Nervous flyer trying to get some reassurance

Very reassuring stuff about aircraft noises scruickshank. I didn't know about the throttling back of engines after take-off, but had sometimes heard a noise that I wasn't comfortable with. Makes sense now.

After you take off, when the aircraft levels off, at the same time as the engines reduce in noise you get a sinking feeling and it feels and sounds like the aircraft is losing power and starting to drop. This sinking sensation is actually the fluid in your ears levelling off. The aircraft has not lost any altitude, it's simply not climbing as high.

After you take off, when the aircraft levels off, at the same time as the engines reduce in noise you get a sinking feeling and it feels and sounds like the aircraft is losing power and starting to drop. This sinking sensation is actually the fluid in your ears levelling off. The aircraft has not lost any altitude, it's simply not climbing as high.

? I think that what you are describing is the result of the flaps being raised.

The pilot on the flying without fear course said the sinking feeling is when the aircraft levels off, I used think the engines had packed up and we were about to plunge to the ground, because at the same time you get the feeling the engines go quieter.

The pilot on the flying without fear course said the sinking feeling is when the aircraft levels off, I used think the engines had packed up and we were about to plunge to the ground, because at the same time you get the feeling the engines go quieter.

I haven't posted before now as I didn't think I had much to add to the very good advice offered thus far ^) .
I went on the Flying Without Fear course back in 2010 prior to my flight to Sydney and this is my understanding too; after the initial steep climb after take-off the pilot throttles back the engines (often for noise-pollution reasons) so that you often get that 'sinking' sensation.
The plane isn't actually descending, it simply isn't climbing as fast as it was before...
Perhaps at this stage I should say that flying used to petrify me, noises held no horrors; it was turbulence that always reduced me to a nervous wreck .
The course helped me see that turbulence was natural, and whilst I will never be the worlds happiest flyer I'm no longer the bundle of nerves that I used to be when getting on a plane!
I thought the part of the course when they take you on a short flight and the pilot gives a running commentary on all the noises,movements of the plane and why it was reacting in that way etc was fantastic and that if regular aircraft flights could only offer more info such as this there would be many less anxious flyers around!
Coming back from Tokyo in January was amazing,a whole 12hr flight with not a bump, not a single second of even minor turbulence, it was surreal.
I still don't like turbulence and much prefer smooth flights ) , but I now realise a pocket of turbulence isn't going to send the plane plummeting to earth....
To the original poster, I'd say cut out all your viewing of these disaster-type programs eg Aircrash Investigation etc , I used to watch them too but now realise they just fed my (irrational) fear.

Thanks everyone again.
I keep going through phases where I'm real excited for the holiday and even for the flight, but then phases where all I can think about is the worst for the flight. And seeing this turbulent video didn't help:
http://v-flyer.com/forum/index.php?f=23&t=275329&rb_v=viewtopic

lol, I guess this forum is both help and hindrance in my situation.
But if I get turbulence like this I'm going to go insane I think. Why do they give me a lift jacket as a safety device? I'm not on water, I'm in the air. A parachute would be more suitable in my mind, and although not trained I'm sure I could figure out how to pull a cord given a possible tragic situation. lol

I'm determined to try remain calm for the flight though. I'm aleady thinking of games to play on iphones etc with my girlfriend, and gathering films to watch on my portable video player. As well as the onboard entertainment I should be set.

I have to admit I'm dissapointed I can't sit near the windows, as I went to book my seats this afternoon and on the outbound flight all the seats along the side of the plane have been taken.
If I select a seat and at a later date another one along the side of the plane becomes available, can I amend my seating selection?

Thanks again. Every day the excitement builds and starts to outgrow the flight fear

I have to admit I'm dissapointed I can't sit near the windows, as I went to book my seats this afternoon and on the outbound flight all the seats along the side of the plane have been taken.
If I select a seat and at a later date another one along the side of the plane becomes available, can I amend my seating selection?

Definitely keep checking - people do cancel flights, change their minds and move seats etc ...

