Fly Dubai FZ008 - Last night

There are also pockets of "no air" literally, which means there is nothing for the wings to hold onto and the plane will just fall until it hits air again. There are many situations that cannot be predicted and cannot be seen on radar and weather conditions can change drastically in moments. Airlines do not send their very expensive planes into bad weather deliberately. unless there are missing parts of Earths atmosphere we don't know about, and disregard for Newton laws, equilibrium, forces, scalars and vectors, velocity...etc...( aerodynamics), basic elementary or high school math, physics there is no such thing. "air pockets" are simply a myth/lie/made up stuff. t would take a whole lot of science to be refuted in order to prove falling trough sky in vacuum.

Not always. Try sitting near or just behind the wing. The aircraft's centre of gravity is usually just behind the wing, therefore the further front or back you are the potential is for more movement. However, you can get more 'wagging' from side to side at the very back. Flight attendants cannot sit with passengers for takeoff and landing. Maybe on "Pan Am" tv show but not IRL. We need to be in our jumpseat and by our door or position in case of any emergency. However, we can provide reassuring glances and smiles if you are within our sightline :) Do let us know though, I find fearful flyers fit into a few categories. 1. The "not in Control" as someone mentioned, it's not the flying or the height but the lack of control. Knowing that the pilots are very well trained can help. Try to distract yourself with tv or a book. 2. The "fear of heights/turbulence" they have a phobia of something else which is magnified by being on the plane. Finding out the cause of the original phobia and addressing that can often help with the fear of flying. 3. "Claustrophobics" It's not the height or the plae but the feeling shut in. Try sitting just forward of a bulkhead, so that you can see the whole cabin. It helps to be able to see more ahead of you, so it looks bigger. On planes like A380 and 747, upper decks are smaller in width and height so you may find it better on the main deck. (If you have to choose between Economy on B777 and A380, the 380 has 'straighter' fuselage walls on main deck so it seems bigger- there's less curvature so seems more spacious. 4. "I watch too much news". Remember, media often love to play up accidents. E.g "Air France falls out of sky" type headline. It didn't just fall out of the sky, many things went wrong for it to crash. In the industry it's known as "Swiss cheese". For an accident to happen, a chain of events must take place, i.e. the holes in the cheese line up... take away any single event and the accident doesn't happen. Luckily, the safety systems in place catch most of these errors and prevent accidents. As someone mentioned, statistically you are safer on plane than driving down SZR!! The "no air pocket" is what people describe when they don't understand CAT. Think of it more as a 'pot-hole' yes the plane dips but it comes back up again, just like your car when driving over a pot-hole in the road. Some roads are bumpier than others, just as some flights are. Summer Breeze, UPS was very sad but again, a lot of factors all came together at once for that to happen. It would be very rare for the exact same thing to happen again. All of the above :-(

can't stop...lol.

I keep doing it too even though I don't want to lol..........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! LOL..its like having this inside battle...do it..dont do it..do it....hahaha...i am a sucker for punishment!

I keep doing it too even though I don't want to lol..........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!

chuckling at KK for opening the thread again. aaaaaaaaagh!!!! hahahaha..You know..after i made yet another comment..i sat back and thought..geez just did it again! (Was hoping no one would notice...hahaha)

chuckling at KK for opening the thread again. aaaaaaaaagh!!!!

I love you SkyKitty...:)Thank you for your very informative post! Seriously..sometimes a small explanation can really help take the edge off for us nervous flyers!

