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A few things that have helped me by GU82ND4ever

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.