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.

Related posts:

1. The Crashing Side of Flying
2. Can Planes Crash from Turbulence?
3. Fear of Flying–No Men Allowed!

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

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 down my copy of USA Today!”  One woman told Capt. Ron he should be on Oprah because he’s so “caring and compassionate.”

During class, I always remain in the background, listening to students’ questions, jotting down blog ideas.  Fearful flyer questions are good writing fodder.  But during this Cleared for Takeoff class, I asked my own questions: “Where are all the men?  Are women the only ones afraid to fly?”  The majority of fearful flyers who come to class are women.  Is fear of flying a female problem?  Should we blame fear of flying on the fact that we’re the weaker, fairer sex?  Could it be related to hormones??

Men do go online to order our FearlessFlight Harmonizer. They order downloads of our downloadable Cleared 4 Takeoff class. But by and large, they don’t go public with their fear of flying.

Why not?  That four-letter word they don’t like to use:  FEAR.  And I’m not talking about flying fear.  A lot of men are scared to admit they’re scared to fly.  It’s about being brave. Being MANLY!  It’s a macho thing not to be seen as a “wuss” about flying.  So many men suffer in silence.  They creatively disguise their flying fear by saying things like:  “I’m bothered by flying” or ”I’m not a very good flyer” or ”I really hate to fly.”

So all you fearful flyer guys, as Dr. Phil says, “It’s time to get real.”  It’s time to bring your fear of flying out of your carry-on baggage.  Again to use Dr. Phil’s words of wisdom, “You can’t get over what you can’t acknowledge.”  And there’s nobody better man than Capt. Ron to help you overcome it once you do admit it.  He gets what it’s like to be a fearful flyer.  He’s been there!  He always begins class with the story of his first flight, which made a fearful flyer out of him until he finally overcame it to become a pilot.

We at Fearlessflight.com aren’t going to laugh at you or embarrass you or shame you.  We recognize that flying scares the #@)?!#! out of you.  You’re actually allowed to be afraid.  And we don’t care whether you’re a man or a woman.  You just have to want to become a better flyer.

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. Planes and Fear of Flying the Hollywood Way
2. The Crashing Side of Flying
3. Today Wasn’t A Good Day to Fly

Our first task was classroom setup, which may sound unimportant but really isn’t.  Eric and I are both pilots for the same airline.  We actually flew together as Captain and First Officer over fifteen years ago.  After a quick re-introduction, we were soon working together.  Since we had been locked out of the classroom until a custodian arrived, setup time was shorter than we anticipated. Eric and I had to have a plan of action prior to entering the room, and we had to complete the set-up once we gained access to the room.

And why is this so important?  This was actually a perfect demonstration of Crew Resource Management.  Flight crews are trained to be objective, cool, and collected.  We are groomed to be team players.  We are goal-oriented people.  This is, quite possibly, the most important keystone in airline, or aviation safety.

Once Eric and I agreed on the set-up details, we rolled up our shirtsleeves and made it happen.  We even revised the plan as we went along.  This team effort allowed us to have the room ready in time for our fearful flyer students.

Flight crews fly airplanes in the same fashion.  These checks and double-checks and our refined attitudes contribute greatly to airline safety.  It’s not just the pilots and flight attendants who have this attitude:  Virtually all work groups within any airline share these essential characteristics!  It is a fact:  There is no “I” in “TEAM.”

For the duration of the class, I was the camera guy to film Capt. Ron teaching and the fearful flyers’ questions.  This meant that I needed to be in two places at once.  I compromised and placed the camera on the side of the classroom, simply pivoting the camera to view Capt. Ron and the specific student asking a question.

As the class began, Eric listed on a dry erase board some key concerns of the fearful flyers.   After two hours of enthusiastic classroom discussion, Ron wrapped up the formal portion of the presentation, and Eric then took the floor to discuss some specific topics about the Airbus.

Eric has a great deal of experience with both the Airbus and Boeing aircraft, which are both commonly used by the airlines.  He discussed the differences in the various sounds and sensations of flight in these aircraft.  Then he answered questions about turbulence, rain shower activity, and airline flight after dark.

After the class, some students remained to ask specific questions of us pilots.   In effect, we ended up with three independent discussion groups.  The students went  from group to group to get their specific questions answered.

In conclusion, it was a great experience to volunteer at the Cleared for Takeoff class.  It has been said that if you want to learn a subject, then teach it.  The questions of the students and their courageous sharing of their concerns has provided me a new perspective as an airline pilot.  I look forward to volunteering in the future!

Capt. John who has been flying since 1983 and has logged 20,000 hours of flying is today’s guest blogger.

Related posts:

1. Fear of Flying–No Men Allowed!
2. What’s the Big Deal About Takeoff?