<p>Half a chewable Dramamine (from any drugstore) at boarding time works wonders for me. I would bypass the wine as a curative if, like me, your stomach upsets easily. Two glasses of wine plus turbulence…not for me.</p>
<p>The Dramamine active agent is also used for anti-anxiety (or was, that indication has been eclipsed by newer drugs like Xanax). It makes me pleasantly drowsy as well. If my flight is under 3 hours I take half or I am pretty sleepy for awhile afterward.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the great suggestions. Interesting about the continental shelf. I think I just experienced this on my recent trip to and from Spain. However, the worst was in and out of Madrid. Especially, the landing. Good tip about Denver. Never been but it is good to be aware of it.
Will try to upload action movies to my Ipad. I will also probably try the Bonine and try to get medication. Alcohol has not helped. Lol. It just gave me a headache. My next trip is a short one to Florida where I can experiment with these meds since I won’t be driving. After that is back across the pond and 8 hours on the plane. I have tried Benadryl to help me sleep through it but find that it is not strong enough to get me to sleep.</p>
<p>I did have a bad, very turbulent flight a few years back. Drinks flying, people crying, all that. Not long after that flight I had to fly to Asia - 3 long flights - so asked my doctor for something. She gave me a valium-ish drug that basically knocked me out. I took that for that trip and 1-2 more then found I didn’t need it anymore. </p>
<p>When there’s bad turbulence now I do a little silent praying and remember what my uncle said about there being nothing to crash into up there. So far so good.</p>
<p>I always figure the stewards know the anxious passengers watch them, so they make a point of showing confidence. </p>
<p>I was on a flight once when the engine caught fire and we had to land after circling long enough for them to line up the fire trucks, ambulances and foam down the runway. </p>
<p>On another flight we were trying to land in a sudden horrible storm. We had some issues So were told to get into crash position. One of the stewardesses started crying. </p>
<p>I figure if I made it through all that, I can grit my teeth and make it through turbulence. I’m sure busdriver has a lot more hairy stories than that. And the key is how well made our planes are, and how well trained the crews are. Bus driver, hats off to you and all crew members everywhere.</p>
<p>Thanks, hayden. And I won’t alarm you with any scary stories. Needless to say, it is best to not be aware of them in the first place. One thing to know, is that over the years, there have been many safety devices added to airplanes, and crews have gotten far better training. What was acceptable in the old days, is unacceptable today. Trying to land in a storm so bad the passengers have to get into the crash position is completely unacceptable. If the weather is that bad, they shut down the airport or you don’t even try. There is far more avoidance than there used to be. Flying really is much safer than driving your car…now driving, you’re a second away from death most of the time.</p>
<p>I have had a few flights into Alaska in winter that were very scary and even the flight staff were belted in and looked a bit grim. Mostly into Juneau and Ketchikan which I now refuse to fly to in winter even for good fees. Yes Denver is always bumpy but at least you can usually see ground. Flying into coastal AK in winter you see nothing but clouds rain/snow until maybe tree tops. The steep descent angles to avoid mountains just add to the thrills. For some reason going out flights with same weather dont bother me. I enjoy the steep power climb and know the sun will be out soon.</p>
<p>^ I would suggest flying into Juneau as a lighthearted solution to fear of turbulence…either you’ll never be afraid on another flight, or you’ll never fly again! ;)</p>
<p>Off-topic - the work done on the new JAWS system is quite interesting:
[RAL</a> | | Juneau Airport Winds System (JAWS) Project Description](<a href=“http://www.ral.ucar.edu/projects/juneau/]RAL”>| Research Applications Laboratory)</p>
<p>I find it helps to have some cold air blowing on my face.</p>
<p>Just for the record, flew into Juneau a few times years ago. Beautiful, and nothing especially scary. But the float plane over the ice field, where the bored pilot wanted to go straight into the fog, and then find a way out between peaks, wow! </p>
<p>However, for flight or any other anxiety, this is good to practice:</p>
<p><a href=“https://sites.google.com/a/audiodharmacourse.org/mindfulness-meditation/counting-breaths[/url]”>https://sites.google.com/a/audiodharmacourse.org/mindfulness-meditation/counting-breaths</a></p>
<p>I appreciate the very good statistics regarding flight safety these days. But it makes me a little more scared in cars.</p>
<p>I hate turbulance, I actually hate flying. I flew from Atlanta to Oklahoma when there was a hurricaine. I found it helpful to anticipate (so the divide device is helpful) , and I just kept telling myself it was just like a bumpy road, just in the air. I have soothing music on my ipod, ad I put that on. Sometimes not so soothing music too, have used this as a technique for medical tests too. just to put myself somewhere else.</p>
<p>I’m someone that hates rollercoasters and was terrified of flying for a really long time. I found the best thing to get me comfortable was to take two benadryl when I got to my terminal. Most of the time I’d fall asleep before our wheels left the ground. A few times my big feet were run over by the drink cart, and I’d hardly even notice.</p>
