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DEAR ABBY: This letter is in reference to the one
from the pilot ("Joey Jet") who was afraid of roller
coasters. You were right when you said his fear
stemmed from the fact that he wasn't in control when
he was on an amusement park ride.
It has been decades, but I still remember a ride at an
amusement park where my boyfriend and I shared a
seat and one of us could direct our "airplane flight"
with a knob. When he directed us, everything was fine.
As soon as I took the knob, he got sick and had to take
the controls from me. As long as he was in control, he
was fine.
As it turned out, he became a bomber pilot in World
War II and flew 35 missions out of England over
Germany. -- AUDREY IN PORT RICHEY, FLA.
DEAR AUDREY: That's interesting. If the number of
letters I have received from pilots is any indication,
"Joey Jet" is far from alone in suffering from the
problem. Read on for an eye-opener:
DEAR ABBY: I have been both a pilot and an airport
traffic controller, and have logged millions of
passenger miles. I share the same problem as "Joey
Jet." I have acrophobia -- a fear of heights. While I have
no fear of flying, I cannot tolerate high amusement
park rides like roller coasters.
I agree with you that lack of control plays a part, but it's
also the fact that rides, tall buildings and canyon ledges
are VISIBLY CONNECTED to the ground. When
you're flying high in the sky, only your flight
instruments measure altitude and speed.
Nothing compares to that exhilarating sensation of
"loosing the bonds of Earth" on takeoff. -- UP AND
AWAY GRANDMA IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR UP AND AWAY: Thank you for the expert
input, but I disagree. For me, nothing compares to the
relief I feel coasting to the terminal after a safe
landing.
Dear Abby is written by Pauline Phillips and daughter
Jeanne Phillips.
COPYRIGHT 2001 UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
Originally Published on May-16-2001
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