Blog

Fear of Flying Pill–Myth or Cure?

Chalk up another success story for Fearless Flight!  A former fearful flyer named Dana recently contacted Diane Owens for help in her ongoing quest to overcome her fear of flying.  After watching a video on the Sky Harbor website  about my fear of flying classes, she told Diane that “Capt Ron was a pilot she could relate to.”  She said I seemed like  someone she could trust.

Dana’s impression of me from seeing me in a video goes to show you how important the role of perception is in our lives.  Can’t build “trust” into keywords on the internet.  It comes from within, the same source that will eventually free you from fear of flying and provide you with easy air travel.

The good news is that fear of flying can be overcome; the bad news is that there’s no magic fear of flying pill.  I was surprised when I first learned how many people search on Google for a fear of flying pill hoping to find an easy way to fly without fear.  Even more surprising has been learning how much shame  many fearful flyers have over taking legitimate anti-anxiety drugs (Xanax, Ativan, Alprazolam, etc).  While no “fear of flying pill” exists per se, I advocate taking prescribed medication after consulting with your doctor as a legitimate and sometimes essential strategy while learning to overcome fear of flying.

The first issue that fearful flyer Dana and I worked on was for her to come up with a game plan that allowed her to integrate the use of her medication with other non-medical coping strategies.  In this way, she could develop a long-term plan for coping with her fear of flying with an eventual goal of flying drug free or at least less reliant on drugs to cope with her anxiety.

All the coping strategies in the world may be for naught if your anxiety causes your mind to race to the point that you can’t remember those strategies when you need them the most. I tell people that there is no prize for seeing how terrified you can become and still get on the airplane.

Conquering fear of flying so that you are free to take advantage of modern air travel isn’t always easy.  It’s a process like the old saying that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” So, until there is a bona fide fear of flying pill, we will have to make use of all the resources available–including the existing prescription anti-anxiety medications, education, coping strategies, self-help resources, and coaching services like those available here at Fearlessflight.com.

With some work and willingness to face your fear of flying, you will be able to become a fearless flying success story, just like Dana!

Facing Fear in 2010

I just ran across something about fear that resonated with me.  In conjunction with the new year, I’ve been doing a lot of reading on goal setting,  and I re-watched a five-minute video of a interview with Florida counselor Ken Donaldson that I saw a year ago that had helped me get my butt in gear and set SMART goals I was able to meet.

When I watched the same video this year, I heard Ken Donaldson say we shouldn’t let fear stand in our way.  Easier said than done!

Ken said instead of using the old acronym for fear, False Evidence Appearing Real, you should begin to tackle FEAR with the attitude of Face Everything And Rechoose.

I especially like this idea when I’m thinking of what I want to do in 2010.  Really, the thing that holds me back the most is my avoidance of things because of my fear.

Because I’m afraid of doing something, I avoid it or hold back or become stuck.  Kind of like what fearful flyers do in response to their fear of flying–they avoid flying or they fly only when they have to or they fly the same terrible old way they’ve been flying for years–scared and miserable.

So I asked myself what FEAR do I have that has caused me to avoid things.  Here’s my short list:  I’m afraid of technology.  I’m afraid of starting something complicated that’s going to take a whole lot of work or discipline.  I’m afraid of not being perfect or not doing something perfectly.

Keeping in mind Ken’s advice on tackling FEAR, I have come up with some goals for 2010.  (1) Increase our marketing of the newly designed downloadable Flight Harmonizer so that more fearful flyers will have the freedom to fly without fear with the help of this amazing audio product. (2) By June 1, finish and publish the book about fear of flying that Capt. Ron and I have been working on.  (3) Focus on continual improvement of our newly designed fearlessflight.com website so that it can be an even better resource for fearful flyers.  (4) I want to keep learning and using social networking tools to find and connect with fearful flyers such as our Facebook fan page.

These goals mean I’ll be facing my fear of technology and fear of trying something new and complicated.  I need to do some rechoosing in 2010 to meet the goals that I’ve set.  I’ll need to remind myself frequently that our mission and passion is to help people become better flyers and enjoy the freedom of flying.

What fearful thing do you need to face this year that requires you to rechoose?  Your fear of flying?  Fear of failure?  Fear of quitting a job you hate?  Fear of starting your own business?

We’ve Come A Long Way Since Orville & Wilbur

December 17 is a historic day in aviation.

In 1903, 106 years ago, the Wright brothers made their first flight.

It was a monumental event then, but today their flight wouldn’t cover the distance from one wingtip on a Boeing 747 to the other.

Their feat was pretty amazing and we honor their achievement, but today’s modern airliners just aren’t Orville and Wilbur’s airplane anymore.

Modern commercial airplanes are technological miracles compared to the Wright Flyer. The most significant improvements that have made flying the safest way to travel on the planet have been made in engines, air traffic control, and the study of human factors–how to make aviation even safer by eliminating the human causes of accidents.

