The crew arrived at the airport on a routine but chilly Saturday morning in early March.  It was a cold almost balmy morning due to the absolute stillness of the dark night air. Our passengers—those afraid to fly or not—are also likely making their way to Metro airport. They were no doubt having more of an adventure than we were getting families ready, parking cars, and navigating the terminal areas.

Time zone differences made it the middle of the night for our Phoenix-based crew, yet we share cordial morning greetings riding in the hotel van to the terminal, punchy and wide awake, the too-hot coffee from the hotel restaurant having a positive effect. Michigan mornings like these remind me of my youth, and I crave a cigarette or a dip of chewing tobacco although I quit those habits years ago.

We get to the airplane, and sensing that the pre-flight operation will run better if I’m not there, I take orders for breakfast from the First Officer (F/O)and the Flight Attendants. My treat. This one is on the Captain, and it sure feels good to do something nice and unexpected for my co-workers. I leave the operation in the charge of my flying partner and walk off to stand in line at the purveyor of quality airport food, which, in Detroit, is found under the golden arches, a long walk down the concourse.

The boarding process is halfway finished when I return.  My crew is pleased to get exactly what they ordered. I settle in for a hot cup of ship’s coffee. Airplane coffee: hot, dark and bitter. It tastes good. The F/O says that we are covered with morning frost and that we must de-ice prior to takeoff. This will create a slight delay, but we should arrive in Phoenix on time, in approximately five hours. Fearful flyers sometimes express concerns about de-icing.  However, de-icing is a normal part of  wintertime flying—that is, if a flight originates from some frozen-over city— and one can count on the airplane being covered with frost for the first departure of the day, which normally occurs before the sun is much above the horizon.

We push back from the gate with an almost-full airplane and start our left engine to do a single-engine taxi to the de-ice pad on the other side of the airport. Our frosty airplane creaks and groans as its cold, hard tires roll over the uneven pavement of the taxiways.

In the de-ice pad, we configure the airplane for the application of de-ice fluid. Switches and levers operate valves and flight controls. Checklists and communication. The hot fluid is sprayed on the airplane. That too-sweet smell, reminiscent of automotive anti-freeze, fills the air. Fortunately, the smell dissipates quickly, the end result being an airplane free of all frost and safe for flight.

Our second engine is started, and we are cleared to taxi and then takeoff for Phoenix. By now the sun is up. The sky is a beautiful azure blue, spotted by a low and broken layer of thin-but-dark grey clouds. During our takeoff, the de-ice fluid on the smooth, rounded nose of the airplane, called the radome, runs back quickly over the cockpit windows forming hundreds of thin, opaque zig-zag eddies, looking like a science fiction oscilloscope, but multiplied many times in parallel. The radome houses our weather radar antenna, and although rain is not forecast for our flight today, weather radar is our safety requirement on all airline passenger flights.

As our aircraft accelerated to our climb and cruise speed above ten thousand feet, the eddies stopped, and the fluid pooled in large droplets along the back edges of the windshield panels. I’m reminded of childhood trips in the back seat of the family station wagon, watching a light spring rain dance in whorls on the side windows. From years of experience, I know that this airplane will drip de-ice fluid from her greasy belly for the next several flights. That sweet smell will remain, a perfume of safe flight, for many flight hours. Experienced pilots will remember the hard years of long ago, when such resources were not available. We have come a long way from having a broom, a length of rope, and a pot of warm coffee for de-icing purposes.

Our flight takes us west over Southern Michigan. I know this area well, for Michigan was my childhood home. Looking down, the land seems almost foreign, the towns so close together. The speed limits on the roads are higher now, the towns have grown, and, in so many respects, the world has become much smaller, thanks in part to the jet engines that equip our aircraft.

Lake Michigan slides below us. The southern tip is a brilliant crescent of white ice, miles wide, standing guard in front of the steel mills of Gary, Indiana.  I’m reminded of my early aviation career during Chicago and Milwaukee winters when I flew small-package air freight. Looking back, those were good times. Back then, I only thought of surviving until the weekend and hoping to eventually go to work for the airlines. The paychecks were as minimal as the experience was vast.