Not always. Try sitting near or just behind the wing. The aircraft's centre of gravity is usually just behind the wing, therefore the further front or back you are the potential is for more movement. However, you can get more 'wagging' from side to side at the very back. Flight attendants cannot sit with passengers for takeoff and landing. Maybe on "Pan Am" tv show but not IRL. We need to be in our jumpseat and by our door or position in case of any emergency. However, we can provide reassuring glances and smiles if you are within our sightline :) Do let us know though, I find fearful flyers fit into a few categories. 1. The "not in Control" as someone mentioned, it's not the flying or the height but the lack of control. Knowing that the pilots are very well trained can help. Try to distract yourself with tv or a book. 2. The "fear of heights/turbulence" they have a phobia of something else which is magnified by being on the plane. Finding out the cause of the original phobia and addressing that can often help with the fear of flying. 3. "Claustrophobics" It's not the height or the plae but the feeling shut in. Try sitting just forward of a bulkhead, so that you can see the whole cabin. It helps to be able to see more ahead of you, so it looks bigger. On planes like A380 and 747, upper decks are smaller in width and height so you may find it better on the main deck. (If you have to choose between Economy on B777 and A380, the 380 has 'straighter' fuselage walls on main deck so it seems bigger- there's less curvature so seems more spacious. 4. "I watch too much news". Remember, media often love to play up accidents. E.g "Air France falls out of sky" type headline. It didn't just fall out of the sky, many things went wrong for it to crash. In the industry it's known as "Swiss cheese". For an accident to happen, a chain of events must take place, i.e. the holes in the cheese line up... take away any single event and the accident doesn't happen. Luckily, the safety systems in place catch most of these errors and prevent accidents. As someone mentioned, statistically you are safer on plane than driving down SZR!! The "no air pocket" is what people describe when they don't understand CAT. Think of it more as a 'pot-hole' yes the plane dips but it comes back up again, just like your car when driving over a pot-hole in the road. Some roads are bumpier than others, just as some flights are. Summer Breeze, UPS was very sad but again, a lot of factors all came together at once for that to happen. It would be very rare for the exact same thing to happen again.

If you're a really nervous flier it's a great idea to let the flight attendants know. They can reassure you, explain calmly and rationally what's going on and distract you. Sometimes they will sit with a nervous passenger during take off and landing and they will be really sympathetic. It's not in their interest to have you freak out mid flight and try and get out or whatever! [b'>Also, always sit as far forward as you possibly can, because the turbulence is always worst at the back. That's why first class is where it is.[/b'> No.

If you're a really nervous flier it's a great idea to let the flight attendants know. They can reassure you, explain calmly and rationally what's going on and distract you. Sometimes they will sit with a nervous passenger during take off and landing and they will be really sympathetic. It's not in their interest to have you freak out mid flight and try and get out or whatever! Also, always sit as far forward as you possibly can, because the turbulence is always worst at the back. That's why first class is where it is.

ok..now i am not coming back to this thread..i mean it! haha..i keep coming back on here to see replies and now i know way more than i should...going to end up giving myself a mini angina attack..so i now wave and say goodbye from this convo...:) :) :)

There are also pockets of "no air" literally, which means there is nothing for the wings to hold onto and the plane will just fall until it hits air again. That's a myth; there can't be pockets of vacuum surrounded by air.

They wouldn't. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to predict turbulence, and even then, it may be more severe than anticipated, just like any weather phenomenon. Rest assured the pilots of the flight are more than ready to cancel if they feel there is any undue risk. After all, they are on the same plane! ;) In my experience, many passengers (especially those who do not fly often) describe turbulence as "extremely severe" when in fast it may be moderate at most. The problem with thunderstorms is, the associated weather when bad will usually (but not always) show up on a weather radar, so the course is plotted to avoid turbulence as much as possible. This only works, however, with turbulence associated with rain, since weather radar picks up on moisture particles in the air. Clear Air Turbulence is another thing entirely, and can come out of nowhere. From the description you give here, I would guess they encountered some unexpectedl CAT. This is why the flight crew always advise to keep your seatbelt on at all times. Also, the lad in front screaming does not necessary mean there was any danger, it just means she is probably a nervous flier... Sometimes it is not possible to immediately change to a flight level out fo the bad weather, especially Doha-Dubai being a short flight. That air traffic area can get very busy so may take a few minutes to safely change altitude/flight path. Also the flight never gets to a very high altitude being so short, so is more likely to encounter turbulence. Was she sitting towards the back of the plane by any chance? There are also pockets of "no air" literally, which means there is nothing for the wings to hold onto and the plane will just fall until it hits air again. There are many situations that cannot be predicted and cannot be seen on radar and weather conditions can change drastically in moments. Airlines do not send their very expensive planes into bad weather deliberately. Remember, the pilots are there too. They are highly experienced and very well trained in what to do in these and emergency situations. They certainly do not want to "go down with their plane" so will do everything to ensure that doesn't happen. I fear driving to and from the mall much more than any flight!

