A few things that have helped me

A few things that have helped me
by GU82ND4ever (2019-01-21 15:10:56)
Edited on 2019-01-21 21:15:22

In reply to: Anyone got fear of flying tips posted by orangejubilee

Have her look into SOAR (linked) or another online fear of flying class, which takes less of a time commitment than the ones offered by some airlines. Another good source is Patrick Smith’s book and blog, Ask the Pilot. These helped me tremendously to understand the physics and mechanics of flying, as well as understanding what happens during various parts of the flight and what sounds mean. The SOAR course has good mental exercises for dealing with things such as turbulence; they suggest is saying a mantra to yourself during the bumps “built like a battleship,” which planes certainly are, or singing “Whole Lotta Shakin’” in your head. They also suggest saying hi to the pilots and even mentioning one’s nervousness (on a long repair in Cincy a pilot said to me, on my wondering if the plane was ok, said “if it’s not ready to go, we’re not going.” That was reassuring, and it was a fine flight.)

Frankly, the best cure is flying more often. When I was younger and flew very infrequently, my fears tended to grow proportionately. After a period at work and in my personal life that required a significant amount of flying, I found myself getting increasingly used to it. I still get a little nervous, but that seemed to help more than anything. I also realized that some of my fear had to do more with claustrophobia, and sitting next to a window helps alleviate that feeling.

PS Having an iPad or something else that requires concentration is also very helpful. Having it to use in flight is great, and there are good apps devoted to things like turbulence and fear of flying.

Click here for link at https://m.fearofflying.com

In my more aviophobic days

I was sitting at the gate in Cincinnati waiting for our flight to depart. Across from me was a woman who in dress and voice appeared to be from the Caribbean. While we were waiting, a bird that have been fluttering around in the skylights flew down and landed at my feet. The woman stared straight at me and said sternly, “That means death!” You can imagine how I took that getting on a plane.

Fortunately, after we boarded, I related this exchange to the young woman sitting next to me. She explained that in some cultures a bird inside the house is an omen of death. She was wonderful and reassuring, and the conversation took my mind off any fear I had. And it was a perfect flight.