I don’t like flying.
Ok, well that’s a lie.
I like flying because it gets me where I want to go quickly. However, as of late, I’ve developed a bit of a phobia.
I don’t like takeoffs. In fact, I hate takeoffs. I think, in my mind, it has something to do with taking two gigantic fans, attaching them to a large metal tube, and catapulting it in the air.
This is a quite irrational fear.
Aviation has a role in my family. Grandpa worked decades as a top mechanic at American Airlines’ huge maintainance base in Tulsa. My dad’s degree is aerospace and mechanical engineering. When he was first out of college, he worked in the aerospace industry in Dallas, where I think he helped design the wing of one of America’s fight planes.
He’s long since left that business. Now he designs natural gas compressor stations. Quite a change, huh?
Anyways. I’ve flown all my life. I can remember my first flight as a little boy when my family took us to see Disney World. I can also remember flying with my family — on TWA, no doubt — to Washington D.C.
Here’s a first effort to try and think of all the places I’ve flown:
1) Dallas-to-London
2) Oklahoma City to Denver and back … twice…
3) Houston to Oklahoma City…one way
4 Oklahoma City to Ft. Lauderdale through Houston. Twice.
5) Tulsa to Ft. Lauderdale through Dallas.
6) Oklahoma City to Ft. Myers through Atlanta.
7) OKC direct to LAX.
Oklahoma City to Boston through Dallas.
9) Tulsa to Dallas Love field…
10) Tulsa to St. Louis….
11) Oklahoma City to St. Louis through Dallas
12) Oklahoma City to Charlotte through Memphis (worst airport ever).
13) Ft. Lauderdale to OKC through Denver…
14) Oklahoma City to Cincinatti through Memphis (worst airport ever).
14) Oklahoma City to Cleveland through Chicago…
16) Oklahoma City to Phoenix through Dallas…
17) Oklahoma City to Newark through Dallas…
That’s just a basic list. So it isn’t like I never fly. And, like I said, I’ve been flying since I was a wee lad.
But a couple years back, I suddenly realized I don’t like takeoffs. You can ask Kathryn: My hands get completely soaked, my heart rate races and a variety of other physiological things occur.
Not normal.
I’m going to see a shrink next week. In the past, doctors have given me a dose of Xanax that I mix with a few shots before getting on the plane. Not exactly healthy. So I’m going to try and sort this sucker out, whether it’s through *therapy* or hypnosis or whatever hell the doctor thinks will work.
Thank God Tribune Co. covers mental health expenses.
So it’s not like I’m ever going to stop flying. But I’d like to be able to enjoy it.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Brett // Dec 12, 2007 at 8:53 am
Taking off’s the greatest part about a flight. It’s the biggest thrill to get to know that you get off the ground at 180 mph and within 30 seconds, you’re 1 mile above the surface.
But I don’t know why you feel the blood’s rushing. I mean, yes, taking off is the riskiest part of a flight, no doubt. More planes crash as a result of a takeoff than they do by cruising or landing combined. But still, before that regional jet crash last year in Lexington (pilot error - wrong runway), we haven’t had an airlier takeoff crash in like 3 years. And before THAT one, there wasn’t one until back in 2002. So in 5 years, 3 commercial jets have not made a takeoff (1 mainline carrier, 1 regional jet carrier, and 1 turboprop). How many flights take off a day, McNeil? Something like 36,000 flights per day in the US alone. So basically, you may be sweating, but for what? If your plane were to be the one to crash daily, that’d still be .00027% chance that it’d be yours. And given that it seems to be happening every three years now, that’d be 1/39420000, which is what, .000000253%?
2 Allison // Dec 12, 2007 at 11:23 pm
I love it, Brett. Your analysis proves that Ryan is wildly insane. The results have important implications for Ryan’s new therapist and his company’s insurance provider. Yay statistics!
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