The fear of flying is one of the most common phobias, and can be very difficult to overcome because of the many factors that can cause fear coming into play simultaneously. You may feel claustrophobic while flying, you may fear being “trapped” in the plane, you may have anxiety about the possibility of having a panic attack while on board, or you may fear crashing. Some of your fears may have no basis in reality at all, and are simply the result of a myths you have wrongly come to believe as fact.

Very commonly, those with a fear of flying will be concerned about “air pockets”. I have news for you, air pockets are about as real as the tooth fairy! The myth is that if a plane is unlucky enough to fly through one of these mythical air pockets, it can suddenly fall hundreds of feet. This simply isn’t possible. There is no place in the sky that is a “pocket” without air. Have you ever been walking down he street and suddenly couldn’t breathe because you walked through an air pocket? Of course not, because the notion is absurd. Air pockets do not exist.

Another common fear is that planes are really very fragile and that turbulence can cause great damage, is a threat to the safety of the passengers and crew, or can even break the wings of the plane. In reality, commercial airplanes are meant to withstand far more turbulence than you would ever experience on a normal flight, and no amount of turbulence you would typically encounter can damage the plane at all much less break the wings. Turbulence is far more an annoyance than a danger, and the planes strength is in it’s flexibility. The wings of an airplane are actually extremely pliable, and can bend and flex with the wind, just like a blade of grass gently bends while an inflexible oak tree may break and topple. Turbulence is a comfort issue, not a safety issue.

Another pervasive myth whose origin is one of misunderstanding, is that a plane will tumble out of the sky if the engines quit working. In reality, even without engines, a plane can glide for a very long time, up to 100 miles from cruise altitude, just like a giant paper airplane! Planes simply don’t “fall”, in fact, gliding without engine power on landing is quite common in order to save fuel. If you are afraid that your airplane will fall from the sky, you can put that worry behind you, it simply isn’t possible.

There are many, many more myths about flying that can cause unnecessary fear and anxiety flying, we’ve only scratched the surface here. The more information you have about flight and how planes work, the less you will be afraid. I recommend you get the popular free report on the Takeoff Today website to learn exactly what enables a plane to fly safety and will allow you to put many of your fears behind you.