One of the things that you need to do to overcome fear of flying is to fly, and we advocate taking a short practice flight. People who have flown in previous Advanced Classes find that it is helpful to face their fear with other fearful flyers.

As a member of our Advanced Class, you will fly roundtrip from Phoenix to San Diego on a Southwest Airlines’ commercial flight. We flew Southwest Airlines last year and found them to be incredibly supportive of our group of fearful flyers. And the best news was that the flight over was so amazing that we didn’t leave anyone in California! Just after we landed back in Phoenix, one of the men in the class told Diane  that this was the first time he didn’t have to take the bus back from California.

Prior to our Advanced Class last year, Rachel hadn’t flown since 2002. After her successful Advanced Class flight to California last spring, we received this email from her as summer began:

” I am taking back the world.  I am scheduled to take 7 flights this summer.  My son and I are off to Costa Rica on the 6th of June.  I wanted to take Captain Ron on the flight with me (he he), but have decided to brave it alone.  Thanks for all the help.  I really feel like I’m ready to fly again.”

So if you’re ready to fly with us, read on!

We will take a group of up to 12 fearful flyers (plus coaches).  So…if you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired of your fear of flying, have we got a deal for you!  Currently Southwest is offering a one-way web-only fare of $49 each way, plus taxes and fees.  Of course, when those seats are gone, they’re gone, so you’ll want to book as soon as possible to get this cheap fare.  Yes, you will book your own ticket and have to practice the full experience of flying, from booking to returning.

Early on the morning of Saturday, April 17, we’ll fly as a group over to San Diego, have lunch, and then fly home.  Coaches are welcome to fly with you. Of course, Diane and I will be there to help.

Wing Your Way to San Diego With Us!

Included in the Advanced Class tuition fee of $150 is email support leading up to the flight, a webinar the night before the flight, and a pre-flight briefing the morning of the flight.  Coaches accompanying the fearful flyer are not required to pay this tuition  fee.

Wouldn’t it be nice to PRACTICE flying with a supportive group to San Diego in the spring so that when summer comes and the heat rises, you’ll be good to go–not only to San Diego, but to take a longer flight or two?

Are you ready to join Rachel and take back the world?

Click here to visit the page with flight details and the enrollment links.

Related posts:

1. Whether You Fly Or Not

1/16/10 Saturday morning from 10:00 to noon

Go here for Cleared for Takeoff class details and the sign-up page.

Need Help Getting to the Gates?

Related posts:

1. Next Basic Fear of Flying Class 10/24/09
2. Announcing Advanced Fear of Flying Class
3. Piloting the Cleared for Takeoff Class

This class covers takeoffs and turbulence as well as presenting strategies for coping with fear of flying.

Although the class is free, please register here so that you can receive email directions to the class.

Related posts:

1. Free Fear of Flying Class

Keep in mind that the people I’ve spoken with are all people currently working with Fearless Flight.com to overcome their fear of flying.  They’ve taken steps.  They’ve done the work.  They’ve been willing to make some changes.  And it truly shows.

Maria told me how amazed she was that she didn’t “freak out” when she heard about the accident.  She said, “It doesn’t make me more scared.  It gives me more confidence.  Planes can float.  People can get off.”  I told her that I was impressed with her new attitude about flying.  She thanked me and commented, “I am changed.”

Craig sent me an email in which he said:  “Usually this would have freaked me out, but I am getting better about flying. Also this proves that a lot can go wrong, and a plane can be OK. “  Everyone gives all the credit to the pilot, and Craig is no exception.  He said, “People can see from this how amazing most pilots are. No amateur is flying a commercial jet!”  So true, Craig!

Reggie commented in her email that  she doesn’t allow herself to dwell on the news about the accident.  Fearful flyers like to dwell on crash details, so in our live Cleared for Takeoff classes Capt. Ron says, ”STOP WATCHING!”   Reggie took this advice to heart:  “I took what little news time I chose to expose myself to, regarding the US Air incident… with a degree of comfort knowing I had a tad more knowledge than ever before thanks to your CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF Program, that I had recently attended, at Sky Harbor Airport.”

Joanna is also following Capt. Ron’s advice about exposing herself to news coverage.  She said, “I wanted to watch the coverage enough to find out what the likely cause was, if anyone was hurt and that was about it. I’m washing my hands of it cuz I gotta fly in a couple of weeks!!”

The Today show also addressed how the miracle flight may have affected people with a fear of flying.  Dr. Gail Saltz gave some tips for people whose fear of flying was adversely affected by the Miracle on the Hudson flight, even if it was a successful outcome.  She also discussed the posttraumatic stress that some passengers may experience.

I don’t know what the results will be of the survey conducted by Inside Edition, but I can report that the people who are working with Capt. Ron at Fearless Flight.com are making great progress overcoming their flying fear.  Bit by bit, it CAN be done!

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.

Related posts:

1. Fear of Flying and Flight Attendant TLC
2. Turbulent Flight Causes Injuries
3. Fear of Flying Worse Than Before?

It’s likely that if you have a fear of flying, you don’t fly very often.  Maybe you even avoid flying altogether.  But just because you have a fear of flying doesn’t mean you won’t have to visit the airport to pick up family, friends, and business associates.

Today the weather is horrible in different parts of the country.  Winter can play havoc with the friendly skies, leaving travelers stranded.  I’ve found a cool site  that’s a great resource for those days when you’re expecting flying guests.

The site is flightstats.com and it gives you information about delays, canceled flights, and flight status for just about anywhere in the world.

I’m expecting my daughter to fly in today from snowy Chicago, and flightstats.com allowed me to click on O’Hare and check on the status of ALL departing flights today.  So far, my daughter’s flight has not been canceled, but she’d be out of luck if she were going to DC today.  Later I’ll consult the site to see if I’ll need to adjust my plans for my trip to the airport.

Hope this site helps to make your holiday trips to the airport more pleasant.  And if YOU want to fly more pleasantly and without fear, check out fearlessflight.com.

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.

Related posts:

1. Top 10 Worries Besides Fear of Flying
2. The Crashing Side of Flying
3. Miracle on the Hudson Flight and Fear of Flying