My first post here!!just thot i'd get some advice from older phds!!!i really dont like flyin but it appears my supervisor loves the sky!!I've only been doing this for 6months and have been to a conference with him..i told him i dont like flyin but he just laughed it off..now he's talkin about another conference!!i know conferences are good for your profile but i really really do not enjoy flyin...how can i rely this to him without appearing lazy?

Do you not have any real problems?

there's no need to be rude...and no, i do not have any problems!!i enjoy my research thankyou very much

Go to your GP and get some valium. It's an irrational fear that you have to deal with - your supervisor will only view it as an excuse.

It's not the flying I'd be worrying about - it's the crashing that scares me!

Seriously though, is it something you'd like to overcome? Because most airports actually run a 'fear of flying' day course that includes a short 30 min flight at the end of it for around a hundred quid. It might be worthwhile looking into, especially if you're going to be expected to attend conferences quite frequently.

I don like flyin me soup neither guv! Innit..

curiousphd, I empathise with you; my mother is terrified of flying - so much so that the tranquillisers given to her by a doctor (strong enough to knock out an elephant) had no effect! Not much use I'm afraid, but at least you're not alone!

I hate flying too. I'm OK on small light aircraft but I can't stand the great big juggernauts that most companies use.

Ignore all these people who aren't taking your fear seriously: phobias are no joke. Can you get the Eurostar to where you need to go? The European rail network is pretty good these days.

Juno, I went on the smallest plane I have ever been on the other day. It had two seats one side and one seat the other. Only about 15 rows. I found this plane scarier than the jumbo jets I have been on, the turns are more pronounced and you felt the landing more.

curiousphd, do you just dislike flying or is it a phobia?

I think I find the smaller ones easier cos they don't fly so high, and you can see and talk to the pilot so you know everything's OK. I don't like the noise or the rattling or the pressure changes of the big ones; I always get dizzy. Eurgh.

juno, light aircraft are far more dangerous, comparatively speaking, than commercial jets. Flying low is a danger as you're at the mercy of unfavourable weather conditions. Larger aircraft fly above the weather - except for take off and landing, of course.

As for the OP, I do not believe he has a phobia rather a dislike of flying. Anyway, I didn't take his post seriously because it was written in such a jokey style. As with much in life, you get out what you put in, so if I see a native English speaker using 'words' like "flyin", "thot" and "talkin", then I believe I am well within my rights to take the piss!

Curiousphd - I think that the idea of going on a fear of flying course is a sensible suggestion. Also hypnotherapy could help. It is a fear worth getting over in the sense that as we all know flying is the safest form of transport. But I appreciate that it is a genuine problem for you. But clearly in academia you will need to fly to conferences in different places.

This one conference you have already gone to - did you fly there? I get the impression from your post that you did... so if you have done it once you can do it again!!! Suck it up and get over it! Think of all the fab places in the world you will be missing out on if you don't overcome your 'dislike' of flying. I hated flying the first few times and was so nervous that I threw up (sorry if TMI!) but now I love it.

Have a look at this site: http://www.fearlessflight.com/airplane-disasters-plane-crash-statistics

"Your chances of being involved in an aircraft accident are about 1 in 11 million. On the other hand, your chances of being killed in an automobile accident are 1 in 5000."

It sounds like you don't have a phobia, I guess we need you to confirm this. If you just dislike flying, can you not just grin and bear it? I hate flying, I always feel crappy at the other end and nauseous throughout (if you have to puke you puke, no one minds) but I have enjoyed a number of exotic locations by putting up with it.

I can't sleep or eat on a plane but have managed a couple of 13+ hours continous flights.

Procrastinator: I know, but I never claimed my fear was logical!

I'm also scared of the Muppets