Tom seems like the most vanilla guy, but then you hear about stuff hes done and it's mad. Like what average guy has skydived, been on tv quiz shows, ran for parliament as a pirate or created a social network solely out of emojis. Utter mad lad.
Went to the artic for three weeks where his roommate was an astronout, fell through a layer of ice inside a half submerged abondoned prison complex in estonia
Given Matt's established discomfort with dogs, I was pretty impressed by how calm he was when that doggo came over to say hi at the end. Whether because Matt has gotten better with canines or because the dog was small and fluffy, I give this interaction an A+
when I skydived, the plane was such a death trap(I'm an aircraft mechanic) I felt less afraid after exiting the plane. I'd do it again, just not at the same place.
My experience with skydiving involved a terrible series of horrible misunderstandings. To start with, I was confused for someone far, far, far more qualified than I actually was at the time, and was asked to assist on a training event for a team of French emergency responders. I was under the impression that the plan was that we all load up this cargo aircraft, climb on, fly around as if we were flying far away to where we were deploying, land at some random airfield, unload, setup, and do the training bit, then head home. Only thing is, one of these steps wasn't actually part of the plan. Specifically the landing of the aircraft before we unloaded. I was kitted out with a parachute from a group of guys who barely spoke any English, and I spoke less French, and the whole time I assumed it was just general safety gear, like being handed a hard hat and high-vis vest. I was wrong. I was so very very wrong.
I feel the exact same way about falling. I'm fine with heights as long as I'm fairly confident that what I'm standing on is secure, but the actual sensation of falling terrifies me. I've been on the Grand Canyon Skywalk without any problems, but when I was younger I used to get uncomfortable on glass-backed elevators. I like to think it's more rational than a pure fear of heights since, after all, the fall's the thing that's gonna hurt you anyway, but still. The human mind is a bizarre and deeply flawed thing.
ZipplyZane Then he would not be comfortable with being a right-seater in a Soyuz? Hopefully the mere fact that they have manual controls that they can use if necessary makes it easier to endure the automatic controls.
I've been skydiving a few times and I can say that if you do go into freefall your brain just can't recognise how high you are, so there isn't a massive falling sensation. For me, I distinctly remember it as feeling like I was laying on a table, and I didn't get that falling sensation until I was almost at the ground (under canopy) and I could accurately judge how high buildings were. That was when my brain actively started freaking out. However I can also say that the moment where I was inside the plane and they opened the door is absolutely the most horrifying instant in my entire life. According to eyewitness testimony, I went from slightly nervous and pale to absolutely petrified and near-translucent in less than a second. Still, can highly recommend the experience for anybody even a little interested.
Tom Morgan I jumped from a 10 metre high bridge, and just that was terrifying, and it was so weird when I was halfway down I already thought I would hit the ground :/ but I didn't find it that scary when I was like 40 metres up on some swing high up in the air at Tivoli or whatever the park in Denmark is called
That ending xD I've never done Sky diving but I used to be a cheerleader (and I was a flyer) - getting used to being basketed (human trampolined) five meters in the air was terrifying the first few times. I also once stood on the shoulders of the tallest man in London, so my head was a good 13-14 feet in the air, towering over everything else. It was cool for 2 seconds and then all I wanted was to make sure I was safe on the floor again. :p I think I'm now substantially less afraid of heights - but still never sure if I enjoy that thrill or not.
I did some basing too with younger teenagers and agreed, it is terrifying too (especially when _they_ don't know how to fall and you get a foot in the face whilst you're desperately trying to catch them to prevent them from being injured). Though still, having been dropped as a flier and landed on as a base, I still think being thrown can be scarier :p
Oh man, the Sum of All Thrills ride was great. I just found it funny, cause I was in line for about 20 minutes or so, and everyone who rode it before me, not a peep. Silent ride, everyone had fun. When I went on, I was yelling and screaming the whole time, and I had an amazing time. So did the attendant who let me off the ride, who could barely contain his laughter at me. For those who don't know, the ride was indoors, and there was a lot of attractions nearby, none of which are thrilling. So just imagine like a trade show with a giant robot arm set up in the middle, and they stuck a rollercoaster seat on the end, and some idiot was screaming his head off the entire time while riding it. I was that idiot, and I do not regret it at all.
Standing in line for a big coaster, noticed one of my friends (aerospace + planes nerd) studying the coaster and muttering to himself. Asked him what was up, and he went through and described every single one of the bends, rolls, drops, ect. in sequence using the airplane acrobatics terms. That was his way of knowing exactly what it was going to do so he wouldn't soil his pants riding it.
