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nigelmercier
09-06-2012, 11:06
I thought that other members may be interested in how I overcame an irrational fear of flying that persisted for over 20 years.

It all started with a flight from London to Menorca. I was with my girlfriend, and it was our first ever flight. The plane was an Iberia Airways DC9, and none of the crew spoke very good English. At first it was fine, but then things started to make me anxious: loud clunks, grinding noises, things going “bong”, the wings moving up and down, turbulence. All perfectly normal of course, but I didn’t know that at the time. Being male, I felt the need to be in charge of our protection, and I felt totally powerless. I spent the last few days of the holiday thinking about the flight back and trying to find a way of avoiding it. The wait in the departure lounge was a nightmare, I really didn’t want to get on that plane.

We got married, and for the next 20 years avoided holidays that involved flying. While this meant that we had many enjoyable holidays in France and nearby Europe, there was obviously a problem. It wasn’t until my children told me that they were the only ones in their class at school who had never flown that I decided to do something about it.

I enrolled in the British Airways Flying with Confidence course (then called “Fear of Flying”). This was held in a hotel close to Heathrow Airport (they have other venues), and involved a seminar followed by a flight. I had realised by then that the root of my anxiety was making the decision to get on the plane, so I decided that once I walked through the door of the hotel I was committed. I spent about an hour outside the hotel, trying to muster enough courage to go through the door. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried. Eventually, I entered the hotel, and a wave of relief passed over me; I had passed the first hurdle.

The morning comprised a session with several pilots and cabin crew. They explained how planes were able to fly (I knew already, but it was nice to hear it again), what all the noises meant, why the plane seems to dip just after take-off, how little the plane actually banks when turning – even though it feels like it is on its side, and that “Turbulence is uncomfortable, but not Dangerous” – the latter repeated three times on a screen!

The afternoon was conducted by a Clinical Psychologist who talked about the psychological aspects of aerophobia (fear of flying), the mechanics of fear, and how best to deal with anxiety and feelings of panic and lack of control. I found this session extraordinary; it was as if I had had a one-to-one session with him, and he was telling us all about it. I can’t count the number of times I thought to myself “I do that”.

Then came the flight. By now I was much less nervous, and I had already made my decision to go before I walked into the hotel. In the departure lounge, everything was pretty much like a normal flight, except there were many people giving support to those who were still frightened.

The flight lasted about 45 minutes. We were accompanied by a team of psychologists, pilots and cabin crew. During the flight, the pilot gave a running commentary explaining the various phases of the flight and just what was happening; giving a warning before any strange noises or movements. We all got to visit the cockpit, except the lady in front of me who was still terrified; being calmed by her boyfriend and a steward. Eventually she became calm, and asked if she could now visit. The steward said “No”, but with a smile on his face, “You get to be in the cockpit for the landing!. Damn!

The chap sitting next to me told me that he flew several times a week for his job, but hated it. He would be fine from that moment on. And me? I thought it was fantastic, and I now love flying. This course changed my life, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

See here (http://flyingwithconfidence.com/) for more details. I have no connection with this company, other than being a very satisfied customer.

Suej
09-06-2012, 13:01
So many people out there that suffer with this phobia, it must be a very scary experience! So glad the flying course helped you! Well done to you for being so brave! I'm sure this thread will help lots of others! :c2:

chifleta
09-06-2012, 13:53
well done Nigel for going for it, you should be proud of yourself, the mind can be a funny thing. I flew for the first time over to Tenerife 20 years ago, and have flown to UK and back here many times since. I loved my first ever flight, I actually said "Thunderbirds are gooooo" when we took off.

But like I said, the mind is a funny thing. About 7 years ago we had a holiday in Madrid, and took our son, who was 12 at the time, to the Warner Bros theme park.... long story short, I ended up on a nasty roller coaster on my own, it was the most horrendous thing i'd ever done.... and after that I started getting scared of flying, I couldn't believe it, I actually didn't tell anyone until recently, but only because I managed to auto-convince myself that I was being a right wally.... it seemed to work, i'm fine again now.... daft or what!