Continuing the "I Dare You" series -- see Tag entry below. Tell five quirky things about you. Numer one: Akrophobia
Yes, I am afraid of heights. Nothing too quirky about that except I loved flying my own airplane. I am afraid to stand too near a balcony. I fear I will fall or jump off. Even pictures looking straight down from high places as seen on television give me a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I could not watch the Sylvester Stallone movie about rock climbing. People hanging from cables high in the air scared me, and I shut it off, took the tape out of the vcr and sent it away, pronto.
I cannot watch Fear Factor when they send contestanta to high places and have them walk wires or collect flags hanging from cargo nets. Those contestants have safety harnesses, yet I cannot bear the thought of their falling. I am there with them virtually and that is enough to spook me.
But look at this: that is me, at the controls of my airplane, in the air, flying. And I loved it. I have nearly two thousand hours of time in my log book high in the air. Highest I ever flew in coupe was over seven thousand feet, and I was comfortable cruising along one thousand feet above the ground.
I dined comfortably in the Space Needle in Seattle. That is pretty high.
So dining in Space and flying my own plane, though I have akrophobia. That is a quirky thing about me.
8 comments:
Wow i still can't beleive that you are a pilot:)
Deb
Is your plane still intact, flown or do you know? Actually, I can be the same about heights, especially when it would only take an slight movement to be a disaster!
Jackie
I don't like heights either. We went up in The Tower Of The Americas in San Antonio at the World Fair several times. Each time I tryed to stay in the center and not close to the rails. Paula
I think the difference is that at the Space Needle, and in the plane, you feel enclosed, and therefore safe. But a balcony leaves you exposed to open sky from the waist up.
Karen
I am pretty much the same way.. but yep.. the "enclosure" is the difference. I can be high and look out somewhere.. but "not near the edge" when i do it.. I also can't climb a ladder more then 3 steps! lousy balance i guess lol
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I even get scared with you talking about it.... I have missed out on some fun times with my fear but can't control it.... I don't think I could have enjoyed the space needle but I did go up in the Sears tower.... not close to the windows but they were not open and you go up in an elevator.... Sandra
I am scared of heights also. I could go to the top of the impower state building in New York but froze on the side of a mountain walking. It's terrible to freeze up high. It takes some serious talking from someone else before you will move one muscle.
I am also a pilot and very much enjoy going up in my Grumman Cheetah. I too share your "fear of heights". But as you describe, it is not a" fear of heights" that we have, it is a "fear of falling". In the plane there is absolutely no sensation that we could possibly fall, except of course when we practice stalls. Yet even then, my prior experiences from sailing has taught me to trust the forces at work between an airfoil, be it a sail or airplane wing, and the mass of molecules that we call "air".
Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to get an airplane to come down in a hurry? You push that nose over and as soon as the airspeed increases that yoke starts coming back at you. You have to push hard ( or re-trim) to keep it in a descent. Do you reckon airplanes have a fear of falling? :)
I'll also bet that no instructor had to repeatedly warn you to keep your speed up well above stall in the pattern!
Bob H
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