FYI: Sum of All Thrills closed in September this year. It opened in 2009, so I've never actually seen it with my eyes, even though I've been to Disney quite a few times.
It was a shame. Us roller coaster loving Disney World locals were quite sad to see it go. Thankfully it seems the arms and ride mechs still exist, just in storage, so there's always a chance it could return.
Personally, I loved free fall and hanging under canvas is amazing. Unfortunately, "time it wrong and you break your legs" - yeah, learned that the hard way...
That free fall feeling is simply the greatest feeling in the world for me. And yet I am still absolutely terrified of talking in front of a group of people
Legoland in Denmark has one of those "programmable" robotic arms Tom is describing at around 5:10 . And I am not the biggest fan of rides like this either but I thought this one sounded alright, since like Tom alluded to I knew what was going to happen. The only problem was that I was there with a friend, who rather enjoys rollercoasters, and we got mixed up so he got my ride and I got his. Needless to say, I didn't have that great of a time and my friend was pretty bored.
I'd call you a right pair of wusses for being frightened of rollercoaster and drop rides, but I'm afraid of jump-scares and I cried the first time I went into the London Dungeon...at age 14.
I'm 19 and have never been on a roller-coaster, nice to know there's two well functioning adults who don't like it either. Zip lines are fine for me though.
5:34 Last time I was at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., they had a flight simulator where it rotated and turned with the joystick, and you could flip all the way around in it. I'm not sure if it's still there, but that sounds like Matt's kind of ride
I used to hate falling. For some masochistic reason I forced myself to keep getting on coasters and other rides. Eventually I started to like it. This culminated in me working at a theme park for a summer and riding what was once the world's fastest coaster (from 1991 to 1996) multiple times a day.
I went to a climbing centre where it is automatic so you clip in and it slows you when you drop down. It has a little bit of free fall before it "catches" you. It is really bad and you would hate it. only like one foot but it still is terrifying. You have to just let go of the climbing wall. Oh my god.
I tabbed away for the end slate thing, so I can't even see Tom's face for that bit at the very end. I nearly died laughing from just the sound of that outta nowhere.
I'm with Tom. The moment where you come over the top of the hill to start your descent and you get that moment of weightlessness/stomach dropping is why I don't do roller coasters.
You just made me realize that I want to go skydiving again. It's been more than twenty years and I crashed into a tree because it was a wee bit windy that day, but I LOVE conquering my fears. :-D
The whole conversation about wanting control of the ride reminds me of this simulator at the London Science Museum where you were in a little box which simulates a jet fighter, and you can use a joystick to go up, down and upside down. It’s really cool, because you can ease yourself into the more intense stuff, and you have control
I love that sinking stomach feeling. I'd even enjoy air holes while flying if it wasn't for the whole being thousands of feet in the air bit. I hate free fall towers, but drops on roller coasters are great.
I've never liked rollercoasters either. Been on one maybe 20-odd years ago with my Mom at Canada's Wonderland... I know people like the feeling they get on a coaster, and even my Mother loved it, and I couldn't stand it. I've never been on one again since, and I'm 50 now.
My attitude to scary things is always to natter on about every single detail of every single thing I am doing, saying, thinking, recursing, regular cursing etc etc, until it's over or I get to the fun part. Being able to verbally dissect my experience is never so useful as it is in that moment, and I think Tom should give it a try because he's better at it than I am. My scariest moment was before I learned to do this, when I fell off a cliff with my mum. Weirdly, at the time, the piggyback that occurred right afterwards (on a friendly skier; I lost a ski to the tree that caught us) might have felt worse, but I don't really remember the actual feelings of the event. I've never liked heights because I hate feeling unstable and, unlike Matt, I trust engineering a lot more than I trust my own body (or anyone else's). I don't recall feeling unstable in the tree, as such,; I just knew that I would fall to my untimely ouchies (death was a little strong for child me) if anything happened to the chain of mother, ski, branch, tree that was keeping me aloft. I'm fine with rollercoasters and I've learned to trust the strength and coordination of others (since I'm medically clumsy it turns out), but I can't stand walking along a narrow wall or steep hill (though I can ski directly down one). Love the pier walk at St Andrews, because it's essentially exactly that and I'm learning to trust myself more (even if the people around me find my rambling dialogue hilarinnoying).
