Fear of flying: I need some info before I take a flight

wojtekw_wow · Post by **wojtekw_wow** » 27 Feb 2006, 17:08

Hi,

I am new to this forum. I have a question.
In the coming days I will be flying for the first time in my life. I am totally scared of flying. Can anyone please calm me down and tell me why flying is safe. I am especially interested in a case when an aircraft (I will be flying Boeing 737-500) looses one of its engines. Is it possible to fly on one engine only?

Regards

Wojtek

Avro · Post by **Avro** » 27 Feb 2006, 17:50

Hi Wojtek,

First of all welcome to the forum.

This is what I once wrote related to another topic:

When planes are designed they have to be able to fly a certain climb gradient after V2 with one engine out. This gradient is fixed by the authorities for the certification of the planes.

Now if you have a two engined plane and you lose one engine, you'll lose 50% of the thrust allright but the other 50% are able to cope with the climb gradient required. This means that each engine is "over powered" and able to handle the situation on its own. As terminology lets say that one engine can cope with 100% of the power required. A twin would have 200% of that power

Now if you have a 4 engined plane It'll have 4/3*100% of the requirements of thrust. If you lose an engine at V2, you indeed lose 25% of the plane's thurst (that is to say 33% of required 100%) but you cannot compare those 25% with the 50% of the twin engined plane. The 3 remaining engines will be able to handle the 100% required.

So in fact if you want to compare the figures with each other. If you lose one enigne on a twin you lose 100% from the 200% while on a 4 engined plane you lose 33% of 133% you initially have. But comparing those figures doesn't mean a lot either.

The important thing is that your plane whether it has 4, 3 or 2 engines will be able to climb following a minimum gradient set by the authorities with one engine out during take off.

So no need to have some fears

I hope this helps

Chris

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » 27 Feb 2006, 18:14

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Post by **Apuneger** » 27 Feb 2006, 18:59

wojtekw_wow wrote:Hi,
Can anyone please calm me down and tell me why flying is safe. I am especially interested in a case when an aircraft (I will be flying Boeing 737-500) looses one of its engines. Is it possible to fly on one engine only?

Well, it's even possible to fly with no engine. Modern jetliners are based on the same aerodynamic principles as ultralight gliders.

Aircraft are pretty safe. In fact, it's safer to fly on an airliner than to take your car and go to work everyday. The only nasty thing about aviation today is that, when something bad happens (accidents do happen unfortunately), the whole world press jumps on it. You don't see anything on the news about everyday car accidents, etc...

About the one engine thing, yes, multi-engine aircraft are designed to be able to fly on one engine. They won't have the same amount of thrust as when flying on all engines, but they are designed that they can continue to fly and land at an alternate airport (losing thrust on one engine is no problem, but in such case it's always best to get down to earth a.s.a.p.)

I'd fly anytime. It's fun and it comes with an amazing view as a free bonus!

Greets,
Ivan

fokker_f27 · Post by **fokker_f27** » 27 Feb 2006, 20:58

Hi there!

There is no reason to be scared of flying. Flying is very safe, safer then road travel. An twin-engined aircraft can easily fly with one engine, they can even fly a while with no engines at all!

To give you an idea how safe flying is: every 5 seconds a 737 takes off. And those are 737s only. So you can just calm down and enjoy your flight, pilots know what the're doing. Once your in the air, I'm sure you'll loose all of your fear.

Tjurven · Post by **Tjurven** » 28 Jan 2007, 19:34

hello to everyone on this forum! (it's my first post)

I had to react to this subject, because i have the same problem.
I booked a holliday a few weeks ago and now i'm going chicken. The wierd thing is that the more i fly, the more scared i am. I never had problems during a flight or anything like that. The previous flights where operated by thomas cook, now i'm going to fly with jetairfly. ( i think )

Fear of flying is something realy weird and i hope the prices will drop for the courses they give in brussels to help people with there fear.

sorry 4 my sloppy english!

fokker_f27 · Post by **fokker_f27** » 28 Jan 2007, 19:57

There's nothing to be afraid of.

There are only 1.9 deaths per 100.000.000 air miles travelled. Although a car has slightly less (1.3), the chance that you get killed in a car is 1 out of 7,700, while in an aircraft it is only 1 out of 2,067,000. Motercycles are 16 times as dangerous as aircraft: they cause 31.3 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles.

If you still don't feel comfortable, I can explain to you how an aircraft works. That usually helps.

Tjurven · Post by **Tjurven** » 28 Jan 2007, 20:20

fokker_f27 wrote:There's nothing to be afraid of. There are only 1.9 deaths per 100.000.000 air miles travelled. Although a car has slightly less (1.3), the chance that you get killed in a car is 1 out of 7,700, while in an aircraft it is only 1 out of 2,067,000. Motercycles are 16 times as dangerous as aircraft: they cause 31.3 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles.

If you still don't feel comfortable, I can explain to you how an aircraft works. That usually helps.

ok i buy you a drink, while you explain everything to me!

And the weirdest thing is that a like to watch airplanes, but don't like to sit in them! Maby a nice lady of the jetaircrew will make me feel relaxed during the flight! I'm maby a bit silly right now, but fear is something stupid and strong, it's hard to deal with it.

Zorba · Post by **Zorba** » 28 Jan 2007, 21:09

Most important: sit back, relax and enjoy your flight 8) There is nothing safer then flying, so there is absolutely nothing to worry about (except crappy leg room

)

bits44 · Post by **bits44** » 29 Jan 2007, 05:48

This is an excellent website with tons of audio and video aids to help you,
remember flying is fun, there is nothing else like it in the world, to soar through the sky and look down on our beautiful world is pure joy.

The only thing to fear about flying is fear itself, this is not a torturous journey, this is pure fun, enjoy every second of your trip.