It is mostly smooth as we cross over middle America. Better than half of the passengers sleep. One passenger, seated in coach, complains. Two in first class have had too much to drink and blessedly fall fast asleep.

The choppy air begins as we pass south of Pueblo, Colorado.  The F/O turns on the fasten seat belt sign and makes a gentle announcement to the passengers.  The flight crew understands the feelings that fearful flyers often experience when flying through turbulence. We make these announcements for your protection and your reassurance.  Fearful flyers are not alone when they share their flight with us. We understand. We care about you.

Many of the passengers largely ignore the announcement from the flight deck and the flight attendant’s directives, and continue using the lavatories. The turbulence is really only a mild-but-irritating chop, and nobody falls down or complains. Eventually the air smooths out, and we gently descend for our landing in Phoenix.

By some minor miracle, my landing is a smooth one, what we call a “greaser” in the industry. We touch down well ahead of schedule but end up having to hold for our arrival gate. Light westerly winds have allowed most of the fleet to get to the Phoenix hub well ahead of schedule, before the outbound flights are able to depart for their destination cities. The ramp and taxiways are a snarled mess with many airplanes of different sizes but with matching colors.  Eventually, we taxi to our arrival gate and, as the engines make a whining moan as they spool down after shutdown, I look at the clock on the instrument panel and notice, with slight disappointment, that we are a good twenty minutes behind our scheduled arrival time.

Our passengers are quite appreciative of the crew as they deplane, thanking us for the smooth flight. Nobody seemed to be any worse for the wear after being on this airplane for most of six hours.  Indeed, we had flown over much of this great nation, and it is only slightly after 10:00 o’clock in the morning, Phoenix time.

Though we arrived slightly behind schedule, our safe, mostly smooth flight was very typical of the service that the airlines provide. The level of professionalism and concentration that it takes to make these flights happen makes me proud to be part of the crew, proud of the airline I fly for, and proud to be part of the airline industry. When one is a member of a flight crew, he or she is truly surrounded by professionals. These people care. We care.

Welcome aboard!

Capt. Ron’s friend, Capt. John, is once again our guest pilot blogger to bring you his flightdeck perspective. He writes to provide a service to fearful flyers so they can see how incredibly safe (and routine!) flying is.  Capt. John has been flying since 1983 and has logged 20,000 hours. He assists Capt. Ron in the Phoenix fear of flying classes whenever his flying schedule permits.

Related posts:

1. What’s to Fear about a Short Hop in a Turboprop?
2. Can Planes Crash from Turbulence?
3. 3 Things Pilots Fear

Well, one guy took that advice to heart..or rather to the air, over and over again.  Perhaps you heard of Mark Malkoff who decided to spend a month on a plane to overcome his fear of flying.  Throughout the month of June, he took 135 flights, and according to the article in CBC news Canada online, he took anywhere from five to a dozen flights a day.   Now that’s a whole new way to be a frequent flyer!

Not only did he cure his fear of flying, but he set a new record in the Guinness Book of Records, beating the old record of 128 flights in one month.

Unlike the old saying “familiarity breeds contempt,” for Malkoff familiarity with planes and pilots led to, well, familiarity.  And that was a very good thing!  Much of fear of flying is fear of the unknown, and after all those flights, everything pretty much became so routine, that Malkoff had nothing to fear.

In our fear of flying classes, Capt. Ron often tells fearful flyers that “if I could just take my brain with 16,000 hours of cockpit flying and transplant it into your brain, then you’d fall asleep before takeoff too.”

Malkoff is a comedy writer but there’s nothing funny about fear of flying. However, you can learn something from the funny guy.

You gotta fly to get over it!

I know it’s a Catch-22 situation:  you hate to fly so you avoid it.  But if you could educate yourself about flying, learn some coping strategies and then force yourself to take several short practice flights, you’d be well on your way to overcoming your fear.  Try it!  You won’t make the Guinness Book of Records, but you will become a better flyer…guaranteed!

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 Funny Business
2. Fear of Flying Pill–Myth or Cure?