Tom then: I think the most scared I've ever been is just before I jumped out of a plane while going skydiving Tom now: I just flew a plane, blindfolded
I don't know if you'll ever see this @Tom Scott but here's some friendly advice from someone who's figured out the freefall problem: PHYSICALLY relax. I figured this out when I worked for a carnival. When you're on an amusement ride, you have a bad option and a good option. The bad option is to tense up. When you tense up, your body just gets stiffer and stiffer, which is horribly unpleasant. The good option is to, essentially, become like a ragdoll. Physically relax as much as practical. Remember that there are safeties in place, so you won't fall out of the chair.
I absolutely hate the sensation of falling! I was just nodding along with everything you were saying. I won't do roller coasters, and I have zero desire to ever jump from a plane. I don't even like jumping off of high dives into pools because they're high enough to get that sensation. It's awful! So glad to hear y'all have the same issue and I'm not alone on this.
I'm glad I'm not the only one with the control thing. I feel exactly the same. Alpine slide where I control the speed? Not a problem, even going really fast. Riding a tandem bike on the back seat with my dad steering at ~10 km/h? Horrible!
When Matt says he would be happy catching air driving over a hump-back bridge because he's got a (at that point, useless) brake pedal ... I remember a few years ago watching an F1 race where one of the cars flipped and flew through the air, and yes, the driver was still trying to brake while his head was closer to the ground than any of the wheels...
Pity you don't care for roller coasters or skydiving. I've never done the latter, but boy would I love to. At 6'2" though it's very easy to get quickly over their weight limit for tandem jumps.
In the London Science Museum, there was a plane simulator which had a large joystick in it and you could turn yourself upside down in it. You controlled everything!
Having just watched Tom on Only Connect, with the next Park Bench be titled "Surprise", with the obvious two next episodes? (Ending there, of course, because we already know about the fifth one.)
I did a static line jump too. My experience was that I was absolutely terrified while the plane was climbing to altitude; I think it was the anticipation and the fact that I was facing the unknown. However, once I was sitting in the open doorway looking down at the ground, my fear disappeared. I've thought about it a lot since, and I can only conclude that any fear of heights I have is triggered by the perspective lines of the vertical wall of whatever I'm standing on. When there's literally nothing but air, the ground looks like a harmless aerial photograph, and I don't find it scary. Very odd! Oh yeah, and funny story: I did a perfect flare as I landed, stepped lightly onto the ground, whooped with triumph... and tripped over a stone and fell on my face. :-P
I can relate to the control thing with the Roller Coasters. I've never actually been on one, firstly because I already get motion sickness in the backseat of a car, secondly because I have to give up control completely and I'm scared. A Rollercoaster going 70km/h? Hell no! Me driving a car at 200km/h? Yeah, sure!
5:00 I was just thinking about Sum of All Thrills when you said that, because I'm the same way, and I love that. I say loved, not because I can't go back to Epcot, I'm going to College (uni/school/however you want to say that) in Florida, so I can get there easily enough, but they've closed it down.
I'm quite a big roller coaster fan. I like steel roller coasters; wooden roller coasters shake and give me a headache. Steel is smooth and lets you experience the maneuvers. Coasters built by B&M aren't very intense; for example, the main drops tend to turn to the side so there are some G's from turning pulling you into the seat and the fall floating you out of it. They give you the most sensation of flying. Intamin AG tends to make the more intense coasters, and it is the long straight falls, the feeling of weightlessness. Now, I've also done some aerobatics training back when I was a flight instructor, and even a Cessna 150 aerobat can produce much more intense sensations than the most badass roller coasters. I don't get motion sickness very easily, but I did have to slow it down with my aerobatics instructor after about 40 minutes of loops, rolls and spins.
I had a really similar experience with rollercoasters at Flamingo Land when I was a bit younger. I hated it and really didn't like not being able to have an opt out too
The closest thing to a roller coaster I've been on was a "mini" train ride that went up and down a few hilly bits. The 2 most scary rides for me was An "elevator" where you would sit in a chair with a bar thing over your shoulders and it would droop really fast. The other rides were 2 very steep watersides.
Most scared I've been in recent memory is when I took my car to stress test my rebuilt brakes on some semi-remote country roads, without a licence. On the way back home, a cop car pulled right in behind me and I was certain they were there to arrest me. They weren't, still terrifying.
Scariest thing that's happened to me was the ten times I tried to get the tetanus and meningitis jabs. I still didn't manage it and I still feel terrible.
