Archive for Advice for partners of fearful flyers

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 [...]

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 [...]

Free Fear of Flying Class

Sign up for the next Cleared for Takeoff  Basic 101 class.  They’re held at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix and they’re free!
1/16/10 Saturday morning from 10:00 to noon
Go here for Cleared for Takeoff class details and the sign-up page.

Fear of Flying–No Men Allowed!

Our monthly Cleared for Takeoff class met this weekend at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix.  For two hours, fearful flyers shared, learned, and asked Capt. Ron about fear of flying, takeoffs, turbulence, and landings.
Capt. Ron  patiently answered questions and made new fear of flying fans  with jokes like these:  “Turbulence bothers me in the cockpit because I have to put [...]

Afraid to Fly? Then Meet the Pilots!

Image by Rennett Stowe via Flickr

I came across this column called Feeding the Fear of Flying about the writer’s fearful flyer husband.  The couple’s solution to cure fear of flying made me smile and reminded me of what we advise fearful flyers to do.
The writer described her own fear of heights (which doesn’t bother her [...]

Flying with a Fearful Flyer Friend

Image by purplemattfish via Flickr

My friend Windy is flying tomorrow, and I’m afraid for her.  I’m not afraid that her plane will crash.  No, I know that flying is the safest way to travel on the planet.  I’m afraid she’ll have a horrible flight because she’s flying with a friend who has a fear of [...]

This Ain’t Your Mother’s Fear of Flying

A woman called today to inquire if there was room in our January Cleared for Takeoff class for fear of flying.  Since last month’s Arizona Republic article, we’ve been flooded with calls and email enrollments for our Phoenix class taught by veteran pilot Capt. Ron Nielsen.  It’s great that people are seeking help now that [...]

Once a Year Fear of Flying

If you’re approaching the holidays dreading the visit to the folks back home, maybe it’s not your relatives that make you hesitate about the flying.   Maybe it’s fear of flying that’s hanging over your head, making you apprehensive about the once-yearly holiday flight.
In a survey on Fearless Flight.com conducted a few months ago, 35% of the almost 5,000 who [...]

Today Wasn’t A Good Day to Fly

The first time I flew with Capt. Ron and a group of fearful flyers in our fear of flying class, I heard him say, “It’s okay if today isn’t a good day to fly.”  A strange statement from someone helping people to get on a plane rather than remain grounded in their fear, I thought.
It [...]