Every minute, at every airport on the planet, an airplane with passengers on board takes off. 70% of people sitting in the cabin experience fear of flying, which is quite natural. But not everyone is able to cope with their phobia. To understand how not to be afraid of flying on an airplane, you need to understand the reasons for this fear.
Fear of flying
What is aerophobia and its symptoms
Aerophobia is the fear of flying on an airplane, which begins to manifest itself several days before the planned flight. The reaction intensifies before boarding and directly on board the ship, when a person’s breathing becomes difficult, the heartbeat quickens, weakness in the legs appears and severe tension in the muscles is felt.
There are several symptoms that may indicate the presence of aerophobia:
- The mere thought of flying makes me fearful. Closer to the departure date, experiences take on a panicky nature;
- you prefer to drink alcohol or take a sedative before you get to the plane;
- During takeoff and landing, you instinctively squeeze into your seat and feel tension throughout your whole body. Your palms begin to sweat, you try with all your might to hold on to the armrests;
- During the flight, your mind is focused on thoughts about the operation of the engines, which forces you to listen to the sound of their operation and visually monitor their condition;
- you observe the facial expressions and actions of the flight attendant, which always arouse suspicion;
- When you encounter turbulence, you plunge into a state of shock and prepare to give up your life.
In most cases, you can learn to overcome a phobia on your own, but if the roots of the symptoms lie in neuroses, depression and other types of disorders, you need to consult a psychotherapist.
Is it possible to overcome aerophobia on your own?
Fear of air travel is the most common phobia around the world. It is considered incurable, but if you follow some advice from experienced psychologists, you can overcome this fear and learn to fly without panic accompaniment.
How to overcome aerophobia yourself:
- Try to control your mental state.
- Learn to breathe correctly by inhaling deeply through your mouth and exhaling slowly through your nose.
- Try to relax, think about something good, make plans for the future, etc.
The difference between aerophobia and ordinary anxiety
Statistics show that about 70% of passengers are afraid of flying. This is a normal human reaction, caused by the instinct of self-preservation, which makes us nervous and afraid of the unknown (as a rule, this is due to ignorance of the technical nuances that ensure high safety of air travel).
Therefore, pre-flight excitement does not go beyond acceptable limits and is safely resolved. The rapid heartbeat quickly returns to normal, and the breathing rhythm is restored. But when a person fails to cope with anxiety, the symptoms run the risk of developing into a panic attack. Regularly experiencing panic without the ability to relieve fears leads to the formation of a phobia.
Symptoms of the disorder
Physical or somatic manifestations of aerophobia often include:
- cardiopalmus,
- tachycardia;
- chest pain;
- increased sweating,
- nausea, urge to vomit;
- frequent urge to urinate;
- tremor of the limbs;
- tension headache;
- paleness or redness of the face.
Among other symptoms, aerophobia is characterized by:
- frequent complaints of severe muscle weakness;
- fatigue, constant feeling of tiredness;
- difficulty concentrating;
- irritability, nervousness, anxiety;
- problems with falling asleep and quality of sleep, “nightmarish dreams”;
- feeling of "emptiness in the head."
Often, with aerophobia, the symptoms intensify, rapidly progress, and, having reached a peak, are manifested by a sympatho-adrenal crisis and develop into panic disorders.
The main causes of aerophobia
Scientists have come to the conclusion that fears are a consequence of a disturbed psyche, when a person is unable to adequately respond to an external stimulus. For this reason, phobia is not diagnosed as an independent disease, but is considered as a “side” phenomenon against the background of:
- severe stress;
- prolonged depression;
- bipolar disorder;
- increased anxiety.
The psychological causes of aviophobia (not to be confused with mental disorders) are very often a lack of information about the technical side of flying and, as a result, fear appears. For example, entering a turbulence zone can cause panic in a person who does not understand why the plane is shaking and how dangerous it is for his life.
Guided by feelings, he is completely immersed in a state of horror. On the contrary, knowledge of such nuances helps to think constructively, maintain clear thinking and not give in to panic. Often the causes of aerophobia are closely related to other types of phobias. Fear of closed spaces, large crowds of people in closed spaces, and other situations can make flying a real torment.