I discovered recently that I feel much better on roller-coasters with full over the shoulder harnesses than just a lap bar, even though they are more intense.
Just remember how differently peoples' brains can react. Even if you don't think you like freefall you might find it to be the most exciting thing of your life. And if not, well, at least you tried it, right? :)
@IstasPumaNevada: I agree with that, I never thought I would like Ziplining because I'm scared of heights (waist-level railings at building roofs terrify me, as well as hollow stairs), but when I tried it and felt how well I'm being held to the wire, my brain immediately clicked, my brain realized I can't fall even if I tried to, and suddenly sanding on rail-less platforms on trees and looking down was actually a pleasant and empowering feeling, like nothing can scare me anymore!
Tom seems like the most vanilla guy, but then you hear about stuff hes done and it's mad. Like what average guy has skydived, been on tv quiz shows, ran for parliament as a pirate or created a social network solely out of emojis. Utter mad lad.
that's why he was called mad capn tom
Now you can add: Passed out in a centrifuge, got a ride with a military jet, been on a zero-g flight to that list.
Went to the artic for three weeks where his roommate was an astronout, fell through a layer of ice inside a half submerged abondoned prison complex in estonia
me
Flew a kite in a public place
Tom looks like a disgraced Labour MP who has been caught in the middle of a scandal and Matt is his weirdly dressed adviser telling him what to say.
Suddenly realised where I recognise Tom from - I did the same sponsored parachute jump! It has been bugging me for years! Small world...
Does Toms accent slip back to his Nottingham roots when he reminisces about emotional memories?
Very likely.
Given Matt's established discomfort with dogs, I was pretty impressed by how calm he was when that doggo came over to say hi at the end. Whether because Matt has gotten better with canines or because the dog was small and fluffy, I give this interaction an A+
I think Matt's more comfy with small, calm, loving looking dogs.
Have they clarified that he's uncomfortable around them? I thought he just didn't particularly like them.
@@klimpomp “I can't f**king stand them [dogs]” - Matt Gray on at least one park bench video I can't be bothered to find
Good job Tom for overcoming your phobia of roller coasters 🎉
Eyyyy
when I skydived, the plane was such a death trap(I'm an aircraft mechanic) I felt less afraid after exiting the plane. I'd do it again, just not at the same place.
That made me laugh. :) You sound admirably reasonable.
"Doing it more makes it more terrifying"
> the torture of anxiety exposure therapy/recovery is relevant here.
But it exists for a reason. Terrifying but effective
@@zyaicob True, but to some patients it's detrimental
Like most treatments, it works for a lot of people, but not all. And it's probably impossible to tell one from the other until you do it.
My experience with skydiving involved a terrible series of horrible misunderstandings.
To start with, I was confused for someone far, far, far more qualified than I actually was at the time, and was asked to assist on a training event for a team of French emergency responders.
I was under the impression that the plan was that we all load up this cargo aircraft, climb on, fly around as if we were flying far away to where we were deploying, land at some random airfield, unload, setup, and do the training bit, then head home.
Only thing is, one of these steps wasn't actually part of the plan. Specifically the landing of the aircraft before we unloaded.
I was kitted out with a parachute from a group of guys who barely spoke any English, and I spoke less French, and the whole time I assumed it was just general safety gear, like being handed a hard hat and high-vis vest.
I was wrong.
I was so very very wrong.
Incredible story you've got there! Did it all work though?
Fabrício Lara
No, he wrote that on the way down.
I mean, after discovering he was supposed to USE the parachute.
I did read the full comment.
ExF1Guy Smart phones have amazing range these days...
But seriously, three cheers for static line drops. They're typically very hard to screw up.
Well, at least your username is appropriate.
Watching Tom flail around while he falls out of a plane made my day.
Can you at least get a red suit?
He isn't Deadpool.
...or IS HE
twitter.com/tomscott/status/710194381098188801
He isn't Miles Edgeworth.
...or IS HE
I feel the exact same way about falling. I'm fine with heights as long as I'm fairly confident that what I'm standing on is secure, but the actual sensation of falling terrifies me. I've been on the Grand Canyon Skywalk without any problems, but when I was younger I used to get uncomfortable on glass-backed elevators. I like to think it's more rational than a pure fear of heights since, after all, the fall's the thing that's gonna hurt you anyway, but still. The human mind is a bizarre and deeply flawed thing.
Shocked to find a creator I follow in the comments of a 3-year old video!
