I thought about this today after yet another moment of terror while flying my jet. My beloved Avonds Rafale was turning on final approach when I saw that it was sinking towards the ground instead of heading toward the field. Worse yet, it was behind a stand of pretty tall trees. Thanks to the late spring here in Minnesota, there were no leaves on the trees, so I could see the plane slowly falling out of the sky.

The pilot (me) had committed the usually fatal mistake with a delta wing plane: not keeping the speed up in a turn. I applied full power and full up and for a few seconds just watched and waited for whatever would happen. All I could do was keep the wings level and hope as the little RAM 500 spooled up to full RPM and slowly pushed the Rafale higher: would it clear the trees? Yes! It just mushed over the tops, and then down to a safe landing. Landing a jet with shaking hands is not an easy thing.

This experience got me thinking back to all the jet flights I have had in the last 5 years. And I can't think of one of them where I really felt relaxed. The act of putting several thousand dollars of airplane into the air at 150 or 200 mph just does not seem to lead to a feeling of serenity and peace. More like constant anxiety with moments of sheer terror. I have never crashed a jet, but have come very close a bunch of times. I think that luck has been with me, since there are times when dumb mistakes have come out OK. But I know that can't last, so every time I take off, it is shaky knees time.

Is it the same with you guys? Does the anxiety and apprehension ever go away? I love this hobby and am not about to quit flying jets, but it would sure be nice not to be afraid every time I take off.