Fear of loss of control: mistrust of the crew
For some people, it is important to control what is happening around them, because psychologically it gives them a feeling of security. Therefore, the inability to see the pilots who control the airliner breeds distrust in them. The person suspects them of incompetence or alcohol abuse during the flight, and meanwhile the imagination paints a picture of an inevitable disaster.
In such a situation, it is important to understand that airlines place high demands on employees. Before a pilot is trusted to pilot a passenger aircraft, he has time to accumulate thousands of flight hours. Before each flight, the entire crew undergoes a mandatory medical examination, where the slightest smell of alcohol can result in removal from work.
Fear of terrorist attacks
The fear of becoming a victim of a terrorist attack in the air is a natural reaction in modern realities, which overtakes even psychologically stable people. However, it can and must be fought so that fear does not turn into a serious phobia.
Don’t forget that after the September 11 terrorist attack, all cities around the world took increased security measures on domestic and international flights. At the slightest hint that a suspicious item is being transported, security personnel at the airport recheck and inspect the baggage, so there is virtually no chance of a bomb being smuggled in.
If anxiety does not decrease from this fact, practice the exercise of changing emotions, which is recommended by psychologists: every time you plunge into fear, try to get angry at it. Feeling hostility and condemning thoughts that make you afraid for no apparent reason will, after a while, lead to liberation from this state, and you will get a chance to get rid of the fear of a terrorist attack.
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If you realize that you are subject to a phobia, you should not be embarrassed or hide it. Each person has his own complexes and fears, which are better to get rid of, rather than drive them inside himself. Aerophobia can be overcome if you carefully study your fear, delve into the design features of aircraft construction and understand the principles of aerodynamics.
Thousands of people use airline services every day, making multiple flights throughout the year, and continue to live, love, and work in peace. They learned from their own experience that the risk of being a victim of a plane crash is microscopically small. This should be a powerful argument for you. So should you be afraid of airplanes?
Associated phobias: their interaction with fear of flying
Aerophobia can manifest itself or intensify against the background of other emotionally painful conditions. Often the reasons are phobias, which at first glance have little to do with aviation.
Hydrophobia and its impact on fear of flying
Hydrophobia or aquaphobia is associated with the fear of water and is more common among people who cannot swim. Anxiety seizes them at the sight of a large amount of water, so when flying over the ocean or lake, a person becomes frantically afraid. To avoid panic attacks during a flight, it is advisable to choose a flight that follows a “dry” route. If there are none, choose a place away from the portholes and concentrate your thoughts on pleasant events.
Ochlophobia: fear of crowds
Sometimes the only reason for the fear of flying is severe discomfort from a large crowd of people around. The problem increases when the passenger finds himself in a seat between other people and has limited movement. A business class flight or a well-chosen seat in economy will help resolve the situation: by the window or by the aisle, so that your neighbors surround you on only one side.
Emetophobia as a component of aerophobia
The phobia is specific in nature and is associated with the fear of vomiting. To prevent nausea, shortly before departure, on the recommendation of a doctor, you can take an antihistamine (for example, Cyclizine) or drink a cup of hot milk. A drink without harm to health will calm the emotional background and bring relief from unreasonable fears.
Distichiphobia and its consequences
This phobia is characterized by a fear of accidents and obsessive thoughts about a plane crash that overshadow travel. People forget that the unexpected can happen not only in the sky, but also on the ground. Moreover, in ground transport the probability of injury is much higher, but a person is sure that misfortune will certainly await him in flight. In this case, a conversation with a psychotherapist and sedatives will be useful.
Acrophobia and ways to combat it
The phobia is characterized by a fear of heights. Some people experience discomfort even at a short distance from the ground, when climbing stairs causes slight dizziness and weakness in the legs. In most cases, the fear of going to heights can be easily overcome with a few flights. When the situation becomes familiar, subconsciously the person will feel safe and stop being afraid.
Claustrophobia and measures to eliminate it
The fear of closed space can strike at any moment if a person has not psychologically prepared himself for the flight. To avoid feeling claustrophobic on an airplane, choose a seat next to the window. As soon as anxiety begins to set in, looking out the window will help relieve anxious feelings. Do not drink alcohol to relieve tension, as this can have the opposite effect: control over emotions will weaken and the attack will take over.
Professional help
Why do you dream of flying on an airplane?
If fears of flying have been present for a long time, and traveling by plane is a frequent forced reality, you cannot do without the help of a specialist. It is worth paying serious attention to your psycho-emotional state, devoting enough time to it.
