Panic Attack Advice

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dune83

Filing Flight Plan
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Oct 26, 2014
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dune83
So I am in contemplation on whether I want to continue my pilot training due to a high level of anxiety and unease I get from being in the air. I do not enjoy riding roller coasters very much and I seem to experience this feeling almost every time I fly, especially with stalls and spins.

I started my training for flying about several months ago with the Cessna 172 and then moved to the Beechcraft Bonanza this past week. When I first started flying in the Cessna 172 I would get symptoms such as my hands going slightly numb, increased breathing + heart rate, and air sickness. These symptoms tended to lessen over time as my flying time increased, but my interest in flying never really grew. I believe my interest stopped growing because of the way I felt during flying.

Fast forward to this past week and I take my first ride in the Beechcraft Bonanza. To sum it up, it was a pretty bad experience. I had the same symptoms as I did in my first ride of the 172, but to a much, much larger extent. Hands were so numb they felt like bricks, I was breathing like I had just finished a 5k, had a much faster heart rate, and became airsick 3 times within 40 mins. All I wanted to do after taking off was land. I then talked to a psychologist a couple days later and was diagnosed as having a panic attack and panic disorder.

I know this was my first ride in the Bonanza and we did stalls + spins which definitely shook me up, but I honestly am not sure if I want to get back in that aircraft or fly in general to continue my training. Does it sound like I am rushing too quick into my decision or should I continue flying to see if my anxiety and other symptoms lessen?
 
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dune83 said:
I know this was my first ride in the Bonanza and we did stalls + spins which definitely shook me up, but I honestly am not sure if I want to get back in that aircraft or fly in general to continue my training. Does it sound like I am rushing too quick into my decision or should I continue flying to see if my anxiety and other symptoms lessen?
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Either you mis-communicated to the Bo pilot, or he is a true bozo. You don't take a new-ish student pilot with anxiety issues up and do the stalls and spins. What was he thinking?

Slowly and steadily work your way up to the confidence you need. This guy - if he did this by his own plan - ruined it for you. Start over! Slow and steady.

-Skip
 
Is the Bonanza even certified for spins? I know there was an aerobatic variant, but I wouldn't think it would normally be used as a trainer.
 
Before kayaking in difficult Whitewater it was always better if you had a couple of beers before you got in the boat.

Help relax and remove the anxiety.

Nervous and tense boater is not a good Boater.
 
dune83 said:
I then talked to a psychologist a couple days later and was diagnosed as having a panic attack and panic disorder.
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If this was an actual visit and diagnosis, your decision is probably already made for you.
 
Helloooo Lucinda Bassett. Or to paraphrase Bodhi Fear causes your worst fears to come true. Good luck.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Before kayaking in difficult Whitewater it was always better if you had a couple of beers before you got in the boat.

Help relax and remove the anxiety.

Nervous and tense boater is not a good Boater.
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Have a couple shots of Jose before next flight:cheerswine:
 
Listen to the shrink,give it up,you'll live a more comfortable life.
 
Spinning a bo? For real?

I'd be freaked out as well.

I've never had an instructor who wanted to spin. I've had to specifically request it and we were always in a Citabria.
 
If you aren't enjoying it why do it? Flying is supposed to be fun. There are other hobbies to spend money on if you don't enjoy flying.

Keith
 
Forget the shrink, sounds like you're afraid of flying, soooo stop flying :dunno:

Like the others said, aint like you seem to enjoy it


cowman said:
If this was an actual visit and diagnosis, your decision is probably already made for you.
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That too
 
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Well, since the OP is still posting on this forum, I think it's safe to assume that the Bonanza was not a V Tail that has never had the fuselage strengthening AD.

Honestly, I would be really concerned about an instructor that proposes spin training as part of a type introduction.
 
I then talked to a psychologist a couple days later and was diagnosed as having a panic attack and panic disorder.
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This diagnosis has implications. Serious ones.

Look into them.


From here

What does the FAA do if a pilot discloses that he or she is consulting a therapist (e.g., for anxiety) but there is no clinical diagnosis of depression?
A pilot will not be allowed to fly while undergoing treatment. Once the treatment is complete, the pilot may return to flying.
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See my advice above. You have opened a box you wish you hadn't.
 
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Tell us again WHY you want to fly?
 
First, I agree with Cowman if you were actually diagnosed with a panic disorder. You probably won't be able to get your medical at least not with out jumping through a ton of hoops. So as Cowman said your choice may have been made for you. If this was a cocktail party diagnosis then perhaps you are not yet DQed.

Assuming for a moment that it was not an actual diagnosis, I'd still say that flying may not be for you. We don't know how many hours you have into training but if its more than just a couple and you have these symptoms consistently I think you may want to at least take a break.

As a side not I can't fathom why you are being asked to do spins in your primary training. May I ask why you switched to training in a Bo?
 
I find it interesting that I actually get a bit uncomfortable in straight and level flight in really calm weather. I am not sure why exactly but there have been one or 2 times during my solo where I've had an eerie feeling fall over me in this situation. I feel more comfortable with some bumps and when I am doing something.
 
1. Are you a student pilot? If so, why are you flying a Bo?
2. Why are you allowing the CFI to teach spins? Go find another CFI, one that teaches the Private Test Standards, which do NOT include spins.
3. Go back to the 172 - it's a more benign airplane.
4. Go find another CFI.
 
Sounds like your body is telling you no, I think you should stick with R/C airplanes...
 
I think we all just got shined on by a one post wonder.

