. If you have the foresight to recognize these insecurties and the wherewithall to speak them, then you have already planted your flag at the top of that mountain. Now, go fly over it and look down upon your flag and smile....:)
 
Oh please,too much D&M's for the bird.He might have one of those break....downs.Emotionally frail.:drama:
Kym.
 
This made sense to me. Bottom line.....when you are in control, fear disipates.
I was in control, so it wasnt that.
It was the fear of lockn up n loosen it that fed on itself.

BUT....I dont think it's wise to lose it entirely.
Bit late once youv lost it, coz wen you realise you have, id imagin youd stay that way.

confront it head on." "It will save your life!!"
Not always Mark.
Iv always 'confrunted' anythn thats threatened me, and so far, iv always come out on top.
But, if your the PIC, solo, and you think " ill confrunt this bastered", only to find you cant hack it, you buggered, coz your PIC and solo.

Emotionally frail
Hey!!!!, me ol mate kimberly.
Gess its warmn up now and you just crawled out from under you turd. :)
Good to ere from you agin.
And your rite, i am Emotionally frail. [ wotever that is]
 
bird I dunno if this applys, but I've had one fear that may relate! The fear of freaking out and losing control! you put up a crusty front but were all human! I can't fly with someone unless I'm flying the plane! :) flying is dangerous and If I'm not in control of my life it scares me mate!
 
Frig off **** i went in a FW today and upon landine he had the thing on full lock and still not facing the right way i said f**k this you need to understand the facts of flying, frigtened the **** out of me.
Well i comw home from my 2 weeks away i got to get them into a gyro, dangerous things them FW
 
Ahhhhh, those golden moment of flying when one faces the unknown for a brief moment, come out of it in one piece, then realize how sweet life is.

Bits like that make it all the nicer when it's going smoothly don't you think?
 
I never had any problems climbing ladders...or walking on top of a wall....but one area that makes me dizzy is coming up alongside a tower while flying my gyro. I know....supposed to be 500 ft. from it...but I have flown stationary just 50 feet over the light bulb at the top...and when I would look down that tower...I would just get light headed....and would have to get out of there. Just me typing this is making me dizzy. Nothing else would bother me but that. So....I would guess I would have had a lot to work on in my younger years had I wanted to fly a helicopter for powerline work. I could just see me trying to hover next to the tower...and the coworker out on the skids trying to climb onto the tower. "Sorry pal...I am getting dizzy" :wacko:


Stan
 
That made me smile Stan.

Guess even co-workers can get golden moments too.
 
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