- Find an experienced psychologist who will help you figure out why you are afraid of flying and teach you how to deal with your phobia correctly. You can’t get rid of this with just a conversation - you’ll have to undergo a course of psychotherapy before you begin to perceive flying more naturally and stop being afraid of flying;
- Part of the treatment is the use of flight stimulators, which allow you to become accustomed to flying using virtual simulators. This point is good because in grounded conditions, in a specially equipped room, a feeling of the reality of flight is created;
- The doctor will help you choose medications for the upcoming trip. Here you need to take into account that the proposed pills are not a solution to the problem, but only part of the therapy, and they do not relieve the phobia on their own.
Virtual reality simulator
Medicines prescribed by a doctor for a flight can be divided into 2 types: cumulative and rapid-acting. The first group includes those that are accepted in several stages - immediately before departure, and then every half hour or hour. The second group of drugs has a sufficient concentration of sedative so that 1 tablet is enough for several hours of exposure.
Treatment is carried out with sedative and anti-anxiety medications that inhibit nerve impulses and relieve muscle spasms and cramps.
Important! The doctor himself decides which drug to treat an aerophobe, based on the individual characteristics of the patient, his state of mind, the causes of fear, and the severity of the problem.
You should not constantly resort to these means, since most of them can become addictive. This method of treating aerophobia should be short-term and applied to those who do not travel by plane very often.
The person himself can prepare for a future flight in advance. About 3 weeks before your upcoming trip, you can start taking glycine or valerian extract daily in the doses indicated in the instructions. This will help reduce nervous tension and avoid stressful situations.
How to get rid of aerophobia yourself: TOP surefire ways
The first step is to work through the unpleasant sensations and look directly at your own fears. It is important to say the problem out loud and explain to yourself that objectively nothing threatens you. Then the fight against fears will turn into success.
When panic increases, practice the following:
- restore smooth breathing. Close your eyes and try to relax and not worry, then breathe in slowly and deeply, saying calming words to yourself (for example, “I’m calm” or “I’m okay”). The most important thing is to believe that you are strong and can successfully get rid of the signs of aerophobia;
- do everything to take your mind off your fears. Listen to music or read a book, go to duty free or think about what gift you would like to receive for your next holiday. Think about anything, but don't let your brain focus on fear.
The surest way to have a relaxing flight is to fall asleep after takeoff. You can take a little sleeping pill or work hard shortly before the trip so that the body does not have the strength to feel fear.
Coping with pre-flight anxiety
The main shield against aerophobia will be knowledge and awareness, which will help maintain constructive thinking and not succumb to emotions. Shortly before your flight, clear out a few evenings in your schedule to work productively on yourself and prepare for the upcoming takeoff.
Try to study the structure of the aircraft and aerodynamics
When preparing for a flight, you should not look for information about tragic incidents and find out the reasons why the ship crashed. Focus on technical aspects that will eliminate panic in case of minor shaking.
Every aerophobe should know that:
- During turbulence, the plane does not fall into the abyss, as sensations may suggest. The point is in the vestibular apparatus of a person who is not prepared for such “turns”. Due to the high speed of movement, the false sensation only intensifies;
- An airplane door will never swing open while moving. This is excluded, since the difference in pressure inside and outside will not allow the door to open freely;
- the movement of a separate part of the wings during a flight is a normal process for such transport, which means that the flight is proceeding as normal. The wing will not fall off or collapse.
By the way, the risk of not getting out of turbulence occurs only in one out of 11 million cases.
Buying places with comfort is calming
Traveling 1st class will allow you to safely endure a long flight. Here the passenger receives a comfortable seat and a lot of free space. A slightly more economical, but equally relaxing flight can be obtained in business class. The distance between the rows will be an order of magnitude greater than in a common salon, and there will be much fewer neighbors.
Reading Statistics Before Flight
For peace of mind, look at the statistics on transport accidents, which clearly show that people are thousands of times more likely to die in ground transport. Air travel is rightfully considered the safest way to travel. For example, in the 60s of the last century, plane crashes occurred once in 200,000 flights. Today the ratio is 1:2,000,000, so put your worries aside and enjoy your flight.
