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Aerophobia FAQ

Take a leap and fly in face of your fear......

Acknowlegements, Sarah Howden and Scotsman newspapers 7th. July 2003

ARE you one of the millions of people worldwide who suffer from a fear
of flying? Do you break into a sweat at the mere thought of boarding a
plane or have sleepless nights before you travel? Do you truly believe
that this flight will be your last, your final destination?

Summer is upon us and for many that means long-awaited trips to exotic
locations where the sun, sea and sangria are calling our names. But for
one fifth of the population, getting there is a nightmare. Why? Because
of fear - the fear of flying, known in the medical community as
aerophobia.

Despite air travel being statistically safer than crossing the road, and
25 times safer than driving your car, aerophobia is one of the most
common phobias. The latest research shows almost 40 per cent of airline
passengers suffer considerable unease about flying, and with the
heightened fear of terrorist attacks, that number is on the increase.

Fear of flying can be triggered in many ways, by a personal bad
experience or by an aerophobic close to you. Jennifer Aniston developed
a fear of flying after a nasty electrical storm while on a plane from
New York. Justin Timberlake recently confessed that he has always been
afraid to fly, just like his mum. And Robbie Williams blames Discovery
Channel airline horror programmes for leaving him scared to fly.

Former British Midland stewardess Lucy Smith says she has come across
many aerophobics while she worked in and out of Edinburgh Airport. "I’ve
seen many fearful passengers scared rigid throughout flights. As cabin
crew, we try to reassure passengers through our confidence on the job
but for some it’s really difficult."

Going on holiday should be exciting from start to finish, with the
journey as enjoyable as the destination. In the last ten years 706
million passengers have flown without any fatalities but for the one
million UK aerophobics, fear persists and flying is utterly nerve
wracking.

However, help is at hand. It’s now possible to retrain the mind out of
aerophobia and take a more realistic approach to travel.

However, to treat the fear once and for all, experts stress it’s vital
to discover what triggers the anxiety.

London-based travel specialist Liz Rosies says aerophobia is caused by
one of three main fear factors. "Many experience a complete loss of
control as they put their life in the hands of an airline. Pilot
competence or technical and mechanical capabilities are called into
question. For others it’s the panic of a closed space and being unable
to get up and go outside.

"Lastly, some people just can’t bear not knowing what’s happening,
positive something’s going to go wrong at any moment". Liz stresses that
although air transport is safe - you are 1000 times more likely to be
killed in a road accident than in an air accident - fear needs to be
dealt with to allow relaxed and confident travelling.

Regular flyer Tanya Wilson, an Edinburgh University student, blames
aircraft mechanics for her fear. "I can’t stand the sounds and
vibrations the plane makes. Even though I fly all the time, take offs
and landings make me rigid with fear. I simply don’t understand why it
should make those noises."

SO what can Tanya and thousands of others do? Aviation experts say it’s
important to recognise the fear and face up to it. The world’s major
airlines are aware of this rising dread and have taken steps to help the
public overcome their aerophobia.

British Airways works in conjunction with Aviatours, a company with 17
years experience in the psychological retraining of aerophobia. Based at
Glasgow Airport, the one-day course begins with a talk from BA pilots
explaining the technical side of aviation including security and
turbulence. Clinical psychologists discuss the psychological aspects of
aerophobia, the mechanics of fear and how best to deal with it. Finally,
the students are taken on a 45-minute flight, accompanied by
psychologists, pilots and cabin crew.

A running commentary explains the various phases of the flight to
reassure and educates nervous flyers. The high rate of phobia-curing has
made the course one of the most popular in the country. But for those
who feel a course is too drastic - or too expensive, Aviatours’ course
costs £189 - there are many books and tapes available. Conquering Your
Fear of Flying by Dr Maeve Byrne-Crangle is an aerophobics’ reading
favourite, perfect for hand luggage. And Allen Carr (of Easy Way to Stop
Smoking fame) has also written Easy Way to Enjoy Flying. There are also
CDs to listen to before your flight, such as Overcome the Fear of Flying
by hypnotherapist Glenn Harrold which was a surprise best-seller in
Britain last year.

