[OT] Best way to fly...

[Charles Martin]

> From: Rick Banuelos <teasethedog at mac.com>
>
> I am so afraid of flying that I've been in the mindset for the past few
> months that Dec. 19 (my departure date to CA) will be my last day
> alive. (It sounds stupid, but I'm serious.)

I'm truly sorry to hear that you suffer from this phobia. Personally I 
love to fly but I'm not insensitive to the root of the fear, which is 
that your fate is out of your hands. There's nothing we could say in 
this list that would "cure" or even relieve this phobia except to say 
that literally thousands of flights happen every day, yet problems seem 
to crop up on the news maybe twice a year.

Besides, we need more people with your exceedingly good taste in movies 
and other popular media, so I forbid you to depart this mortal coil! :)

>  All creepiness aside, I'd
> like to think of my ibook as a welcome distraction to my problem, and I
> wanted to ask everyone if there's anyone with a slightly similar
> problem who can suggest things to do on the plane with my trusty little
> computer that will take my mind off things for the 3 hours it will take
> to reach the target.
>
I did face a similar fear when I took my first transcontinental flight, 
a nine-hour flight to England many years ago. Before I left, I made 
sure my affairs were in order, and surprisingly this allowed me some 
comfort and peace when I was actually on the flight. Weird but true.

Didn't have a laptop then, but since then I've done a lot of traveling 
with laptops so here's a couple of ideas.

First off, remember that laptops aren't allowed during takeoff/ascent 
and landing/descent. This is unfortunate because these are the very 
times when nervous folks like yourself would like to use them the most. 
A cruel cosmic joke, yes?

Second, you might want to contact the airport or airline and express 
your concerns. Many of them (at least in London, where I was based) 
offer simulator rides to help you get some "experience" behind you 
which should help.

As for the actual laptops, I usually own laptops that are less powerful 
than desktops (but still strong enough to do the job). Despite the 
ability to play 3D games and DVDs etc, I usually find myself falling 
back to the classics: Snood, Tetris, Yahtzee. These are also easier on 
the battery than 3D games, which can be important.

> Also (and this is what makes it OT), can anyone make a suggestion on a
> good sedative? (I don't even want to know what's going on while I'm in
> the air, asleep or awake.)

Your doctor will have better advice about this (because he/she knows 
what you can handle) than we could give you here. I have heard that 
hypnotic suggestion works well.

_Chas_
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