Early arrival at the airport for adaptation
If thinking about the upcoming flight causes discomfort, try to arrive at the airport 3-4 hours before departure. Without unnecessary fuss, you will check in for your flight, watch other airliners take off, and have time to direct your thoughts in a positive direction.
Comfortable clothes
Choose natural materials and a loose fit. Due to the difference in atmospheric pressure, your hands, face and other parts of the body may swell during flights. Choose flat-soled shoes to reduce stress on your feet. Make sure that the belt does not put pressure on your stomach or that your bra straps do not cut too much into your shoulders. The more comfortable your clothes are, the more comfortable you will feel while in the air.
What not to do before departure
Avoid alcoholic drinks. During the flight, our body actively loses moisture and, as a result, we become severely dehydrated. In combination with alcohol, the effect can be unpredictable, so the best choice is tomato juice. The drink contains a lot of magnesium and potassium, which have a beneficial effect on the heart and improve blood flow.
And a few more tips:
- Avoid caffeinated drinks. This excites the nervous system, so if panic occurs, it will be doubly difficult to calm down;
- Do not eat fatty foods so as not to provoke an attack of nausea.
Don't try to search for information about disasters. Focus on useful things. For example, how a second engine helps an airplane.
What not to do if you are afraid of flying
There are several things that are not recommended to do if you have aerophobia. This:
- Excessive drinking of alcohol or indulging in any other bad habit (smoking, eating large amounts of food, etc.).
- Watching themed films, reading books or reports about plane crashes before flying.
- Deliberate reluctance to deal with the flight and all things related to it, including buying tickets, collecting documents, baggage and hand luggage, checking in on time, and the like. All these and other actions will lead to problems and complications, which will only worsen the fear.
What to do during the flight
It is easier to cope with fear if the brain is busy with some interesting activity. Turn on your favorite movie, read a book or draw in a notebook. The main thing is to do it meaningfully, and not mechanically, then all thoughts will be focused on the process and fear will recede.
Meeting the staff on the plane
Some airlines allow passengers to go into the cockpit shortly before departure for a personal introduction. When a person sees friendly people in uniform in front of him, confidence in their competence increases significantly. The understanding comes that these people will do everything necessary for a safe flight.
Ask the flight attendant questions about the flight that are bothering you to dispel unpleasant thoughts. If you are claustrophobic, ask to be moved to a seat next to the window. The staff often meets passengers halfway in such situations.
Preparing for turbulence
First, choose seats in the front or center of the plane. In the “tail” turbulence is felt especially strongly. Secondly, during the flight, perform simple but effective exercises:
- If you are right-handed, then write your name a hundred times with your left hand. Try to write carefully so that the process takes maximum attention. As soon as the brain receives an important task, it will forget about fear;
- if panic continues to rise, take a drinking straw and start breathing through it. The method works by reducing the amount of air entering the lungs, which helps normalize the breathing rhythm.
The most important thing is to constantly remember that turbulence does not provoke disasters, and from the moment the first airplane in history took off until the present time, about 50 people have suffered from this phenomenon.
If the phobia is not treated
When it is impossible to avoid flying, and you are terrified of it, problems not only of a psychological nature begin. If you do not learn to cope with fears, the phobia completely absorbs the person, turning him into a gloomy neurasthenic.
- Before an upcoming flight, a person begins to be overcome by panicky thoughts, as a result he is tormented by nightmares, or he cannot sleep at all;
- Becoming irritable and sleep-deprived, the aerophobe lashes out at people close to him, causing family relationships to deteriorate;
- Those who hide their fears find it even more difficult to endure flying. A phobia driven deep into oneself leads to the development of heart disease, hypertension, and heart attacks;
- If the need to fly is related to professional activities, every attempt to delay the flight or replace it with another type of movement affects career growth. Psychological shocks on this occasion make the aerophobe a patient in the neurological department;
- The fear of using the services of airlines impoverishes your vacation - not every resort can be quickly and easily reached by rail (let alone by car).
Important! Any type of phobia will progress quickly if you subordinate your psyche to it and refuse the help of professionals.
Hoping that he can cope on his own, a person resorts to using powerful psychotropic drugs or alcohol. The more often the need to fly arises, the faster the bad habit develops. Such doping does not make the situation easier, but makes it even worse.