Well, the fall is not the thing that hurts you … its the aprupt end of the fall that is a problem. XD
So what I'm hearing is you guys aren't going to space.
Not Tom, at least. Matt does seem to want to, but I can see some hurdles in the training requirements.
Yeah, but Matt would need to drive. And be able to escape if necessary.
ZipplyZane Then he would not be comfortable with being a right-seater in a Soyuz? Hopefully the mere fact that they have manual controls that they can use if necessary makes it easier to endure the automatic controls.
And then a year later, Tom does a Zero G / Vomit Comet flight!
I've been thinking exactly the same
Youre right, Tom on the left & Matt on the right is absolutely a feeling of fear & unease
I've been skydiving a few times and I can say that if you do go into freefall your brain just can't recognise how high you are, so there isn't a massive falling sensation. For me, I distinctly remember it as feeling like I was laying on a table, and I didn't get that falling sensation until I was almost at the ground (under canopy) and I could accurately judge how high buildings were. That was when my brain actively started freaking out. However I can also say that the moment where I was inside the plane and they opened the door is absolutely the most horrifying instant in my entire life. According to eyewitness testimony, I went from slightly nervous and pale to absolutely petrified and near-translucent in less than a second. Still, can highly recommend the experience for anybody even a little interested.
Tom Morgan I jumped from a 10 metre high bridge, and just that was terrifying, and it was so weird when I was halfway down I already thought I would hit the ground :/ but I didn't find it that scary when I was like 40 metres up on some swing high up in the air at Tivoli or whatever the park in Denmark is called
Something looks different about Tom, must be a new haircut.
Dliess Mgg Or what he's wearing. Maybe he cut his fingernails. I don't know though.
his hair is parted?
Dliess Mgg We're just gonna keep bringing this up, aren't we?
+GuyNamedSean .... yop, that's exactly what we're gonna do...
KohuGaly I wonder how he's handling the oncoming loss.
I love how this video looks like they found a random security camera and decided to talk at it.
That ending xD
I've never done Sky diving but I used to be a cheerleader (and I was a flyer) - getting used to being basketed (human trampolined) five meters in the air was terrifying the first few times. I also once stood on the shoulders of the tallest man in London, so my head was a good 13-14 feet in the air, towering over everything else. It was cool for 2 seconds and then all I wanted was to make sure I was safe on the floor again. :p
I think I'm now substantially less afraid of heights - but still never sure if I enjoy that thrill or not.
I did some basing too with younger teenagers and agreed, it is terrifying too (especially when _they_ don't know how to fall and you get a foot in the face whilst you're desperately trying to catch them to prevent them from being injured).
Though still, having been dropped as a flier and landed on as a base, I still think being thrown can be scarier :p
It must be said, Tom, that you do clean up nicely. You look quite handsome wearing a suit and glasses.
So you're telling me that he isn't always handsome.
Handsome in red shirt. More Handsome in a suit. Source: hetero male.
I smell some simpin (lmao a memer who watches Tom Scott regualry)
Oh man, the Sum of All Thrills ride was great. I just found it funny, cause I was in line for about 20 minutes or so, and everyone who rode it before me, not a peep. Silent ride, everyone had fun.
When I went on, I was yelling and screaming the whole time, and I had an amazing time. So did the attendant who let me off the ride, who could barely contain his laughter at me.
For those who don't know, the ride was indoors, and there was a lot of attractions nearby, none of which are thrilling. So just imagine like a trade show with a giant robot arm set up in the middle, and they stuck a rollercoaster seat on the end, and some idiot was screaming his head off the entire time while riding it.
I was that idiot, and I do not regret it at all.
+
Suit! He's wearing a suit! A SUUUUIIIIIIIT!
Okay, I got that out of my system. :)
We also learned that Tom and Matt are control freaks :P
Standing in line for a big coaster, noticed one of my friends (aerospace + planes nerd) studying the coaster and muttering to himself. Asked him what was up, and he went through and described every single one of the bends, rolls, drops, ect. in sequence using the airplane acrobatics terms. That was his way of knowing exactly what it was going to do so he wouldn't soil his pants riding it.
The free fall is honestly my favorite part of the rollercoaster.
Tom’s “grab-a-branch” had me a little **eeeekk**, not gonna lie.
Just couldn't take my eyes off that dog running from left to right at 3:25-4:00
the thumbnail is blocked somewhat by the timestamp indicator, it took me a second to realize what FEAP was
I think the scary thing that Tom and Matt are sat the wrong way around
FYI: Sum of All Thrills closed in September this year. It opened in 2009, so I've never actually seen it with my eyes, even though I've been to Disney quite a few times.
