Posts Tagged With: fear

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Fight or Flight.” Write about your strongest memory of heart-pounding, belly-twisting nervousness: what caused the adrenaline? Was it justified? How did you respond?

Some women may be terrified of snakes or spiders or polyester, but I have a gut-wrenching, butt clenching, panty-peeing fear of landing a plane.  I don’t mean sitting as a white knuckle passenger as the plane lands; I mean sitting behind the controls and landing a plane.

I was doing great with my flying lessons.  I knew the instruments, the functions of each part of the plane, how to do the pre-flight check, how to check weather conditions and many of the other myriad details of flying a small plane.  I loved the take off and the actual flying and I could position the plane perfectly for landing.  But, the moment of actual touch down scared the living hell out of me.  The first two times I landed with my instructor as co-pilot, he had to take control as I struggled against the seat belts to sit at the edge of the seat with my legs crossed to avoid peeing, my sphincter and jaw muscles clenched and my eyes closed. Closing my eyes was my doom.

Everyone knows you can’t land a plane with your eyes closed. Two more lessons produced the same fear-induced reactions to landing the plane solo and my fate was sealed.

I fly commercial.