I'm calling BS.
 
dune83 said:
So I am in contemplation on whether I want to continue my pilot training due to a high level of anxiety and unease I get from being in the air. I do not enjoy riding roller coasters very much and I seem to experience this feeling almost every time I fly, especially with stalls and spins.

I started my training for flying about several months ago with the Cessna 172 and then moved to the Beechcraft Bonanza this past week. When I first started flying in the Cessna 172 I would get symptoms such as my hands going slightly numb, increased breathing + heart rate, and air sickness. These symptoms tended to lessen over time as my flying time increased, but my interest in flying never really grew. I believe my interest stopped growing because of the way I felt during flying.

Fast forward to this past week and I take my first ride in the Beechcraft Bonanza. To sum it up, it was a pretty bad experience. I had the same symptoms as I did in my first ride of the 172, but to a much, much larger extent. Hands were so numb they felt like bricks, I was breathing like I had just finished a 5k, had a much faster heart rate, and became airsick 3 times within 40 mins. All I wanted to do after taking off was land. I then talked to a psychologist a couple days later and was diagnosed as having a panic attack and panic disorder.

I know this was my first ride in the Bonanza and we did stalls + spins which definitely shook me up, but I honestly am not sure if I want to get back in that aircraft or fly in general to continue my training. Does it sound like I am rushing too quick into my decision or should I continue flying to see if my anxiety and other symptoms lessen?
Click to expand...

If you aren't all "Hell yeah, this is great", aviation is an awfully fast, low value, way of relieving yourself of your expendable income. IMO you need to enjoy the **** out of it to justify the expense and risks.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. My psychologist spoke with my instructor pilot so currently I am not flying, but after reading your posts and considering it for the last week I think I am going to keep it that way.

P.S. I am not flying R/C lol
 
murphey said:
1. Are you a student pilot? If so, why are you flying a Bo?
2. Why are you allowing the CFI to teach spins? Go find another CFI, one that teaches the Private Test Standards, which do NOT include spins.
3. Go back to the 172 - it's a more benign airplane.
4. Go find another CFI.
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Nothing wrong with teaching spins pre solo, that's how I was taught.

Nothing wrong with learning to fly in something other than a 172/52/pa28 etc, I learned in a 7AC.

As for spinning a Bo, yeah that's doesn't sound like a hot idea, there is a video of a NASA guy trying that, lets just say his reserve needed a repack after that flight.
 
James331 said:
Nothing wrong with teaching spins pre solo, that's how I was taught.

Nothing wrong with learning to fly in something other than a 172/52/pa28 etc, I learned in a 7AC.

As for spinning a Bo, yeah that's doesn't sound like a hot idea, there is a video of a NASA guy trying that, lets just say his reserve needed a repack after that flight.
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The E & F 33C Bonanzas all spin very well.
 
I'm not sure why you're torturing yourself. If it is because you love aviation, there are myriad other ways to do so without flying the machines. If it is because you seek to conquer a challenge, I would suggest there are plenty of other ways to get those jollies. Hell, you can even stay here on the forums. Grab yourself a broken jet ski and post away! :D
 
Well, I'll give the OP a break.

Panic attacks are related to anxiety. They're just a heavier version. And the good news is that they're controllable and even preventable. Plus they're never fatal and will not make you unconscious (which is another fear that can feed it in the air - "what if I pass out?"). All pilots (and I mean all) have at some point had slight unease or slight anxiety when flying or on their way to go flying. I've certainly had it - I used to get it with heights, believe it or not. I didn't like flying high, I wanted to be close to the ground. Completely irrational, of course. I also encountered some form of dread at the thought of going flying in bad weather in old crappy rental airplanes. One of the C152's I used to rent in the UK, had 13000hrs on it and I couldn't help thinking "what if there's a crack in the main spar they simply haven't discovered, I mean, how many times do mechanics actually check the spar?". It's still one of my few aviation fears, to have a catastrophic main spar failure.

But here's what I discovered. After about 100hrs of flying in my own plane, a plane I had thoroughly inspected and knew well, these fears went away. Today it doesn't bother me one bit to be up high etc. So my advice to you is to keep at it if you want to overcome it. Make sure you have an instructor that understands you're a nervous flier. And I would switch my training to either a twin (nothing prohibits you from doing a PPL on a twin), or a SR22, just for the peace of mind knowing there's another engine or a parachute. That could help a lot mentally.
 
If he has had an 'anxiety code' placed on his medical record...it is my understanding he is grounded. Very unfortunate.
 
Just because he is anxious doesn't mean he doesn't love flying. The big question in my mind is "did he have anxiety issues before flight training?" If no, this could just be situational anxiety that will resolve with more experience and training.

I think somebody who has feelings of anxiety while learning to fly is being done a disservice by a psychologist that labels that as "general anxiety disorder" or "panic disorder" without the condition manifesting at other times.
 
Maybe a different category of aircraft might suit you better. I was at the beach last week and there were a couple of guys using a powered paraglider. Looked like a lot of fun.
 
txflyer said:
Spinning a bo? For real?

I'd be freaked out as well.

I've never had an instructor who wanted to spin. I've had to specifically request it and we were always in a Citabria.
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I enjoy teaching spins....but probably wouldn't in a Bo!
 
LDJones said:
I enjoy teaching spins....but probably wouldn't in a Bo!
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Being heavy like they are, I'll bet they wrap up quick.

I guess it's legal.

That guy at OSH twisted that Bo all around, and I don't think it has any mods ... could be wrong about that ... :dunno:
 
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