Speaking of safety and airplane crashes, did you know you have a better chance of being elected President of the United States than being killed in an airplane crash?  And to achieve that statistical crash, you would have to fly once a day every day for 63,000 years.

While it’s tempting to feel more “in control” when driving in a car, facts say it just isn’t so.

So today we remember the Wright brothers for getting us started on our way to the safest and fastest way to travel.

The Crashing Side of Flying

People who are afraid to fly like to dwell on airplane crashes.  Imagine that!

Okay, so yes, I’ll admit it.  Airplanes do crash.  But the likelihood of it happening to the one you’re on is pretty slim.  The latest airplane crash statistics show that your kid has a better chance of growing up to be President of the United States than you have of dying in a plane crash.

So let’s talk for a moment about fearful flyers’ dwelling on the, shall we say, negative side of flying.

Show fearful flyers two newspaper stories–one about safety statistics and another one about a plane crash–and I can bet they’ll read the one about the plane crash and ignore the other one.

Perhaps you want more concrete evidence of their negative flying bias.  Here are two.  The traffic on our crash statistics page gets the most visitors…because of  fearful flyers and their crashing mentality.

My blog titles that are negative about flying get more readers than those with positive-sounding titles. Like the title of this post–did you decide to read it because of that dreaded “crash” word in the title?

Like I said, fearful flyers like to dwell on the bad side of flying–crashing and dying.

In our fear of flying classes, we tell fearful flyers that they have to do something different.  In other words, stop dwelling on the plane crashing and remember about how safe it is.  Capt. Ron is fond of saying, “Flying is the safest way to travel on the planet.”

So how do you change the channel of the airline crash channel that plays continually in your mind? If you need some reinforcement about the good parts about flying–the soaring and the safe takeoffs and landings, then I have just the place for you.

It’s called Flight Level 350. The best way to describe this site is that it’s like a YouTube of Aviation.  Video after video of planes doing what planes do best.  Planes of all sizes and shapes.

I just watched a video of a huge Qantas plane, certainly the biggest I’ve ever seen, takeoff.  It was a beautiful site.  As I watched the takeoff roll, I thought of all the times I’ve heard fearful flyers say, “How can that big piece of metal possibly get off the ground?”  This Qantas plane just gently lifts up off the ground and points skyward.   Without any hesitation or being like the Little Engine That Could “I think I can I think I can.”  This huge mass of an airplane just lifts up and off it goes.

If you have a trip planned and find yourself dwelling on crashing, dying, and turbulence, do something different.  Bring up this site and watch a few videos.  Marvel at the marvelous machines.  Then visualize your flight floating and soaring like the airplanes you’re watching.

And then repeat this mantra over and over: “I think I can, I think I can” and pretty soon you WILL become a fearless flyer!

Planes and Fear of Flying the Hollywood Way

If you’re a fearful flyer, maybe you’ve had someone who didn’t find your fear of flying real or believable.  Maybe they thought you are making this often debilitating fear up.

Like maybe all those tears and all that anxiety qualified you for an academy award or something.

Well, fear of flying is very real I’ve discovered in the four years I’ve been working with fearful flyers.  So when a former fearful flyer sent me the link to a Wall Street Journal video clip below, I wanted to share it with you.  Because in the movies, those airplanes you see aren’t real.  Not at all.  The airplanes may very well have been the work of the movie studio in this video link.

Too bad they aren’t looking for fear of flying extras.  And, too bad they don’t rent out their studio for fearful flyers to come in and crawl all over those fake planes in an attempt to become familiar with what scares them.

Going on an airplane that doesn’t go anywhere is what we do in our twice yearly Plane Truth class.  We board a stationary aircraft and give fearful flyers an opportunity to sit on a plane for an extended period, ask questions, and see the cockpit up close.  This is especially helpful for people who haven’t ever flown, someone with claustrophobia, or a fearful flyer who hasn’t been on a plane in several years.

Fear of flying isn’t a made-in-the-movies story.  It’s very real.  But it can also be overcome so that you can have a happy-ever-after lifetime of traveling by airplane.

• Be Our Facebook Fan

  Fearlessflight.com
  
  Promote Your Page Too

• Categories

  • Advice for partners of fearful flyers (9)
  • Airplane Crashes (15)
  • Aviation safety (13)
  • Events (5)
  • Getting Started (14)
  • Overcoming Fear of Flying (39)
  • Travel tips (13)
  • Turbulence (2)

• Tag Cloud

  Air safety Aviation Aviation accidents and incidents Fear Fear of flying Fear of Flying Class Mark Malkoff pilots Travel Turbulence
  Powered by SEO Tag Cloud

• Recent Comments

  • Capt Ron on What’s to Fear about a Short Hop in a Turboprop?
  • A Moment with Captain Ron on Classes
  • Claire Richardson on Facing Fear in 2010
  • Christy on What’s to Fear about a Short Hop in a Turboprop?
  • Marcia Silberman on Volcanic Ash Shows Air Travel at Its Best and Worst

• Archives

  • July 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • April 2008
  • February 2008
  • November 2007
  • July 2007
  • December 200