Ask Captain Lim

Hi Captain Lim,

I ran across your website in a Google search. I was searching sites because I will be flying again very soon. I have only flown once and that was about 9 months ago. I flew from USA to Germany. I will be flying back with my fianc?. I have a terrible, terrible fear of flying, especially over the Atlantic. I think if I didn*t have to go over the water, I wouldn*t be nearly as hesitant about flying.

I often ask myself "if a plane crashed into the ocean, would it go underwater and drown everyone? Maybe it would explode on impact?" That is the biggest question I ask myself. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, I know. Even while I write this to you, I am extremely nervous. Even when I talk about it I get completely crazy. My fianc? loves to fly and he has no worries - which makes it even harder for me.

Is there anything you can tell me about flying over the Ocean - the worst-case scenarios? What the captain would do in that case?

I hope you can help me to overcome this fear. I will be flying back and forth from USA to Germany for the rest of my life. I am quite young and I hope I can overcome this fear and enjoy flying as others can. I look forward to your reply!

Sincerely,

Alisha

Hi Alisha,

All you queries have been mainly covered in my FAQ regarding airplane ditching.

You should also read topics under fear of flying to gain more knowledge about air safety.

Take some time to read through all the relevant FAQ in the three topics and I am sure, when you are well informed, your fears will eventually fade away.

Have a good day :-)