Alcohol in conditions of low pressure and dry air in the aircraft cabin can cause lightheadedness (sometimes with vomiting). The body is in a suspended state, and even a small amount of alcohol at an altitude of several thousand meters from the Earth can cause severe intoxication, which results in loss of strength. This immediately worsens a drunk person’s mood, and panic sets in with even greater force.
How to stop a panic attack
Alert your flight attendant or your next-door neighbor about the problem to get psychological support. Going through the experience alone will only intensify negative emotions. Passengers often happily engage in conversation and try to support the aerophobe and begin to calm his worries with sound arguments.
To ease a panic attack, try to relax your body muscles and begin to even out your breathing (the technique described above). You can pinch your hand or lightly squeeze the wrist area - a weak injection of pain will instantly distract your thoughts from the terrible scenarios that are playing out in your head.
Seeking medical help
In cases where it is not possible to cope with attacks of aerophobia with the help of practical distraction exercises, do not delay a visit to a psychologist. Severe anxiety can be recognized by the following signs:
- on the eve of the flight, insomnia is tormented, emotional stress is felt;
- thinking about flying leads to attacks of uncontrollable attacks;
- you realize the groundlessness of your fears, but the tension continues to grow;
- you decide to cancel the flight, regardless of the importance of the trip.
Already at the first conversation, the psychologist will determine which related phobias caused aerophobia. They will help you find the right solution to overcome your fears and, if necessary, prescribe a course of medication.
How is the treatment carried out?
The basis of getting rid of fears is deep psychoanalysis. All you need to do is answer questions openly and share your concerns so that the doctor can see the full picture of your anxiety.
Treatment varies depending on the underlying cause of aerophobia. For example, in psychotherapy, hypnosis is considered an effective technique. However, you should be careful not to fall into the hands of charlatans who will aggravate the situation.
Psychotherapy courses
There are several methods that can be used to effectively overcome painful aerophobia:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy reproduces in detail the picture of the upcoming flight and repeats the action as many times as required for a particular individual to dull emotions. In this way, a person learns to relax, and the flight begins to be associated with calmness;
- Hypnotic therapy helps to look at the stress experienced more deeply and pull out from the subconscious the details that contributed to the development of panic attacks. Knowing the true reasons, it is much easier to eliminate them.
The duration of the course depends on the degree of development of aerophobia. In advanced cases, treatment will take several weeks.
Treatment with drugs
Mostly sedative medications are prescribed, which reduce anxiety and act as a sedative. For example, “Persen”, “Novopassit” or a regular infusion of valerian. In case of nervous disorder, tranquilizers are prescribed to help cope with attacks.
During the treatment, the functioning of the central nervous system is restored, and the manifestations of neurosis are leveled. Immediately before boarding the plane, it is recommended to take a Phenozepam tablet (according to a doctor’s prescription), which helps to relax and promotes sound sleep.
Medicines
It is impossible to recommend a universal list of tablets for aerophobia. The attending physician should select medications and advise the patient which medications are best for him to take immediately before the flight. All medications for suppressing pathological fear and inexplicable anxiety can be divided into several groups:
- Sedatives.
- Anti-anxiety.
- Anticonvulsants.
- To relieve spasms in the muscular system.
- To inhibit nerve impulses.
There are medications that the doctor prescribes long before the planned flight. The optimal preparatory drug course lasts about 3 weeks. To quickly solve the problem, there are medications that are taken during the flight:
- rapid action - the required concentration of the active substance is achieved after a single dose of the drug and lasts for several hours;
- cumulative - the first tablet should be taken before the flight, then at intervals of 30-60 minutes to maintain the required concentration of the drug.
You should not rely only on drug therapy. Medicines from these groups have a negative effect on the nervous system as a whole. If a person’s life is connected with constant flights, the problem must be solved using a set of measures.
How to help your child overcome his fear of flying
Children extremely rarely suffer from aerophobia, since this condition begins to form after 25 years. If your child shows anxiety and is afraid to take off, reassure him with stories about the safety of air transport. Don't forget to bring coloring books and crayons on board or let your child play their favorite game. This will leave a pleasant impression of the flight, and in the future the child will not be afraid to fly on an airplane.
Practical advice
There are several effective techniques to help passengers combat their fear of air travel.
Expert advice:
- Drive away obsessive thoughts. Study the statistics and listen to common sense - the risks of getting into a plane crash are extremely low, which means you shouldn’t torment yourself and take your mental state to extremes.