Also, a selection are kept back and released when OLCI opens and some are kept back for people at the airport. If a window seat hasn't become available by the time check in opens, double check then and if not, it can be useful to get to the airport early and ask then.

Don't know if this would help you, but I have a couple of programmes filmed in the flight deck of airliner flights, and the pilots talk to you about the flight, the aircraft, and what everything does. They really helped a friend of mine who had a fear of flying.

Try http://www.justplanes.com, and http://www.itvv.com.

Or if you don't want to buy them, there's clips from these programmes on YouTube.

PS. Hope I'm not breaking any forum rules by posting these URLs, I'm not affiliated with these sites in any way!

I still don't like turbulence and much prefer smooth flights ) , but I now realise a pocket of turbulence isn't going to send the plane plummeting to earth....
To the original poster, I'd say cut out all your viewing of these disaster-type programs eg Aircrash Investigation etc , I used to watch them too but now realise they just fed my (irrational) fear.

bobsy852 - just to reiterate the above advice . Nessy is my brother and I can testify to the ammount of trauma/ anxiety a pending flight used to cause ( we tend to travel mob handed as a family a fair bit lol). The difference in him since the FOF course has been massive . The fact that he travelled to Australia and New Zealand ( and elsewhere) following the course is nothing short of miraculous. He's off to Australia again with DL the Elder on the day you fly to MCO in January to meet up with Mr DL and I y) .
I think travelling with DL the Elder ( and/ or I ) is far more traumatic for Nessy than the flight itself now ....
DL

Was searching data on fly without fear and landed in to this forum and this thread which seems to be not updated since quite long time.

Here comes one more nervous flyer story, its mine. Hope to get some help from the fellow members/pilots/cabin crew present here.

I started flying from 1993 with small tiny 60 capacity planes, but was flying very rare. My intensive flying started from year 2006 till 2009 which I had my last flight. I was all the way comfortable with flying which involved minor turbulence often, but during my last flight in 2009 summer which was from Dusseldorf to Dubai on emirates A 330 it was severe which made me terribly nervous and from then I have avoided flying though was facing trouble while my business travel within the country travelling always by train.

During my last trip when the flight took off from Dusseldorf it was raining and the turbulence started after minutes of take off and continued for almost 3 hrs on and off which was shaking the flight all possible ways.

Now my situation is a great nervous flyer, but I have a travel scheduled in May 2014 to Amsterdam from India and I started reading lot of things on the web to over come this fear. I read thousands of pages and fly without fear websites and found everything looked very common as they explain us about how safe is flying and why. What are the sounds to expect, what is turbulence, why it occurs, flight mechanical etc., but I think there is something missing always from these articles and experiences.

I have an anxiety the moment my ticket is booked and I started counting the days now. My pulse will go up when the dates comes nearer and I take the journey to the airport, things become worse when I check in finish the security check in and waiting to board, the moment they call us to board the flight, when I entire the flight cabin, when I sit in my seat and it is terrible to hold on there when flight start and taxi and then ready for take off, when it pulls to take of on the run way. The moment it go lift to the sky a fear of going in to the height and when they slightly change the speed after a moment I feel like falling down my pulse go up and come down. Next is the bumpiness, facing the rough weather, turbulence and that mind feeling would be terrible. If the flight cruising calm then I don't have a problem and descending and landing also I don't have a problem. If a flight take off from airport and immediately it gets above a sea, then I hold my breath till it cross that sea.

When I was nervous last time when the flight was on the sea and a kind flight attendant came to me and asked why are you tensed, then I told about my fear of flying on water, then she smiled and told me that there are good chances of survival if we fall in water than land, then I told her my fear of water is something like, the moment I come to know that it is falling in sea, then I will be dead next minute, then she laughed like anything.

So these are my concerns at the moment, I am going for a very important conference of my life and delivering a speech in front of big audience, but this fear is not allowing to think about my speech and every day I spending many hours in spending to read something on the web to calm down.

Wish I get some help from you guys. My apologies if my post is long and funny