# Dopers with a fear of flying...help me chill out

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-with-a-fear-of-flying-help-me-chill-out/134217>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 28, 2002, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-with-a-fear-of-flying-help-me-chill-out/134217 "2002-10-28T06:44:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-with-a-fear-of-flying-help-me-chill-out/134217/21 "2002-11-03T15:46:18Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> First of all, those things are overbuilt. There’s LOTS of redundancy. You can lose a bolt or rivet and it will not affect the strength and structural integrity of the airplane. Anywhere one bolt is required they’ve added three more, OK?

How’s this for reassuring? Ever watch WWII documentaries? They had shots of airplanes with _holes_ blown in them, _noses shot off_, control surfaces _missing_… and they made it home. These were airplanes people were _trying_ to knock down but couldn’t. Aircraft are among the safest machines built today.

> [@](#):
>
> And I can inform them of what’s happening - “I’m going to reduce power”, “I’m going to turn left” - before it happens, so the surprise factor is considerably reduced.

My dad would do the same thing with his nervous passengers. If the passenger asks, “What happens if the engine quits?” he’d explain that the aircraft is perfectly capable of gliding. Then he’d suggest pulling the power to idle to demonstrate. If the passenger didn’t want him to, he didn’t. If the passenger asked about “stalls” (which are quite different from stalls in cars) he’d offer to demonstrate those. Again, he would only do it if the passenger consented.

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**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-with-a-fear-of-flying-help-me-chill-out/134217/22 "2002-11-03T19:49:47Z")

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HOw about loops, hammerheads, and snap rolls?

😃

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