Aww, really? That's a shame. It was a lot of (questionably sponsored) fun! -- Tom
It was a shame. Us roller coaster loving Disney World locals were quite sad to see it go. Thankfully it seems the arms and ride mechs still exist, just in storage, so there's always a chance it could return.
Tom doesn't have his Red shirt on, this disturbs me greatly
unsubbed
He does, it's under the suit, Superman stylee.
They don't call him Joe Wicked for nothing
Straight-laced accountant Tom sexually arouses me.
@@nemoy7267 sir this is a wendy's
Nemoy this comment is 2 years old and it still terrifies me.
that outro. is that what actually happens before every episode? ahah
Personally, I loved free fall and hanging under canvas is amazing. Unfortunately, "time it wrong and you break your legs" - yeah, learned that the hard way...
I like the bit where the dog disappeared into Matt's head...
think of myself as 'not scared of heights' but my hand sweats during Tom's description of 'look up....and go' 🤢
That free fall feeling is simply the greatest feeling in the world for me. And yet I am still absolutely terrified of talking in front of a group of people
Legoland in Denmark has one of those "programmable" robotic arms Tom is describing at around 5:10 . And I am not the biggest fan of rides like this either but I thought this one sounded alright, since like Tom alluded to I knew what was going to happen. The only problem was that I was there with a friend, who rather enjoys rollercoasters, and we got mixed up so he got my ride and I got his.
Needless to say, I didn't have that great of a time and my friend was pretty bored.
the scariest part of this video is that they are sitting the wrong way round
That end bit is my new ring tone. Thanks :)
I'd call you a right pair of wusses for being frightened of rollercoaster and drop rides, but I'm afraid of jump-scares and I cried the first time I went into the London Dungeon...at age 14.
You seemed fairly calm during the Only Connect games. You looked kind of nervous, but you didn't seem panicky at all.
I'm 19 and have never been on a roller-coaster, nice to know there's two well functioning adults who don't like it either.
Zip lines are fine for me though.
And now Tom sends himself up in ESA Zero-G simulation flights and with the Red Arrows. What a badass.
I actually love roller coasters and those kind of rides. I'm scared of/really don't like frying things that pop, e.g. sausages.
To quote Evenecance, "Fear is only in our minds".
Wait. Matt is 6 FOOT 4??!
I never ever would've guessed.
I'm just now coming back to this after the man (usually) in red found out he actually does like roller-coasters and drops after all.
Tom looks so nice in the suit and glasses
5:34 Last time I was at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., they had a flight simulator where it rotated and turned with the joystick, and you could flip all the way around in it. I'm not sure if it's still there, but that sounds like Matt's kind of ride
I used to hate falling. For some masochistic reason I forced myself to keep getting on coasters and other rides. Eventually I started to like it. This culminated in me working at a theme park for a summer and riding what was once the world's fastest coaster (from 1991 to 1996) multiple times a day.
I went to a climbing centre where it is automatic so you clip in and it slows you when you drop down. It has a little bit of free fall before it "catches" you. It is really bad and you would hate it. only like one foot but it still is terrifying. You have to just let go of the climbing wall. Oh my god.
The three drop log flume was at American Adventure, right? Great memories of that place!!
Nightmare Niagara was the name!
I tabbed away for the end slate thing, so I can't even see Tom's face for that bit at the very end. I nearly died laughing from just the sound of that outta nowhere.
I think you look rather dapper in that suit and those glasses, Tom.
I'm with Tom. The moment where you come over the top of the hill to start your descent and you get that moment of weightlessness/stomach dropping is why I don't do roller coasters.
Also, I was totally distracted by the dog from 4:30-5:30.
I agree with how tom feels about roller coasters etc. I love inversions and accelerations and pulling g's but I can't stand freefall
Tom, the cutaway handle is on the right of the harness, reserve on the left! Don't forget, you never know when you'll need it ;)
Oh my goodness I feel so seen! Hate falling sensations and have vivid memories of the American Adventure log flume 😭
You just made me realize that I want to go skydiving again. It's been more than twenty years and I crashed into a tree because it was a wee bit windy that day, but I LOVE conquering my fears. :-D
The whole conversation about wanting control of the ride reminds me of this simulator at the London Science Museum where you were in a little box which simulates a jet fighter, and you can use a joystick to go up, down and upside down. It’s really cool, because you can ease yourself into the more intense stuff, and you have control
I dont know if that makes me scared or nervous or just overload
Matt: yeah
I really thought you gona bring up that time when you fell in the frozen lake with rusty fragments of old houses below.
