Help! Flying against jet stream on Sunday! Also nervous about plane (Airbus 310)

Re: Help! Flying against jet stream on Sunday! Also nervous about plane (Airbus 310)

feeds@kickapps.com (Capt Tom Bunn MSW LCSW) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:04 PST

The fear comes from two things.

1. You are trying to keep from feeling fear by trying to keep the flight out of your awareness. That will not work. When there is turbulence, it intrudes. You can't pretend you are not on a plane, and being on a plane - because only absolute safety is safety (though it doesn't really exist other than in fantasy) - causes you to think the plane could crash. Yes, maybe any plane "could" crash, but that only happens in one out of about eight million flights. Still, wondering if yours is going to be that one, causes trouble. That is why this doesn't work, and the only way to get relief is to train you mind to NOT react with fear when these thoughts come to mind. That means Rapid Relief or Complete Relief. They strengthen you emotionally. There is no other solution.

2. When...

Re: Help! Flying against jet stream on Sunday! Also nervous about plane (Airbus 310)

feeds@kickapps.com (RAGeneral) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:33:40 PST

Thanks for your replies Captain Tom. They helped a lot.

The trip is over now (we had a great time!) and I wanted to give an update. Obviously, as anyone reading this can tell I was very nervous because of the turbulence forecast, and because I don't like to fly.
We almost cancelled the trip, since I even got my wife nervous.. but we went through with it.

When I got on the plane to go, I still had a lot of anxiety. I checked the forecast before getting on, and saw it still called for turbulence (red and yellow on the map) at cruise.. I asked if I could meet the pilot, and they said yes (I flew Air Transat and the crew were great).
I asked the Captain about the forecast, and he said it would be smooth, and it was great air. And ehe again explained that ven if we had turbulence, the plane can handle way more than mother nature would give. This helped ease my fears, but I figured he might have been sugar coating.
Sure enough, it was a great flight....

Re: Help! Flying against jet stream on Sunday! Also nervous about plane (Airbus 310)

feeds@kickapps.com (Capt Tom Bunn MSW LCSW) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:59:43 PST

Try to correct a misconception. You say the jetstream is "hitting" the plane. No. If you are in a boat going upstream, downstream, or crossstream, the current is not "hitting" the boat. The boat is floating in the stream, and because it has power, navigating in one direction or another as it floats.

The same is true of the plane. It is in a river of air and moves with the flow, plus is powered to move through the water.

If you were on a ferry crossing a river, obviously the water is flowing downstream. But that means nothing other than the person steering has to angle slightly upstream in order to go directly across. If aimed directly across, it would miss the landing spot on the other side due to the current, but the current doesn't mean turbulent water. Nor does it mean turbulence air.

Turbulence associated with the jetstream is only on the edge of the jetstream where fast-moving jetstream air is scrubbing against slower...

Re: Help! Flying against jet stream on Sunday! Also nervous about plane (Airbus 310)

feeds@kickapps.com (Capn Steve) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:08:33 PST

Hi RA --

The jetstream is a fast-moving "river" of air that occurs -- usually -- between 20,000 feet and 40,000 feet altitude. It -- usually -- involves wind speeds of 100 to 200 knots. (115 to 230 mph)

Actually, there are normally several of them working around the globe at any given time. See the website www.nws.noaa.gov for charts that predict where the jetstream (s) will be at any given time.

It may -- or may not -- involve turbulence. Often, the transition into and out of the jetstream vicinity involves turbulence.

On the other hand -- sometimes the transition across the jetstream can be perfectly smooth.

I recall a situation -- many years ago -- when I was flying directly into the jetstream. It was 200 knots, and our true airspeed was about 450 knots. So -- our...

Re: Help! Flying against jet stream on Sunday! Also nervous about plane (Airbus 310)

feeds@kickapps.com (RAGeneral) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:12:57 PST

Thanks for the quick reply!
My concern about the jet stream is if that means the flight will be turbulent the whole time. The stream is over the whole east coast, and we are going against it (well it is hitting from the side)

I will look at getting Rapid Relief.

Re: Help! Flying against jet stream on Sunday! Also nervous about plane (Airbus 310)

feeds@kickapps.com (Capt Tom Bunn MSW LCSW) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:47:31 PST

I don't understand why the concern about the jetstream, so I can't comment on it. That is simply not something that involves safety in any way. As to the anxiety, the problem comes because flying is not 100% safe. Few if any things are 100% safe, but when dealing routinely with other things that are not 100% safe, there is some illusion of being able to control the situation so as to be sure of the outcome. So when you turn control over to someone else, the issue of less than 100% safety surfaces whereas it does not surface when you have the steering wheel in your hand when driving.

You will be as safe (or safer, depending on how much you drive when at home) on the day of your flight than if you stayed home and did your daily routine, that based on the knowledge that five to ten miles of driving (what one does routinely) is equal to taking a flight.

If this anxiety keeps bothering you, consider two possibilities. One, if you meet the captain, the control...

Help! Flying against jet stream on Sunday! Also nervous about plane (Airbus 310)

feeds@kickapps.com (RAGeneral) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:36:24 PST

Hi! I have lurked this Forum for a long time. Usually when I need to fly. I have flown a few times over the past few yrs. Last time we were flying through high clouds with turbulence for most of the flight. I didn't handle it well at all, and was gripping the chair for dear life.

On Sunday I am flying from Montreal to Cuba. It is supposed to be windy in Montreal, and when I look at the forecast, we will be flying right against the jet stream until about Florida (3/4 of the flight) I am very nervous that it will be 3 hrs of turbulence.

Also, the plane is an Air Transat Airbus 310. From my internet research these planes are older, and aren't known for being safe. Air Transat had an instance of the rudder falling off mid-flight, and just 2 weeks ago the windsheild was shattered during a flight to Europe.

These two factors have made me very nervous, and I cant stop checking the internet to try to find reassurance. I should be looking foreward to a...