Simviation Forums

hi guys. i have a question for u airline pilots out there....is having fear of heights an important criteria or factor in becoming a pilot or in other words can a person be a pilot if he/she is afraid of heights?? i hope u guys will help me answer this question bcoz i really really want to be a pilot. it has been my ambition to be one since i was young n i hope it wont destroy my dreams of bcoming one just bcoz im afraid of heights...

firstly welcome to simv . now on to the question, i to have wanted to be an airline pilot all my life and i to have small cases of fear of heights but thats mainly when i am say standing on a building  roof or something like that. have you been up on a plane if so does was it bad then? i have found when i am up there in my lessons i dont have any problems, as for selection i haven't seen a single thing about fear of heights in the requirements so it shouldnt be a problem.

thanx again 4 the quick reply.That was a relief to hear from u........now i can go on to fulfil my dream of bcoming n airline pilot!!

good luck with it maybe see you up there some day:)

Unfourtionatly, yes, a fear of heights can reduce the chance of getting your private pilot certificate, however, we can work with you.

I have a slight case of being afraid of heights, but in a plane it all goes away. Be it FL390 or 3000. No idea why this happens, but it's good that it does.  :D

no the fear of heights wont hurt you in any way, Im afraid of heights but not when enclosed....... hmmm


Todays Quote:
"People say death isnt real or that death doesnt matter, well death is real, and whatever it is it matters" Some important writer  ;D

its strange how it works really. i personally have no problem being at 30000 feet infact i love it but i cant be on top of a 12 story building and look down without feeling sick, and theres no way i can look up when on said building

Quite honestly, everyone has a fear of heights. The issue really is how much it affects you. People have a 'fight or flight' characteristic which really depends on how you were raised. If you fight, you are more likely to be a good canidate as a pilot. The reason is simple. The emotions of a person who is programed to fight will have more control of emotions. A 'flight' person will tend to have a higher risk of irrational decisions, possibly causing a crash. If you are a 'flight' person, dont let this discourage you, we (all flight schools) are really willing to help you overcome this obstacle.

if you check into the history books....one of the most famous of all fliers in the world was pukin' his guts out on his first flight......and he went on to fly the highest performance aircraft for 60 yrs, and this is the truth.....how about Oct 14, 1947 ?

You might want to give an introductory ride a try. Often being afraid of heights doesn't translate into a cockpit. I hate going up on a ladder but I'm perfectly comfortable in an aircraft, even small helecopters with the bubble canopy.

Make sure you do it with an understanding instructor however and make sure he or she knows so they can bring the plane back if you do panic. There seems to be a difference between fear of flying and fear of heights. Some pilots are shakey looking off a tall building while perfectly comfortable at 30,000 ft while high steel workers can be terrified of just being in an airplane sitting on the ground.

Just take it slow and easy until you know how you react.

You might want to give an introductory ride a try. Often being afraid of heights doesn't translate into a cockpit. I hate going up on a ladder but I'm perfectly comfortable in an aircraft, even small helecopters with the bubble canopy.

Make sure you do it with an understanding instructor however and make sure he or she knows so they can bring the plane back if you do panic. There seems to be a difference between fear of flying and fear of heights. Some pilots are shakey looking off a tall building while perfectly comfortable at 30,000 ft while high steel workers can be terrified of just being in an airplane sitting on the ground.

Just take it slow and easy until you know how you react.

I couldn't say more. Matt has it perfect. You wan't to make sure your instructor knows that you have a fear of heights. It is important to know, because even the introductory flight, you are doing a lot of hands-on flying.

-Brad

I am not reading the rest of the posts... But, I have a fear of heights myself... But, flying has no effect on me... I love it and wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world!

Hi all I was and still am scared of hights, I was doing cavity wall insulation on a ladder and "froze" about 10-12 feet up! that was 15 years ago. On friday 13th Sept 2002 I had my first EVER flight, 30 min trail from Blackpool (UK), there were winds gusting upto26Kts. The instructor let me taxi the Piper PA28 to the runway, he then did the mag checks got clearance and told me to take the yolk! he lined us up on the runway hit the power I pulled back at 70Kts indicated then the air turned blue! I wanted to LAND and NOW!! I was allmost too scared to look anywhere but instruments at 500 feet we turned, the turbulance was bad. After being buffeted around for 10 - 15 mins we came into land, having got upto 1000 feet, when we landed I wanted to go up again!
I have flown twice since from Blackpool, a one hour flight up to the lakes at 2700feet (the view is awsome) and another 30 min, upto 2000 feet and this time I landed the plane (only one bounce), both times I got "butterflies" on take off but then the thrill of flying took over. If you've read this far my advice is go for it have a30 min trial I doubt if you will regret it

wow I never reliasaded that there are so many real pilots on simv