I've definitely had it happen. Two worst cases for me:

1) Being trapped on the plane for a long, long time due to ground delay and getting no information whatsoever (for some reason I'm fine as long as the pilot relays info every so often)

2) The airports that I fly into, I fly into a LOT, so I know the approach routes relatively well. It REALLY freaks me out for some reason when we take a different route and it takes a long time. One time after a snowstorm we had to track WAY south before we made our turn into final into Logan. I was LOSING it.

How I fix it...I dunno...essentially I just deal with it, and notice that everyone else is calm.

W

I'm glad you wrote this. This is one of my worst hang-ups. It's especially terrible in cloudy weather when I can't tell where we are or how far away we are. The endless apparently low-altitude taxiing through clouds drives me batty.

If you come from the west much, you must have noticed the tendency of late for flights to ORD to circle out over the lake more often. Perhaps it's just my perception, but it seems to be almost constant now, where I sensed it to be only occasional in the past. I don't mind it as much when it's obvious to me what's going on (and I can identify all of the places I've lived and gone to school over the years :) ), but when it's cloud covered, etc., it drives me nuts.

What's the practical difference between a "panic attack" and "losing one's wits"?

I've "experienced" one, but it wasn't I who had the "panic attack". The psycho lady in front of me -- also sitting in First -- freaked out AFTER a suddenly aborted take-off of an AA flight. After safety was assured, she started muttering: "We're all going to die! I need to get off! We're all going to die! I need to get off!". The crazy thing was that this ranting of hers continued through the proper take-off and even after deplaning at the destination back in New York. Poor husband of hers seems to have been missing the needed tranquilizers to administer to her. :eek:

GU, for me a panic attack takes a certain fairly predictable form -
the outward signs are disorder in sweating (either too much or
too little) and a probably consequent disorder in temperature
perception (either hellish or polar). There is an odd tunnelling
of the vision, where it's not exactly if the periphery were gone,
but rather that everything inside the central field of vision takes
on infinite significance and everything on the periphery becomes
as naught. And the thoughts race - they're mostly pretty silly
thoughts, such as, "ohmygod, am I going to lose it and punch
out the window" (which leads me to remember the disorder in
breathing, which becomes shallow and labored).

Interesting, when other people are having panic attacks (this
has happened on a number of flights) I am the one to get up
and talk gently and slowly to the person - and perhaps as a
consequence have no problem.

Losing one's wits, I can't tell you much, as I lost mine in utero.

Hi, Violist! :) This is a great and very comforting thread...I've suffered from these for years and it's not exactly the kind of thing you can talk about w/folks who don't really understand or those with whom you may have to do business. I still get them about 25% of the time at the beginning of long (7+hours) flights where I know we'll be flying over water, can't land, etc. (As someone else mentioned, lack of sleep seems to exacerbate them.) All the strategies mentioned above are great...there are also beta blockers (Propranolol) minimize the adrenaline supply and slow down your heart rate. I've used these ever since college before speeches--was given them by a professor who treats opera singers for stage fright. Another strategy I use when those 'ohmygodohmygodmyheartispoundingoutofmychestandIju stcan'ttakethis' thoughts start is just to let them rip and go ahead and get the panic attack over with. It's kind of like dreading a huge wave, letting it smack you down and then getting up and realizing you're ok.

I used to suffer in the opposite (agorophobic) but with similar results. For me it was also the CBT (with short term assistance from SSRIs) that gave me the resources to deal with my panic attacks. I use similar distraction techniques but also used an absolutely outstanding self help book to help with breathing techniques and combating stress. Having a highly elevated stress level in every day life is going to make it more likely that any 'top-up' stress is going to put you into overload so I did a lot of work to combat that. If anyone's interested in the book (written by an academic not a new age author FWIW) feel free to PM me, panic attacks can be very debilitating and anything to give respite is a good thing.

delete

Mind ended when I turned 30...

Most of my panic attacks occur when I see the long security lines and wonder if I can make it through in time, or do I need to start arriving at the airport three hours before my flight.

Even though I am scared to death of flying, I never had a panic attack until a bad experience. (Actually, it's not flying, or even crashing, that I'm afraid of...it's those last agonizing minutes KNOWING that you're going down.)

We were on an ATA flight from MCO to MDW, racing to beat a thunderstorm. That didn't happen, so we were stuck endlessly circling Chicago until we were almost out of fuel. We diverted to Rockford to refuel but weren't allowed to leave the plane. When we finally returned to Chicago, we had to abort the landing at the last minute and re-try. I had an ear infection, so the constant up-and-down was murder. I was ready to claw my way out of that plane! Thank God we were on a 757-300 in row 36, an enormous bulkhead exit row. If I'd been packed in like a sardine, they probably would have had to shoot me with a tranquilizer dart. Ever since then, I have panic attacks, especially when the weather is bad. I've learned to chase a Xanax with some wine to prevent that.

I use two of Stut's suggestions as well:
Sipping a bottle of water helps tremendouly.
A puzzle, book, or just talking to someone else helps. In an exit row across from the FAs on one flight, when the plane was whipped from side to side as we landed, the only thing that kept me sane was chatting with them (ironically, about difficult landings). Unfortunately, one of them realized that our talk was freaking out the poor guy across the aisle, who had just seen "Final Destination!"

I think there might be something to the over-40 theory, at least for females. My hormones have gone insane now that I've surpassed the big 4-0, there are certain times of the month when I am much more likely to crawl out of my skin than others.

Best thing if one is hyperventilating is to breathe slowly into a paper bag. The barf bag would definitely work.

But first, just make sure there is no chewing gum or spit or barf in there.

This has been a very informative thread to read. I, too, as I fly more frequently but get older, seem to experience this a bit more. Things that get me:

1. Funny approaches, like others have said. My first wiggly, turbulent approach to DCA in the old days nearly lost it for me, and some drops into MDW when I'm looking down Chicagoans' chimneys till the last second have been thrillers. On the other hand, I'm so familiar with SLC that the occasional truly vomit-inducing windstorm landings don't make me panic, though likely I'm too busy being queasy.

2. For some reason, nighttime turbulence over the Atlantic or Pacific, when semi-sleeping. You feel just suddenly thrust into a helpless situation, 'cause you're on this huge plane, but it's still shaking like crazy, and you know there's no place to land and nothing to do except fly straight thru that storm!

3. Any window seats! I get claustrophobic, and then stressed out 'cause I gotta pee too, 'cause drinking's a great way for me to minimize the baseline stress level.

I also seem to get more stressed when flying with my wife and child, probably just because I can; it's harder to put on the "unconcerned businessman" act then. I seem to be able to handle it better than my best friend (he's the guy who always locks himself in the lav when turbulence hits) or my sister (who just plain doesn't fly).

HEY! Uncle Lars, stop flying with your wife and child, will ya?? How the heck am I going to look over and take reassurance from the "unconcerned businessman" if you're looking so darned concerned!?!? :D

You people with this > 40 thing are now starting to worry me. I used to love to fly, and even flew with my grandfather in his Cesna 182 in the 70s......then, I turned 16 and got my driver's license. It was all downhill after that, what with total control of a car, and none in the aircraft, what with the closed cockpit door and all too.

Funny how you mentioned calming someone else. I took a graduation flight for my fear-of-flying course (AAirborne) way back when, and the best thing about it was comforting the girl I was sitting next to. I was so busy doing that, the flight didn't bother me. :)

Difficulty to do when standing next to the altar. :D Might work on a plane though :o