I've been to the top of the Sears building and had a hard time looking out the widows.

What do you guys do when you are on an airliner, sit on the center aisle all the time?

slimjim wrote:

What do you guys do when you are on an airliner, sit on the center aisle all the time?

LOL, I love flying, Heights don't bother me, just that fear of falling. I don't get that feeling in a Plane or Chopper..

Its an interesting Vid: I watched until I couldn't take any more and I too chickened out and couldn't finish it, thats just plain crazy.

But then I've hung underneath helicopters on a strop recovering drugs and people on a 10 meter chain with a full body harness and that didn't freak me.

What got me was being dropped into some drug growers patch in the middle of nowhere unharnessing myself and then the helicopter just dissappeared, grabbed my side arm in one hand, machete in the other and started chopping for all I was worth. 50 plants flat out, bundled them up waited for the chopper and got hoisted out 20 km to the rally point.

That and sitting in the gunner seat in a Iriquois being flown map of the earth for 45 minutes with a flimsy seat belt on SAR.

Better work storys from the NZ Police!!!!

Heights don't bug me at all.

It's the sudden stop at the end of them I have issues with.

Just showed my 17 year old son, he reckons the guys have huge balls - the size of swiss gym balls, Even Bear Grylls doesn't do shit like that!

Acrophobia used to be a real problem - the third rung on a ladder was about all I could do for a long time. I couldn't walk over the sidewalk gratings or stand near the guardrail of a bridge. I worked on it, a little at a time taking joy in each little step until I could climb the ladder and walk the roof of my house. I still have to concentrate if I get into a spot where I don't feel right but for the most part I have conquered the "irrational" part of the fear. I purposely walk over the grates now - just to prove to myself that it is ok - and I still celebrte each time I do.
That is the key - let yourself know that you can control it - even if it is just one more step. Take pride in it and own it. then the fear is gradually reduced to what is "normal".
Heights have never bothered me - it was the fear of falling that bothered me. I have always loved planes, helicopters and even climbing trees but if I started to get close to a place where I didn't have something that could arrest a fall I would freeze solid. It once took four men to pry my hands off the rails of a man-lift that they had disconnected from the power when I was at the top - then they shook it. I grabbed on and could not let go - even after they manually lowered it to the ground. They never did that again. It was a while before I ever went up in one again.
Looking back I can understand why they thought it would be "funny" but at the time it was anything but funny.

I'd widdle myself if I woke to find myself up there.

I have no fear climbing trees but looking out from tall man-made structures gives me the willies.
Flying only causes mild concern on take-off & that's because I know where the greatest danger lies. After that, 30,000' holds no fears.

glockman55 wrote:

I love flying, Heights don't bother me, just that fear of falling. I don't get that feeling in a Plane or Chopper..

You obviously haven't flown with me at the controls!

I started in the electrical trade many years ago as a lineman,and have been up 120' wood poles,and up 400'microwave and comm towers-but that clip made my hands sweat and my gut tighten up.It's been 20 plus years since I've been up a "pole" or tower and that brought back the adrenalin in a hurry.I was reaching for a rung on my desk and chair!!!

slimjim wrote:

You obviously haven't flown with me at the controls!

That's not fear, that's smarts!

*

I get vertigo pretty easy. I was crushed pretty badly back in 2006, used to do a lot of gnarly trail riding on some pretty sketchy stuff, awful exposures on cliff trails and what not. Not any more as my balance is for sht now and my brain tries to compensate but the controls just don't answer the helm very well.

glockman55 wrote:

slimjim wrote: What do you guys do when you are on an airliner, sit on the center aisle all the time? LOL, I love flying, Heights don't bother me, just that fear of falling. I don't get that feeling in a Plane or Chopper..

So true, me too.

I'm terrified of heights. When I was in the army, they wanted me to go Airbourne (Stillborn) and I told them that I won't jump out of a functional aircraft but if it's going down, give me a parachute and I'll learn on the way down (OJT).

It's only one step, a bloody great long one.

RePete - You don't even need a 'chute to go skydiving. You only need a 'chute to go skydiving twice.

My brother was in a Parachute Battalion in the Army...I kept reminding him...only two things fall from the sky voluntarily....parachutists and bird sh1t...I ain't either.

Cheers, Vince

HEY!!! parachuting is FUN!! Never bothered me. Landing did tho.

Suz