- Favorite music or a book with an exciting plot will help you take your mind off negative thoughts and experiences.
- Try to travel by air with loved ones or friends who can provide moral support and help in the fight against fear.
- Prepare for your flight in advance and prepare for your planned trip. On the road, take mints or chewing gum, comfortable slippers and comfortable clothes that do not restrict movement.
- Don't take window seats if you're afraid of heights.
- Don't try to drown out your fear with alcohol. Drinking alcohol on board often leads to the most unfavorable consequences.
Observe your condition and determine which methods most effectively help you distract yourself from your worries and overcome the fear of flying, and use these techniques on subsequent air travel. We also suggest that you familiarize yourself with how to make it easier to endure an airplane flight.
Common stereotypes and their inconsistency
It's time to dispel the persistent myths and stereotypical ideas about flying that sometimes make us afraid to fly. The three most common are:
- Pilots drink alcohol in the cockpit. In this case, the airline is deprived of the right to carry passengers and loses its international quality certificate. Do you know at least one like this?
- Only major airlines provide security. Each aircraft undergoes a pre-flight inspection, regardless of the name of the carrier. In fact, a KogalymAvia flight will be as safe as a Delta Airlines flight.
- Old planes can fall apart in the air. In aviation, there are two categories of transport - serviceable and faulty, which in no way depends on the life of the aircraft. For example, in a large American part of the aircraft fleet, aircraft are at least 20 years old. This did not prevent it from becoming a leader in the international transportation industry.
Look at such stereotypes critically and double-check the information to stop being afraid and start flying on an airplane with pleasure.
How to stop being afraid of flying
To get rid of aerophobia forever, you need to find the root cause of fear and eliminate it. For this it is better to consult a psychologist. The following tips will help temporarily alleviate the condition.
What not to do
It is not recommended to drink alcohol. The calming effect from it is short-term, and after that there is even greater anxiety. Alcohol leads to dehydration and fatigue. For approximately the same reasons, you should not drink coffee; it increases blood pressure and further excites the psyche.
How to prepare for a flight
Avoid physical and emotional stress before flying. Get in a positive mood: remember the statistics, imagine an exciting vacation or successful completion of the tasks that await you, remember the safe flights of your friends.
What else you need to do before the flight to stop being afraid:
- double-check your luggage and documents, you don’t need unnecessary worry;
- take with you a sedative and pills that may be useful (this will give you a feeling of support and security);
- think about what will distract you, take it with you, download a book or buy the necessary thing.
You can get rid of the fear of flying by training on special flight simulators. Psychologists also practice this method. The main thing is that someone and you yourself remind that the training takes place on Earth. Exercises on the simulator are completely safe, but this will allow you to get used to the sensations of flying.
How to overcome childhood fears and prepare your child for flight:
- colorfully talk about the delights of the trip, the upcoming vacation;
- tell in detail about each stage of the flight (from check-in to landing) so that the child does not suffer from fear of the unknown;
- talk about the rules of conduct on an airplane;
- tell them that there is a toilet and first aid equipment on the plane, and that parents and staff are always ready to help if something happens;
- play the role-playing game “flight” (suitable for preschoolers);
- make an association with beautiful and free birds that also fly;
Older children can be introduced to the statistics and specifics of aircraft operation. You can give your child a toy or other thing that he has long dreamed of. This will connect the flight with pleasant emotions and distract the child.
Behavior during flight
If you are having a panic attack, use breathing exercises. Do it with your eyes closed, concentrate on inhaling and exhaling, say it or count to yourself.
Try to convince yourself that the fear is irrational and that the deterioration in well-being is a consequence of the phobia. Your physical condition will return to normal as soon as you calm down mentally.
It is important! If you understand that you cannot cope with fear on your own, then contact the flight attendant. Tell us about your experiences, let me help you. Airplane personnel are trained to provide medical assistance and calm people during panic and phobia attacks.
What to do during turbulence
What to do:
- breathe deeply;
- repeat that pilots have all the necessary skills;
- try to distract yourself;
- listen carefully to the flight attendants;
- remind that turbulence is just an alternative to potholes on the roads.
It is important! The turbulence zone can be compared to bumps on the road. This situation does not pose a threat. The load on an airplane in a turbulence zone is even lower than the load on a car while driving on a bad road.