When the acceleration kicks in and punches you back in your seat the adrenaline pumps through your body and you get such a rush, and then you lift off, the landing gear clunks and whines as it retracts, and you are flying.

Damn flying is a hoot!!!

fokker_f27 · Post by **fokker_f27** » 29 Jan 2007, 17:45

Tjurven wrote:
fokker_f27 wrote:There's nothing to be afraid of. There are only 1.9 deaths per 100.000.000 air miles travelled. Although a car has slightly less (1.3), the chance that you get killed in a car is 1 out of 7,700, while in an aircraft it is only 1 out of 2,067,000. Motercycles are 16 times as dangerous as aircraft: they cause 31.3 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles.

If you still don't feel comfortable, I can explain to you how an aircraft works. That usually helps.

ok i buy you a drink, while you explain everything to me!
And the weirdest thing is that a like to watch airplanes, but don't like to sit in them! Maby a nice lady of the jetaircrew will make me feel relaxed during the flight! I'm maby a bit silly right now, but fear is something stupid and strong, it's hard to deal with it.

Try not to think you're actually flying. Reed a magazine, take a nap, do stuff that you enjoy, ...

Airplanes actually have relatively simple basics. I'll briefly try to explain them here:
Fanjet engines: Air is sucked in by a large fan in the front, which is the part you'll always see spinning. The fan is driven by a compressor right behind it, consisting of multiple, smaller fans. They put the air under higher pressure. Then it enters the combustion chamber, where the high-pressure air is heated. The hot air enters another, smaller compressor, which compresses the air one last time before it leaves the engine as high-pressure, got gas.

Wings: As complex as these structures may look, these are very simple. The wings are rounded on top, and flat on the bottom. When air flows over it, the air flowing over the top of the wing is forced to speed up, while the air at the bottom remains at normal speed. Faster air always lowers in pressure, resulting the air under the wing to actually push the aircraft up in the air. All the moving parts are either flaps, spoilers and ailerons. Flaps increase lift, for flying with slower speeds. Spoilers decrease lift. Mostly for landing, although sometimes used in flight to slow down. Ailerons are used to turn the aircraft.

Tail fin: used for stability. Rudder is used to turn the aircraft, along with the ailerons.

Horizontal fins: These are also stabilizers. Also used to climb and descend.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them.

Avro · Post by **Avro** » 29 Jan 2007, 18:55

Hi Tjurven,

First of all welcome to this website. IF you tell us what you are afraid of we might help you. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to enjoy your flights

fokker_f27 wrote: Fanjet engines: Air is sucked in by a large fan in the front, which is the part you'll always see spinning. The fan is driven by a compressor right behind it, consisting of multiple, smaller fans. They put the air under higher pressure. Then it enters the combustion chamber, where the high-pressure air is heated. The hot air enters another, smaller compressor, which compresses the air one last time before it leaves the engine as high-pressure, got gas.

Sorry to correct your explanation fokker27 but the mistakes need to be corrected

The turbofan engines you see are gas turbines. If we take a very simple gas turbine you have a fan followed by a compressor, the combustion chamber and finally the turbine. Let's forget about the bypass here and thus we'll forget about the fan and assimilate it to a one stage compressor in front of the normal compressor.
The fan is NOT driven by the compressor but by the turbine. The compressor is also driven by the turbine.

In a very simple way the air is sucked into the engine and goes through the compressor. Once passed the compressor the high pressure air will go through the combustion chamber where you will have the ignition of the fuel. Once passed the combustion chamber the very hot and high pressure gas will be expanded (not compressed as you state fokker27) in the turbine. This expansion will drive the turbine which will via a shaft drive the compressor at the front of your engine.

This is the principle of a gas turbine. If you want more details just ask

Wings: As complex as these structures may look, these are very simple. The wings are rounded on top, and flat on the bottom. When air flows over it, the air flowing over the top of the wing is forced to speed up, while the air at the bottom remains at normal speed. Faster air always lowers in pressure, resulting the air under the wing to actually push the aircraft up in the air.

Wings are quite complex in fact and not that simple

But to stay very simple and forget about the complex geometries they may have, the lift generated can be explained in a very simple way.
The air at the top will be accelerated which will result in a pressure drop and the air at the bottom will be decelerated which will result in a pressure increase. The pressure increease will tend to push the wing upward (smaller effect) and the pressure decrease at the top will suck the wing upward (very big effect).

As for the slats, flaps, ailerons, spoilers, elevators, stabilizers, tail and rudder I won't elaborate more. It would otherwise take ages.

However if you'd like us to elaborate on those tjurven just tell us !!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them.

It's very kind of you fokker27 that you want to help tjurven. It's the good spirit !! But next time be sure of what you are talking before telling wrong things as you did please. Some of the mistakes you made are fundamental to the principals you want to explain.

Chris

fokker_f27 · Post by **fokker_f27** » 29 Jan 2007, 21:15

Thanks for correcting me, Avro.

I tried, but my knowlage is limited.

earthman · Post by **earthman** » 30 Jan 2007, 15:02

I still think the most simple explanation of jet engines is 'suck-squeeze-bang-blow'.

fokker_f27 · Post by **fokker_f27** » 30 Jan 2007, 17:48

That's a very good way of explaining it.

Tjurven · Post by **Tjurven** » 02 Feb 2007, 22:06

thx to you all! i hope this will help me with my flight this summer ( jetairfly)!

The weirdest thing is that i realy like everything about planes, except sitting in them! It justs scares me when i'm thinking of all the weight these aircrafts have to carry, engines that could blow up, break down,..... but i'm ok

But one day i will be!

THE KING OF THE SKY

Aviation24.be

Fear of flying: I need some info before I take a flight

Fear of flying: I need some info before I take a flight

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