That was more annoyed than scared
I love that sinking stomach feeling. I'd even enjoy air holes while flying if it wasn't for the whole being thousands of feet in the air bit. I hate free fall towers, but drops on roller coasters are great.
I've never liked rollercoasters either. Been on one maybe 20-odd years ago with my Mom at Canada's Wonderland... I know people like the feeling they get on a coaster, and even my Mother loved it, and I couldn't stand it. I've never been on one again since, and I'm 50 now.
Abject fear: You guys on that massive cliff in Norway.. all those jelly legs.
My attitude to scary things is always to natter on about every single detail of every single thing I am doing, saying, thinking, recursing, regular cursing etc etc, until it's over or I get to the fun part. Being able to verbally dissect my experience is never so useful as it is in that moment, and I think Tom should give it a try because he's better at it than I am.
My scariest moment was before I learned to do this, when I fell off a cliff with my mum. Weirdly, at the time, the piggyback that occurred right afterwards (on a friendly skier; I lost a ski to the tree that caught us) might have felt worse, but I don't really remember the actual feelings of the event. I've never liked heights because I hate feeling unstable and, unlike Matt, I trust engineering a lot more than I trust my own body (or anyone else's). I don't recall feeling unstable in the tree, as such,; I just knew that I would fall to my untimely ouchies (death was a little strong for child me) if anything happened to the chain of mother, ski, branch, tree that was keeping me aloft.
I'm fine with rollercoasters and I've learned to trust the strength and coordination of others (since I'm medically clumsy it turns out), but I can't stand walking along a narrow wall or steep hill (though I can ski directly down one). Love the pier walk at St Andrews, because it's essentially exactly that and I'm learning to trust myself more (even if the people around me find my rambling dialogue hilarinnoying).
Agree with Tom: zip wires = yes, pirate ship = definitely not!
How did Mad Cap'in Tom Scott survive if he can't do priate ships?
My hobby: watching the people in the background of park bench
Live control of the ride you're on with a joystick sounds like a moneymaker. If you can make rides, you could easily make that work.
Tom then: I think the most scared I've ever been is just before I jumped out of a plane while going skydiving
Tom now: I just flew a plane, blindfolded
I once went on a carnival ride, and I thought it just went in circles, but nope. I wanted to die the entire time as I flew upside down
Matt, how do you tolerate planes? It sounds to me like there would be a lot for you to dislike there, especially at the start and finish.
Yes. There really is! -- Tom
I don't know if you'll ever see this @Tom Scott but here's some friendly advice from someone who's figured out the freefall problem:
PHYSICALLY relax. I figured this out when I worked for a carnival. When you're on an amusement ride, you have a bad option and a good option. The bad option is to tense up. When you tense up, your body just gets stiffer and stiffer, which is horribly unpleasant.
The good option is to, essentially, become like a ragdoll. Physically relax as much as practical. Remember that there are safeties in place, so you won't fall out of the chair.
I absolutely hate the sensation of falling! I was just nodding along with everything you were saying. I won't do roller coasters, and I have zero desire to ever jump from a plane. I don't even like jumping off of high dives into pools because they're high enough to get that sensation. It's awful! So glad to hear y'all have the same issue and I'm not alone on this.
Sum of All Thrills was discontinued, i was really disappointed to learn that the other day.
Tom's so supportive
imagine finding out you don't like skydiving on the THIRD TRY
I'm glad I'm not the only one with the control thing. I feel exactly the same. Alpine slide where I control the speed? Not a problem, even going really fast. Riding a tandem bike on the back seat with my dad steering at ~10 km/h? Horrible!
When Matt says he would be happy catching air driving over a hump-back bridge because he's got a (at that point, useless) brake pedal ... I remember a few years ago watching an F1 race where one of the cars flipped and flew through the air, and yes, the driver was still trying to brake while his head was closer to the ground than any of the wheels...
Pity you don't care for roller coasters or skydiving. I've never done the latter, but boy would I love to. At 6'2" though it's very easy to get quickly over their weight limit for tandem jumps.
