A unique airport in a world where the heart trembles, flying phobia (London City, Washington DC Regan, Tyrol, Congonhas, Lukla Airport)
These days, the excitement of meeting again at the airport after a brief pause in the rising fuel tax along with the soaring heat is overflowing.
Before preparing for a trip, my heart is pounding with the excitement and adventure of a new place, but on the other hand, I think there are many people who are also thrilled with the thrill of flying.
By the way, did you know that in general, 1 in 4 people suffer from 'flying phobia'?
Fear of airplanes?
Airplane phobia refers to symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and difficulty breathing due to increased anxiety and fear before or after boarding an airplane, and in severe cases may even cause seizures.
The most common causes of airplane phobia are turbulence encountered during flight and rattling during take-off and landing.
In particular, there is a big difference in the degree of rattling depending on the airport rounding environment, so it is one of the preventive measures that can reduce the phobia even a little by knowing the environment of the airport where you arrive and preparing your mind in advance.
As there are various topographical environments around the world, airports are also created in various shapes.
The airports I'm going to show you from now on are prepared for airports that literally make your heart pound, so for beginners to fly, grab your heart and focus!
1. London City Airport, UK
Most people flying to London use Heathrow Airport, but London has another unique airport.
Opened as an airport for short-distance shuttle services, and located in the Docklands of London Borough of Newham, adjacent to the city, London City Airport is famous for being a dizzying airport where you have to dive over the city center to land.
In order to land at London City Airport, you have to turn around the financial center of Canary Wharf, slow down appropriately, and then descend like a helicopter to land at the airport.
As much as the sudden descent, the hearts of the passengers on the plane will literally become chewy, right?!
2. Washington DC Reagan National Airport, USA
Washington D.C., the capital of the United States! After the UK, it is also one of the most popular travel destinations.
Washington, D.C. also has a dizzying downtown airport like London. Reagan(Regan) National Airport is the closest to D.C. of the 3 named Washington D.C. airports. Due to the nature of the airport site close to the Potomac River, in order to land at this airport, aircraft must make a sharp turn to avoid the no-fly zone near the Potomac River before landing on the runway created by the Potomac River.
It is one of the airports where passengers feel fear because the aircraft shakes a lot in the process.
3. Innsbruck Airport, Tyrol, Austria
Austria is especially beautiful in winter.
Among them, in the Tyrol region of Austria, there is one airport in a beautiful and dizzying location with a spectacular view of the Alps.
Because the runway is narrow, Innsbruck(Insburg) Airport is also mainly used for domestic flights.
Innsbruck Airport is located near the summit of the Alps, so in order to land at the airport, pilots have to descent and fight strong winds near the summit of the Alps. As Austria is famous for skiing, it is said that you can feel the dizzy feeling of 'skiing' on an airplane.
Due to its reputation, some aviation YouTubers even challenged to film a landing video here!
4. São Paulo Congonhas Airport, Brazil
Brazil, the city of samba! Congonhas Airport in Brazil is the second busiest airport in Brazil with the highest number of passengers annually, and it plays the same role as Gimpo Airport in Korea. Even though it is an airport with many passengers, it is notorious for being a 'dizzying airport' with a high risk of accidents. Congonhas Airport has a 10-lane car-only road and five-story or higher private houses located in front of and behind Congonhas Airport, so the length of the runway itself is very short.
Eventually, the runway pavement was resurfaced after TAM Airlines slipped on the runway in 2007 and overrun it, but it is still one of the airports where pilots are very nervous about landing!
5. Lukla Airport, Nepal
Nepal's Lukla Airport is virtually all-inclusive for airport landings due to its high mountains, strong winds and short runways.
Because the airport is located near a cliff on the way to Everest, it is often referred to as 'the most dangerous airport in the world'.
The short runway, which is only 460m in length, is made by cutting a mountain slope and has a steep slope, and there is no space to turn when landing. As an airport that requires such a high level of technology, in Nepal, airplane pilots taking off at Lukla Airport are only permitted to land at the airport only to pilots with more than one year of flight experience.
There is a saying that overcoming your fear of flying, of course, face your fear with fear! But it is not an easy task.
Now that you know the departure and arrival airport information in advance and have prepared your mind, here are a few tips to help you fight your phobias on the plane!
Tips to combat your phobia on the plane
1. If your ears are deaf and uncomfortable
Deafness while boarding an airplane is one of the things that everyone experiences, even if they don't have a phobia of flying.
During aircraft operation, the pressure in the cabin is lower than the air pressure on the ground, so the pressure in the body increases relatively, which naturally causes deafness.
In particularly severe cases, 'airborne otitis media' may occur. To prevent this, chewing gum, drinking cold water, and wearing earplugs for highly sensitive passengers is a good way. Especially if you are traveling with small children, it would be a good idea to prepare earplugs in advance in case they are surprised.
2. If your heart beats fast and your breathing becomes
Some of you may ask the flight attendant for a drink or coffee to unwind during flight.
Rather, for people whose heart beats too fast due to tension, it is desirable to refrain from chewing gum or activities that can promote blood circulation through caffeine or alcohol.
Especially if you drink to appease your fear of flying, you may find that you cannot control yourself, which can make your breathing quicker, and you may face greater fears when you are low on alcohol. Therefore, when you are tense, rather than looking for coffee or alcohol, the best way is to relax and stretch the stiff or stiff neck and shoulder muscles, and take a deep breath for about 10 seconds.
3. If you are afraid of shaking turbulence
Airplanes are considered by experts to be the safest mode of transportation in the world, and the probability of accidents is significantly lower than other modes of transportation. In order to overcome the fear of turbulence, it is natural that an airplane encounters turbulence since it is a means of transportation designed to fly in the sky.
If you have the perception that 'turbulence = natural' rather than 'turbulence = accident', you can reduce your fear of an accident. Nevertheless, if the fear of turbulence does not go away, if possible, choose a large airplane when possible, and if you choose the middle seat of the airplane, you will be slightly less affected by the shaking of turbulence. Also, if you can choose a transfer route, it might be a good idea to choose a route with less turbulence and choose a transfer route!
If it is difficult to treat with simple therapy or if the severity is high, we recommend that you get a prescription from a specialist and take medicine before boarding the plane.