Free self-check · 2 minutes
Fear of flying test
Ten plain questions about how flying affects you, from booking to landing. Takes two minutes and is not a diagnosis, just a clear picture and next steps.
What the fear of flying test measures
10 statements about flying, in three groups: the fear itself, how much you avoid flying, and what the fear costs you. The table shows how many statements each group has and one example from the test.
| Kind | Statements | What it means | Example from the test |
|---|---|---|---|
| The fear itself | 6 | Dread, panic or physical reactions in the situation or at the thought of it | When the plane shakes in turbulence, you feel sure something is going wrong. |
| Avoiding the situation | 2 | Going out of your way not to face the situation | You choose a long drive or a train over a flight, even when it costs you more time. |
| What it costs you | 2 | The fear costing you plans, work, money, care or time with people | You miss trips, weddings, or work events because they mean flying. |
It is not a diagnosis. A self-check cannot ask how long the fear has lasted or rule out other causes, and only a doctor or a therapist can say whether it is a phobia. Not sure flying is the fear that matters most? The what phobia do I have guide puts the three self-checks side by side.
How this test works
10 statements about flying: how you feel when you are facing them, whether you go out of your way to avoid them, and whether the fear costs you anything in daily life. For each one you pick how often it is true for you: never or almost never, sometimes, often, or almost always.
The result is one of three levels: mild, moderate or marked. The page then shows what set it: how your answers came out on the whole, the statements you answered "often" or "almost always", and two rules that override the average. Avoiding the situation often counts as at least moderate. The fear often costing you something counts as marked.
Why there is no score: a number out of 30 looks precise but hides what matters. Two people with the same total can be in very different places, one who feels afraid but goes anyway, and one who has quietly stopped going. A level, the statements behind it and the rules in plain words tell you more than a figure would, and they are honest about how rough a 10-question check is.
Fear or phobia?
Fear is a normal alarm. It fires near a real drop, in real turbulence or in a stuck elevator, and it settles once the situation is over. A phobia is the same alarm gone out of proportion: it fires at the thought of flying, well beyond the actual danger; you avoid the situation or get through it in distress; it lasts for months rather than days; and it costs you something, such as a plan, a job or a relationship. That is how the NHS describes phobias (opens in a new tab), and it is the line this self-check is built around.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this an official aerophobia test?
- No. It is a free self-check written in plain language: 10 statements about how you react to flying, 4 answers each, and one of three levels with the reasons behind it. Only a clinician can diagnose a phobia.
- What counts as a phobia of flying?
- Many people dislike turbulence or take-off. It looks more like a phobia when the dread starts days before a flight, when you avoid flying or only get through it with a drink, a pill or white knuckles, when it has lasted months, and when it costs you trips, family visits or work.
- Can a fear of flying be about something else?
- Often, yes. For some people the problem is the crash they imagine; for others it is being shut in, feeling panic rise with no way out, or not being in control. The statements cover the fear, the avoidance and the cost, and the result lists which ones counted, so you can see which part is doing the work.
- Are my answers private?
- Yes. Your answers are saved only in this browser, so you can come back to them; nothing is sent to us. "Start over" deletes them.
Guides
- How many people are afraid of flying? Fear of flying statistics, with sources
How many people are afraid of flying? More than 25 million US adults (Cleveland Clinic); estimates run from 2.5% to 40%. Every figure with its source.
- Fear of flying symptoms: what aerophobia looks like before and during a flight
Aerophobia symptoms as Cleveland Clinic lists them, the four things a clinician looks for, and which of the 10 self-check statements asks about each.
Last updated 2026-09-18. A self-check for reflection, not a diagnosis; if fear is affecting your life, talk to a doctor or a therapist.