According to Edinburgh psychologist and hypnotherapist Alastair Taylor,
of Blackhall Hypnotherapy, this is the time of year when his practice
gets much busier.

"The most common phobia I get is fear of flying so obviously at this
time of year I have more people coming to see me.

"When it’s bad you need to get them to relive the experience that
prompted the phobia. You ask them to imagine a safe place and then the
stressful place and get them to move between the two in their mind so
that the stressful place becomes less so."

Alternatively, for those who suffer just slight nerves there are some
good stress reducer medications available. Bach’s Rescue Remedy is a
world favourite over-the-counter herbal stress reducer. Whatever the
cure, educating the mind out of fear is key to curing aerophobia. With
the vast variety of methods available, joyful holiday travel awaits us
all. So, take a chill pill and kick the habit once and for all.

• Fear of flying courses are available from Britannia Airways (01582 424155;
www.britanniaairways.com)
Aviatours (01252 793250;
www.aviatours.co.uk)
Virgin Atlantic 01293 448440
Virtual Aviation (01223 300300;
www.virtualaviation.co.uk

Top tips on how to stop those flight jitters

• Turbulence is normal, although it may feel uncomfortable. People often
misunderstand turbulence and feel the plane is losing control, falling
out of the sky. However, turbulence is natural and simply part of the
atmosphere’s make-up. For every ‘down’ bump there is an ‘up’ bump.

• Planes are strong, stable, reliable and well maintained. Modern
aircrafts are designed and built with large safety margins. All aircraft
and equipment is built from CAA-approved designs and manufactured under
CAA-approved systems. Structurally, planes can withstand many times the
forces which can be imposed upon them in flight.

• Flying is routine. Flight operations are regular with nearly three
million passengers flying everyday without any problems.

• Positive thinking is key - always try to keep your thoughts in the
present. Don’t dwell on what might happen instead of what is happening.

• Keep calm by practicing controlled breathing. Slow, deep breathing is
the easiest and most effective method to calming down.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This follow-up article appeared in The Scotsman on 25th. May 2005

We'll all be doomed . . won't we?

Author......Sarah Howden

AS far as I'm concerned, flying is not natural. Nor does it make sense -
it defies logic, and gravity. How can 400 tonnes of metal, people and
fuel stay five miles up in the air?

I could avoid flying altogether, but I love my holidays. It's just the
getting there that's hell.

It starts with nausea and dread on the day. I carry out a ritual,
wearing jewellery from every member of my family - I always bleep
through the metal detector.

I arrive at the airport early to request an aisle seat as far away from
the wings, engines and wheels as possible.

As I board I have to (subtly) kiss the plane good luck - if I don't, we
will all be doomed.

Onboard, I'm rigid with fear. I don't speak, eat or drink. I just grip
the armrests and grit my teeth. As the engines roar and the plane bolts
along the runway, I begin to silently cry. The fear is overwhelming and
I'm positive we're going to plummet to our deaths.

Only when the plane is safely in the air, and those alien engine and
wing noises have ceased do I slightly relax. But when my foe,
turbulence, strikes, I become a mess. If I could kiss the tarmac on
arrival, I probably would.

The experts call it aerophobia and with a holiday to Marbella due in
three weeks' time, I decide to try to conquer mine with a Fly Without
Fear course at Edinburgh Airport.

I join a one-day session organised by Aviatours with British Airways. I
arrive full of hope, to be greeted by 107 other phobics from their 20s
onwards, some already crying, some standing alone deep in thought,
others chatting, desperate to take their minds off the flight this
afternoon when we'll see if our phobia really is cured.

Aviatours course leader and BA pilot Steve Allright, who's flown 7000
hours, says aerophobia is one of the fastest-growing phobias. "Lack of
knowledge, lack of control, lack of familiarity and over-familiarity
equal a fear of flying," he tells the class. And so Steve talks us
through pilot training, how an aircraft works, how a plane is
controlled, air traffic control and turbulence, each with a
question-and-answer session.

"The wings enable an aircraft to fly, not the engines," explains Steve,
who's been running the course for nine years, helping 30,000
aerophobics. "If a 747's engines stopped, it would glide on for some 100
miles."

The class breathe out in sheer relief - although I'm thinking, so how
would it stop or get down?