<p>I’m better with being scared of flying now, but turbulence still makes me want to lose my lunch. I’ve found remembering we have a few more miles drop before anything’s a concern helps keep my fears away. :)</p>
<p>Flying is no good. You can get most places with a car or a train. And sometimes boats work. But it takes 2 hours to go to the airport and 2 hours to get ready after the plane lands and you can be so far in 4 hours driving if you think about it. And some cars you can go 400 miles in 4 hours and that’s almost half way across the country. Plus you save that money cause flying costs a lot. You can even get a limo for cheaper I bet.</p>
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<p>busdriver, thanks. I try to tell myself that. But I still don’t like it. I do try to pretend I am on a boat and that the bumps are just waves we are bouncing over. That helps a bit.</p>
<p>I don’t like flying over the Continental Divide either. Although what I hate most is landings near water. LaGuardia freaks me out, as does SFO. I don’t mind trans-oceanic flights when we are 30,000 feet up, but I don’t like being low over the water. Last week I flew into Fort Lauderdale and because of the winds or the air traffic right when I thought we were going to land we continued on over the ocean–we literally “went out to sea.” The plane was so low that a lot of people were getting squirmy–you could practically see the fish. The pilot made a VERY wide circle before approaching the airport from the beach. It was a little unsettling, to say the least.</p>
<p>I’ve never understood the uneasiness about flying and have been doing so since I was 12 or so. It’s the only way to get off our island state and I prefer it over many other forms of transportation. ;). I have gotten very queasy on small airplanes, especially when you could smell the engine fumes. Have also gotten queasy from staying up too late the night before reading. </p>
<p>Candied ginger is generally pretty soothing for most causes of queasiness but not sure how well it would work for turbulence, since I am not troubled by it.</p>
<p>HImom, I have flown frequently since birth–my father worked in the airline industry, so we could fly for free pretty much anywhere we wanted to go. I don’t know why I have gotten more fearful as I have gotten older, but I have. Overthinking what’s going on, probably.</p>
<p>I love candied ginger so I will try that next time, even if it’s more for nausea than nerves.</p>
<p>“Although what I hate most is landings near water.”</p>
<p>My dear brother-in-law’s girlfriend refuses to fly over any body of water, therefore she rarely will fly. Her fear? Sharks. Though honestly, I think if you crash, that’s the last thing to be worried about, but fear isn’t rational.</p>
<p>I definitely wouldn’t be afraid about landings near water, that is zero threat. In fact, it’s probably safer. There are some runways where there is a huge mountain at the end of it (like Subic Bay, Phillipines), or a massive cliff to drop off of, or a huge parking garage to fly over on final (San Diego), or a tiny runway (Burbank), or much worse things. I don’t mean to scare you, just saying that if for some reason the pilot was to go off the end of the runway, I’d much rather it be into the water than off a cliff, that’s for sure! Where water is, there is zero terrain, and since Sully’s water landing, we have actually started to practice ditching in the water (in the simulator, obviously). It was something we always assumed was generally unsurvivable, but he showed that as long as you keep your wings level and don’t lose your cool, you can land that airplane in the water pretty nicely!</p>
<p>Though I have to admit, there is something about LaGuardia that I can’t stand, but I don’t think it’s the water.</p>
<p>Sully was the grad speaker at S’s Engineering graduation in 2010. He seemed like a very nice, down to earth guy. </p>
<p>They say if passengers hadn’t panicked and had listened to the crew and waited before rushing to exit there would have been more time and things wouldn’t have been as rushed as they were. Personally, I’ve never been nervous about water myself. We’re all so different. ;).</p>
<p>That must have been a very interesting speech. Was it so long ago? It seems like his water landing was just last year! I think he is a very honorable, down to earth guy, from what I’ve heard. My son just had Aron Ralson as his graduation speaker (subject of the movie 127 hours), what a hilarious, irreverent, interesting, touching speech. One of his words of advice…always bring a sharp knife (just in case you have to cut off your arm, he had a dull one).</p>
<p>Hey, I don’t blame the passengers for panicking. If I’d been one of them, I don’t think I’d panic, but I wouldn’t be waiting a particularly long time for instructions, either. Good thing you aren’t nervous about water…you would never leave your house!</p>
<p>I did insist that my kids learn to swim and started them with lessons before they started preschool. I hauled a few kids out of the pool that otherwise may have drowned send I was rescued from a pool twice in the same day. Water is very dangerous, especially when there are young children near it. </p>
<p>Had not heard of 117 hours or that speaker before. He sounds like a fascinating guy. I don’t believe most knives one would casually hike with are strong enough to cut through much flesh, much less bone! Personally I think it’s always a good idea to hike with at least one other person, never alone. </p>
<p>Sorry for the tangent:)</p>
<p>I found this an interesting read and may help you…of course it doesn’t help the sea sickness type feeling. [Turbulence:</a> Everything You Need to Know](<a href=“http://www.askthepilot.com/questionanswers/turbulence/]Turbulence:”>Turbulence: Everything You Need to Know)</p>