Putting the Fear in Fear of Flying
Submitted by Diane Owens on Tue, 2008-07-01 19:48.
Our new poll "What's the Scariest Part of Flying" has been up on FearlessFlight.com for about a month. Almost 900 people have voted. Many more people have looked at the choices of the poll and have apparently been too afraid to even enter their opinion. Takeoffs...ARGH. Landings...Oh MY! Turbulence...HOLY cow!
So far, the winner is, or maybe I should say the big loser is....turbulence! Forty-two percent of the people voting feel that turbulence is what puts the fear in fear of flying. No surprise on that one. In fact, Capt. Ron is fond of introducing the turbulence section of his Cleared for Takeoff class with the comment "I can guarantee that during some bad turbulence, EVERYONE on the plane is afraid to fly!"
When I think of flying through tubulence, I like to remember the little boy flying across the aisle from Capt. Ron and me a year ago when we were on our way to the World Fear of Flying Conference in Montreal. Somewhere over Canada we encountered some significant weather. It was BUMPY! I looked at Capt. Ron, but his gaze never even left his newspaper. No biggie, I thought. Still, I couldn't help but feel some anxiety as we bumped along.
Then I looked at the little boy across the aisle from us, and I instantly felt better. This kid, who couldn't have been more than five or six, was bouncing up and down in his seat, yelling at the top of his lungs, "WHEEE! WHEEE!" He may just as well have been on a ride at Disneyland.
This little guy taught me a lesson about turbulence. If you think it's the worst and scariest thing imaginable, then for sure it will be. Just ask all those fearful flyers who were part of the 42% voting that turbulence is the scariest thing about flying. Ask the little kid who flew across from us that day and you'll hear that turbulence is a good ride.
If you need some information and coping strategies to help make turbulence less scary for you, consider Capt. Ron's Cleared for Takeoff downloadable webinar. It may not exactly put the "WHEE" back in flying for you, but we can guarantee that it WILL make you a better flyer!
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New fears learned from flight attendant!
Hi Captain Ron, Your Fear of Flying Course was wonderful and allowed me a much calmer and more enjoyable flight when I traveled to California earlier this year. Just when I thought I was getting over my fear of flying, I (unfortunately) struck up a conversation with a flight attendant recently, who shared a couple of harrowing tales. First story was that she was actually working a flight when the plane hit so much turbulence, it turned upside down! She said that was one of the few times she had some real fear while flying. Eventually, the skilled pilots got the plane righted again, but now I am dreading my upcoming flight to Hawaii! The other thing she told me was that if the general public knew just how many terrorists are on flights, they would never want to fly again. She said she often sees suspicious-looking passengers, and is certain they are "practicing" for future terrorist activities. She said there were three such men on a flight she was working and they actually stormed the cockpit as she walked in to speak with the pilot about her suspicions, and she barely got the door closed and locked behind her. They landed and the authorities took the men away, but she said there are many more stories like this than what the public is told. So, now that I have two real-life stories from someone who knows, I need to have my fears allayed or my future flights will be miserable at best! Thank you!
I HAVE POSTED A FEW
I HAVE POSTED A FEW COMMENTS, YET I HAVEN'T SEEN AMY OF MY RESPONSES. WHAT IS THE POINT OF WRITING IF IT IS NOT POSTED? I DON'T KNOW. PERHAPS A MIX UP. THANXS ANYWAY, UPTIGHT IN AZ
Sorry you're feeling neglect and scared of flying! Our comment feature on this website is rather awkward so I never see comments right away. And the majority of them are spam so I don't check very often. I'll try to be more vigilant in the future. It also depends on which post you place the comments as that's where the reply goes. We try our very best to help people who are afraid to fly by answering questions, so I'm sorry we missed your comments!
I WAS NEVER AFRAID OF
I WAS NEVER AFRAID OF FLYING, I THOUGHT, AFTER TALKING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY I REVEALED THE ONLY THING THAT BOTHERED ME WAS WHILE WERE IN THE AIR, I WASN'T AWARE THAT THE MAJORITY OF ACCIDENTS HAPPEN DURING TAKE OFF AND LANDING! MAYBE I AM AFRAID OF HEIGHTS, NOT FLYING.
It doesn't make any different what you're afraid of. You CAN overcome your fear--whether it's about takeoffs or turbulence or flying in general. Come to a class if you're in Phoenix or order our online class. Order your own copy of the Fearless Flight Kit. We've helped tons of people--we'd love to help you!
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