In the London Science Museum, there was a plane simulator which had a large joystick in it and you could turn yourself upside down in it. You controlled everything!
legoland has had a programable robocoaster for years
Having just watched Tom on Only Connect, with the next Park Bench be titled "Surprise", with the obvious two next episodes? (Ending there, of course, because we already know about the fifth one.)
I think tom's done scarier things since...
11:46 That shuckle and sigh...
12:10 WHAT?!?
Niki Groeger Taaaaaiiiiiinnnt!!
Could we get a park bench of just that for 10 minutes please?
J. van der Linden This. Up vote This.
nice pic
busk63 Do you mean me? If yes, Thanks.
I did a static line jump too. My experience was that I was absolutely terrified while the plane was climbing to altitude; I think it was the anticipation and the fact that I was facing the unknown. However, once I was sitting in the open doorway looking down at the ground, my fear disappeared. I've thought about it a lot since, and I can only conclude that any fear of heights I have is triggered by the perspective lines of the vertical wall of whatever I'm standing on. When there's literally nothing but air, the ground looks like a harmless aerial photograph, and I don't find it scary. Very odd! Oh yeah, and funny story: I did a perfect flare as I landed, stepped lightly onto the ground, whooped with triumph... and tripped over a stone and fell on my face. :-P
I went on that robot arm ride at Epcot. Loved it because I could just wimp out basically.
I can relate to the control thing with the Roller Coasters. I've never actually been on one, firstly because I already get motion sickness in the backseat of a car, secondly because I have to give up control completely and I'm scared. A Rollercoaster going 70km/h? Hell no! Me driving a car at 200km/h? Yeah, sure!
5:00 I was just thinking about Sum of All Thrills when you said that, because I'm the same way, and I love that. I say loved, not because I can't go back to Epcot, I'm going to College (uni/school/however you want to say that) in Florida, so I can get there easily enough, but they've closed it down.
After I posted that, you didn't mention the big black emergency stop button, which is what makes the whole thing okay.
I'm quite a big roller coaster fan. I like steel roller coasters; wooden roller coasters shake and give me a headache. Steel is smooth and lets you experience the maneuvers.
Coasters built by B&M aren't very intense; for example, the main drops tend to turn to the side so there are some G's from turning pulling you into the seat and the fall floating you out of it. They give you the most sensation of flying. Intamin AG tends to make the more intense coasters, and it is the long straight falls, the feeling of weightlessness.
Now, I've also done some aerobatics training back when I was a flight instructor, and even a Cessna 150 aerobat can produce much more intense sensations than the most badass roller coasters. I don't get motion sickness very easily, but I did have to slow it down with my aerobatics instructor after about 40 minutes of loops, rolls and spins.
Matt Gray’s Hypothetical Paragliding
I had a really similar experience with rollercoasters at Flamingo Land when I was a bit younger. I hated it and really didn't like not being able to have an opt out too
The closest thing to a roller coaster I've been on was a "mini" train ride that went up and down a few hilly bits.
The 2 most scary rides for me was An "elevator" where you would sit in a chair with a bar thing over your shoulders and it would droop really fast. The other rides were 2 very steep watersides.
Most scared I've been in recent memory is when I took my car to stress test my rebuilt brakes on some semi-remote country roads, without a licence. On the way back home, a cop car pulled right in behind me and I was certain they were there to arrest me. They weren't, still terrifying.
TOM IS STILL IN A SUIT! IT'S STILL WEIRD!
Why is dressing like a proper adult weird?
@@theblackwidower WEIRD
Scariest thing that's happened to me was the ten times I tried to get the tetanus and meningitis jabs. I still didn't manage it and I still feel terrible.
I discovered recently that I feel much better on roller-coasters with full over the shoulder harnesses than just a lap bar, even though they are more intense.
I loose circulation to my legs during moments of stress and also get the tunnel vision! It's horrible
You do realise I am now partly put of skydiving. Thanks Tom!
Just remember how differently peoples' brains can react. Even if you don't think you like freefall you might find it to be the most exciting thing of your life. And if not, well, at least you tried it, right? :)
@IstasPumaNevada: I agree with that, I never thought I would like Ziplining because I'm scared of heights (waist-level railings at building roofs terrify me, as well as hollow stairs), but when I tried it and felt how well I'm being held to the wire, my brain immediately clicked, my brain realized I can't fall even if I tried to, and suddenly sanding on rail-less platforms on trees and looking down was actually a pleasant and empowering feeling, like nothing can scare me anymore!
When vertigo kicks in I turn into a sack of incoherent flesh and bone.