He continues: "Designers know the forces and your aircraft will not
break up in turbulence.

"I love to fly - and I love my family - do you think I would risk it if
I thought flying wasn't safe?"

"What happens if a bird hits the engines?" a woman asks.

"The engines are designed so that they can easily withstand a bird,"
explains Steve. "The designers fire dead chickens into the engines at
300 miles an hour to test them."

"What happens if a flock of birds hit the engine?" she continues.

"There will be damage, but the engine will be fine. If this happened,
the engine would be replaced after the flight. An aircraft doesn't need
all its engines to fly anyway."

"How often are the tyres changed?" asks another.

"Every 50 flights," says Steve.

"I was thinking if there's poor treads it may not stop," she says, to a
roomful of sniggers.

As Steve answers all queries, the class becomes calmer.

SITTING next to me is John Lawrie, 26, a builder from Biggar who doesn't
look like he'd be fearful of anything. But he admits: "It's the noises,
I can't stand them. I'm wondering what's going wrong."

Martin Sneddon, 40, a company director from Joppa, knows how he feels.
"I suppose it's getting older and having a family that makes you realise
what can go wrong. I still fly but I don't get out my seat; I have
irrational thoughts and have a white-knuckle ride. It was after a trip
to Barcelona that I realised I needed help. There was major turbulence
and everyone was screaming. I thought, this is it, and I
hyperventilated."

It was John's wife Karen who organised this as his birthday present. "I
hope it works - it's helping so far anyway."

Steve is cautiously optimistic. He says: "This course may not be a
miracle cure, but for the majority, this is about starting afresh and
building positively from here."

Next it's lunch, followed by a presentation from psychologist Patricia
Furness-Smith, an ex-air stewardess and aerophobic.

"I bet if you were having an operation you'd prefer to stay awake than
trust the anaesthetist," she tells us. Well, actually, yes, I think to
myself.

"The problem is, you're into control. You don't trust," she says. "If
you live in fear you'll never truly have self-confidence. To fight your
fear is empowering."

Patricia recommends we occupy our minds during a flight with a positive
image. Beforehand, eat light meals and avoid acid- producing food like
meat, cheese and fish. And avoid stimulants as they heighten our flight
or fight response which flushes our system with adrenalin. "Adrenalin is
like poison on a flight," she warns.

Relaxation and coping skills are taught and then it's the 45-minute
flight in a 100 tonne, British Airways BAe RJ100 aircraft. The adrenalin
is palpable as we board, and two people refuse to fly, leaving the rest
to face their fears. Some haven't flown in ten years.

We taxi along the runway, as I sit between two burly men. I'm
surprisingly calm, and can, for once, look out the window.

Steve talks us through each stage of the flight, reassuring and
re-explaining. The engines roar as the plane goes full-throttle down the
runway, shrieks come from my fellow passengers, and my two companions in
row 17 go rigid with fear. The man to my left then jumps about in terror
and the other man's knuckles turn white.

Some women are crying, some men are shouting. Others stay deadly still
with their eyes closed. I look about in wonder, without a care in the
world. Have I been through a miracle cure?

Next comes the turbulence as we soar through the clouds. "It's
uncomfortable, not dangerous," chant Steve and the passengers. During
the 45-minute flight, everyone begins to calm down, and people start to
walk about and chat.

More turbulence comes, but this time, most people are fine. Sinead
Costello, 25, a social worker from the Grassmarket, isn't.

"It's petrifying," she admits. "It was really hard when you feel as
though you're falling. It's so irrational and I feel so stupid. I've had
this for ten years now."

Has the course helped at all? "Oh, yes. I can rationalise things more.
Maybe. It's nice to hear Steve talking us through it."

The flight begins to descend as we return from a trip to Aberdeen.
People remain calm, Steve talks us through it. Counsellors and
psychologists are on hand.

We land, everyone cheers and claps, and I'm fine. The wings aren't stuck
on with glue, my hands clutching the armrests don't keep the aircraft up
and those once-alien noises don't mean impending disaster. I'm cured,
and so seem quite a few others. Bring on Marbella.

The next Fly Without Fear course is at Edinburgh Airport on October 8.
See www.aviatours.co.uk for more details.

--
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