Afraid to Fly or Afraid to Swim

By Diane Owens • March 31st, 2010

Most people who come to us for help overcoming their fear of flying have issues with takeoffs or turbulence.  That’s why we’ve posted helpful articles on FearlessFlight.com about  turbulence and takeoffs.

Occasionally people have experienced a bad landing that stuck in their mind and made them fearful about that portion of the flight.

Earlier this week one of the people going on our Advanced Class flight to San Diego asked me about the takeoffs and landings that can be expected at the San Diego airport.  It’s been awhile since I’ve had the luxury of flying into or out of that airport, so I had to refer her question to Capt. Ron. Of course, those people going on the Advanced Class will get a full debriefing beforehand so they’ll know exactly what to expect on the flight.

However, when I came across this YouTube video, I realized that flying into the San Diego airport will be NOTHING like landing on this 1150-feet long runway in the Caribbean.  On our flight into San Diego, we’ll be flying in a much bigger plane with a much longer runway.

I don’t want to make light of your fear of flying. After working with fearful flyers for almost five years, I know that it is a very real and serious fear that can ground you and reduce you to a quivering mound of jello.  But since Capt. Ron is always saying, “Oh, lighten up!”  I wanted to lighten up your day with this video. So I invite you to come land with me–just don’t forget your swimming suit!

For the most part, fearful flyers tell us that landings don’t bother them. In fact, many of them say that a landing is cause for celebrating because the flight will soon be over. Perhaps that is why Capt. Ron and I like to sign our emails “Happy Landings!”

So what about you?  Do you agree that landings are the best and least scary part of flying?

About the Author:  Diane Owens has been helping people overcome their fear of flying since 2005.  She writes about fear of flying for Fearless Flight.com and assists Capt. Ron Nielsen in spreading the message that flying is the safest way to travel on the planet.
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Related posts:

  1. Announcing Advanced Fear of Flying Class
  2. Afraid to Fly? Then Meet the Pilots!
Comments(5) Overcoming Fear of Flying

Comments

By Marcia Silberman on March 31st, 2010 at 6:42 pm

Thanks, Diane. I’m always happy to receive info that could/will help. Hope to see you on 4/17.

Marcia

By m. james lee on April 2nd, 2010 at 2:32 pm

newsletters from Cpt. Ron, and yours are comforting, but unfortunately, I have yet to ‘decide’ on spending $$ on any of the workshops offered to combat my own fear of flying-I fly often (international as well as domestically), and as a matter of fact, I have been flying frequently from AZ to the Bay Area (where I am originally from) due to surgery and follow ups, all work related- BUT emotionally, I am uptight about any flights I experience.

Meanwhile, until I either come up with the $$ to enroll in the fear of flying clinic, or undergo hypnotherapy, or both, I will need to ‘bite the bullet’ during this interim.

P.S. I wrote about two experiences I had had that exacerbated my fear of flying, one within the past year, and the other greater than 20 years ago (Gatwick, whereby controllers were on strike, and our jet took off as another 747 was flying directly toward our plane; and most recently when the pilot accidentally hit the rear rudder by mistake, causing the 737 to sharply and suddenly veer to our left as the plane shuddered violently-)

anyway, thanks much!

sincerely,

m.james lee

By Capt Ron on April 3rd, 2010 at 9:04 am

Your comments reinforce my experience that overcoming the fear of flying requires one to commit to process. Despite some claims on the internet, it is rarely a “quick fix.” For that reason, I am about to launch a membership site that will provide regular webinars, group coaching, and access to all my products for a low monthly fee. In addition, they would all be available for download into an iPod/iPhone or mp3 player device. It would also be a place where you could get answers to your questions on a regular basis. Would that be something that might appeal to you?

Capt Ron

By Capt Ron on April 5th, 2010 at 9:17 am

Marcia,
We’re so glad you’ll be flying with us to San Diego. Aren’t you glad that the San Diego airport has a WAY better runway than the one in this video!?!

Diane

By Marcia Silberman on April 12th, 2010 at 3:41 pm

Hi Diane,
I’m so glad that I just went back to review this email and found your comment to me. I was hoping that you received my info re: San Diego. Yes, I’m very glad that the runway is better than the video. So, hope to see you on Saturday.

Thanks for your response….Marcia.

 

Leave a Comment

« | Home | »