Scared of heights!

[Chird65]

Now I feel a bit.... different. I have never had a fear until someone did something to make it safe. if there is a rail or a window or I am restrained I get the feeling but if it is open I walk up and the brain says be careful but the animal inside does not react. I built my own house and the front gutter is 6 mtrs off the ground. I climbed the walls and placed all the roof truss' but when the guttering was done they put in gaurd rails and I could not stand there till they were removed.

 

Gibbo that photo would not have made me shudder but if they put a safety ladder to climb up my legs would shake. maybe I am wired wrong :-)

 

 

[farri]

Gibbo that photo would not have made me shudder but if they put a safety ladder to climb up my legs would shake. maybe I am wired wrong :-)

Hey Chird,Why wired,the brain is a very complex piece of machinary and eveyones is different,who realy knows what makes it tick????

 

Had a student who would only come for a flying lesson when his Biorhythms were at their highest,worked for him, he turned out a skillfull pilot.

 

As I see it,the real problem is the one that stops us from doing what we realy want to do,not the healthy fear that stops us getting into trouble,the challenge is,knowing the difference between the two and being able to do something about it.

 

I have no problem standing on the edge of anything,regardles of height,I`ve walked across roof trusses,no safety gear,love looking over the edge of waterfalls,loved climbing trees and jumping into swiming holes,done a parachute jump.

 

Realy, the fear of falling doesn`t stop me doing anything, other than rock climbing,I`ll get so far,then the fear takes over and I can`t go any furthur,I know I don`t bounce like I used to,so it is, "The Fear Of Hitting The Ground".

 

Tripped over something the other day and boy did I hit the ground hard,I couldn`t believe it,wonder what it must be like at terminal velocity,maybe there`s less pain.:ne_nau:

 

Cheers,

 

Frank.

 

Ps,Just got back from a magic flight in the Drifter.

 

 

[kgwilson]

Standing on a sheer cliff scares the crap out of me. I even get giddy in thick socks. Standing on that sheer cliff strapped into the harness of a hang glider, the feeling was all excitement and anticipation. The height never came into it as I never considered I was going to fall. Same in any aircraft. It all seems to me to be about the perception of security. If I feel secure then there is no issue.

 

Apart from that, unless you get up there you can't enjoy the view

 

Cheers

 

Kevin

 

 

[Yenn]

Ive never found flying had any sense of height in the way being on a building does. I worked as a steeplejack for about ten years and found that 80' was the worst height. Below 80' you were aware of your height but above it the ground tends to be out of focus if you are looking at what you are working on. My worst feeling used to be when climbing up the side of a building and looking up to see the clouds racing past, it always gave me the feeling that the building was topplng over. I never liked safety harnesses, nor did I like working on platform hoists. I once had to work from a platform hoist on a radio tower and felt a lot safer when I climbed out of the hoist onto the tower. Steep turns in an aircraft are great, look down sideways and there is nothing beneath you except a slippery bit of wing.

 

 

[facthunter]

Scared of heights

 

When you are in an aeroplane, looking down from any height ie. 5 feet to 40,000 feet is about the same as looking down at the carpet when you are sitting on a chair. I have been flying for 52 years. Those of you who think you might have a problem, FORGET about it. I cannot stand being at the edge of a cliff or a full height window and I never could . I never really liked flying a Tiger Moth upside down hanging in the straps either, but I accepted it and trusted the harness, which had a rather large pin inserted is a final catch. I have discussed this with some of my peers of similar experience and find that I am not alone there, and they persisted with aerobatics to a higher standard than I did.. I have heard of high hours airline pilots who did not like the drifter because of the "openness" of the cockpit. Fair enough, because it is very unlike being in a giant aluminium office, which they have become used to. People adapt, but a fear of heights per se will not give you a problem in an aeroplane.

 

A FEAR OF FLYING, is a different matter and can be treated like some other phobia's. I only like flying when I am doing the flying or am instructing someone else or being taught by someone competant. I don't like being a passenger particularly much as I like to have a fighting chance, and you only have that "up the front".

 

I try to select operators with a good safety ethic when I fly.

 

Hope this helps to give some a bit more confidence with their flying experience.

 

Nev

 

 

[farri]

I never really liked flying a Tiger Moth upside down hanging in the straps either.Nev

Nev, I could be so lucky.

 

I`d actually give up the Drifter to fly a Tiger moth,upside down,back to front or any other way possible.

 

Cheers,

 

Frank.

 

 

[Gibbo]

Gibbo that photo would not have made me shudder but if they put a safety ladder to climb up my legs would shake. maybe I am wired wrong :-)

I do have to agree about the safety gear. There is nothing worse than not being able to get out of the way when the wind changes on a windmill. I've been knocked off "once" and it does hurt when you hit the ground... A safety harness would have made it worse as I would have been caught in the spinning blades instead of kicking myself clear and the other guys would have had hell getting me down.

 

Windmills are now basically banned when it comes to the OHS requirements.

 

..

 

Glad the soil / sand was very soft. 45' to the ground.

 

 

[facthunter]

Hanging Upside down.

 

Frank The DH-82 is a bit over-rated in some ways. As an aerobatic plane it lacks power and control authority, and of course the engine does not run inverted. It is a very strong and reliable basic trainer of the old school. DO have a fly in one You will have NO trouble with it, as I consider that the Drifter flies VERY similarly although they are poles apart in appearance. The only thing you will miss is the view. You don't see much when landing the Tiger, and you have to crane your head outside to see almost in front when the nose rises.. I do hope you get your wish. I really appreciated the time I spent in them as they were fast disappearing at the time. When you get a chance to instruct people who have never flown a tailwheel, you get some interesting moments, but you would know all about that. I didn't fly a nose-wheel equipped plane till I had nearly completed my PPL . Things have changed, now many will NEVER fly a TW at all. Regards, Nev.

 

 

[Guest becky1]

Hi Everyone,

 

I read somewhere a long time ago which I believe is fact,that to have a sensation of height [ as in scared of heights],what ever you are standing on or in and looking down must be connected to the ground,hence you cannot have that feeling in an aircraft.

 

Jennifer

 

 

[farri]

The only thing you will miss is the view. You don't see much when landing the Tiger, Nev.

Nev, An original member of the "FNQUA" was an experienced Tiger pilot,got his AUF certificate with me then purchased a Drifter, he reckoned the Tiger was good but the Drifter was better.

 

I`ve flown quite a few different types but love the Drifter because of it`s openness , it can do everything I want it to at an affordable cost and being a short ass, I have no problem seeing where I`m going.

 

Cheers and all the best,

 

Frank.

 

 

[johndl]

Try a hypnotherapist lol. you never know...