Your chances of dying in a car crash are thousand times higher than crashing in a plane.....! :>) The fear of flying comes from a fear of loss of control. Although even scared fliers know logically that they are much more likely to die in a car crash, they equate being on an airplane as not being in control. In a car, either as a driver or passenger, one feels that they are somehow in control, even though they are really not. So that is why people generally aren't afraid to get in cars. I myself have flown all over the world but am a nervous flier. I always look at the flight attendants when I get scared to see what they are doing. That helps me to relax...

Your chances of dying in a car crash are thousand times higher than crashing in a plane.....! :>) Never had a problem with flying until I saw the plane crash in Dubai 2.5years ago. No matter what people say still not good.

Your chances of dying in a car crash are thousand times higher than crashing in a plane.....! :>)

Thanks for the Offer girls...but i fly to LHR on 5th July. Will just have to sink some serious anti-anxiety pills before the time...x

I'm heading to LHR on the 9th July if that ties in with you.

Mayabak - a good hypnotherapist would be able to help.

No they don't have a death wish but some are stupid! Trust me, I've met a few!!

As an extremely nervous flyer, this is a really scary thread, I knew I shouldn't have opened it! I have to take sleeping tablets to calm me, but even then I'm still a mess. Our family holiday this year is to Florida, I'm already panicking about it and not sure i can even do it, and reading a thread like this just makes it even harder. Does anyone know if there is anywhere that offers relaxation classes specialising in fear of flying? I obviously really want to go but the flight just scares me so much.

Please ladies...............do you honestly think pilots have a deathwish? They want to get home just as badly as the passengers.

Air France crashed from pilot error! I would never allow my family to fly Air France and recently they've had another incident. Sorry to hear that your daughter had a rough flight. I've also been on a few rough flights as a passenger flying over the Bay of Bengal which is always rough and a few places in the US, Pacific and Canada. It's never fun and I feel bad for her. I do hope she can get over it and go flying again...poor thing! As for pilots choosing to stay on the ground and not fly...if only that were true. There are many companies that push their crews to operate and many pilots who are cowboys and think they'll be just fine and can get around it. I'm not saying fly dubai is like this, I'm saying that aviation is full of all sorts of people and operators who will push the limits.

*waves nervously at Tattie Bogle*

oh my goodness gracious..i had to be curious and now i am having heart palpitations! I am the worlds worst flyer and now in desperate need of Prozac! Eeeeeek..i wish i had bypassed this..oh how i wish i could just get on a plane without feeling like i am gonna die by being on it! Well...i have no choice but to get on one in July coz i am going home..i just pray it will all be ok with no hiccups whatsoever! :)

more worried as In, I hope they dont all spew, I hope the bags stay in the hatrack etc etc. I've never felt like anything would happen to the plane itself. Those few times it's been really rough I called the boys and asked what the weather ahead looked like, how long they think it will last etc. Hearing them so matter of fact about it helps. then again I have flying (pilot) experience so it's easier for me because I understand the science of how the plane flies. Despite Air France and what you may hear, its been many many years since a large jet has crashed due to a storm alone. Other factors always came into play.

yeah, sounds like CAT then. I've had a few rough trips but only 2 where I was remotely worried. I was just wndering where in the plane she was since in bad turbulence the back can get a rougher ride... 737 esp used to 'wag its tail' a bit What did you do when you got remotely worried? I'm just curious to know.