Aviatophobia is defined as a fear of flying. It is also referred to as aviophobia, aerophobia or pteromechanophobia. People who suffer from aviatophobia become anxious and stressed at the thought of any transportation that involves air travel.
They may experience symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating and heavy breathing once they are in flight and have to contend with noisy aircraft movements and turbulence. Some people will have images of the plane crashing flash through their mind while others may be claustrophobic or have a fear of heights.
Very often, aviatophobia is often associated with other fears and phobias, and may not actually be about the flight. It is viewed as a symptom and not a disorder as a number of different causes may contribute to the fear of flying that manifests itself in different people.