“Am pleased to report that I had the best experience ever! I was even able to enjoy my holiday and not be filled with dread at the thought of having to get on a plane to return home. YAY!”

YAY indeed.  When you’re no longer afraid to fly, the world opens up.  You’ll find you actually have time to worry about other things instead of crashing, dying, turbulence, etc.   In fact, as I was getting ready for a five-day trip to Chicago, I discovered some of them.

10.  Worries about what to pack. What to take when the weather’s different from where you live?  What will I feel like wearing three days from now? How many clothes are too many?  Not enough?  Warm enough?  Boots, umbrellas, or bikinis?  What will my favorite outfit look like wrinkled?

9.  Worries about what I left behind. The good news is that once you’ve left it behind, it’s too late to worry.  I left home without a toothbrush (pretty easy to replace but still a pain, and bad breath is never welcome no matter what city you fly to) and my watch, which made the next worry even bigger.

8. Worries about Time. How will I wake up in time to leave on what I call a “red rooster” flight (one where you get up before the chickens).  Which friend would be willing to drive me to the airport at 5:00 a.m.? How much traffic or construction on the way to the airport?  How long will it take to check luggage?  Will security lines be long?  (Hint:  They always are!)  Will the flight be delayed?  (Same hint as the security lines.)

7.  Fear of not bringing enough money. This can be remedied by a quick stop at the ATM on the way to the airport, provided you have money in your account AND you’ve covered worry number 8 above–there’s enough time to stop.

6.  Worries about who’s in charge at home. In my case, it was my daughter who kept my cats alive (not the plants though) and Captain Ron who minded the Fearless Flight store.  To cope with this worry, use your cell phone to check in.

5.  Worries about lack of sleep. This applies if you’re taking the aforementioned “red rooster” flight or the other famous flight of color, “the red eye.”  You can try to catch a nap on the plane, provided you’re not sitting across the aisle from a screaming baby.  Don’t stop at Starbucks on the way to the gate either.  Caffeine not only aggravates sleep, it also aggravates fear of flying.

4.  Worries about how you’ll look/do/appear when you get to your destination. Will your presentation be successful?  Will your daughter away at school have taken up with a scuzzy boyfriend?  Will you still look as good as you did 20 years ago when you fly back to your high school reunion?  Will you need a vacation from your vacation when you get back?

3. Fear of germs. In the share-the-air environment of an aircraft, this one did cross my mind even before I saw the woman seven rows behind me wearing a surgical mask.  I’m not sure she was more worried about giving germs than getting them.  I was happy to be seated several rows ahead of her.

2.  Fear of your seatmate. Will you be seated next to the aforementioned cry baby or the huge man who really needs two seats?  A woman dressed like the Southwest Airlines Playboy Honey of the month?  (Oops, sorry, this last one isn’t a fear if you’re a guy, is it?)

AND THE NUMBER ONE THING TO WORRY ABOUT: Two words:  Lost Luggage. Will your luggage be there when you get there? Everybody worries about this one, folks, because it’s a very real possibility!  To deal with with this fear, I try to visualize my luggage riding on the destination airport’s carousel, ala the Power of Positive Thinking and the Law of Attraction.  So far, this has worked–even when I was a “little” late getting to the airport (because I left my watch behind, remember) which resulted in my luggage being tagged with a yellow fluorescent tag LATE CHECK IN.  The baggage carrier kindly warned me she couldn’t guarantee my bags would arrive at the same time I did.  But they did–thank you, Southwest.  So much for embarrassing luggage labels!

And speaking of labels, when you get over being a fearful flyer, you can wear a brand new label, just like me:  WORRY WART.  But becoming a fearless flyer is entirely worth the trade off.

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. Leaving Fear of Flying Worries Behind
2. Whether You Fly Or Not
3. Fear of Flying or Fear of Landing

Ever play the alphabet travel game?  It goes like this:  I’m going to Alaska and bringing my axe, my baseball bat, and my curling iron.  Each person repeats the list and adds another item and so on down through the alphabet.  Ever played the TSA version of this game?

The original game was played long before the TSA began playing with its own rules of the travel game–what you can and what you can’t carry on.  The TSA is responsible for a whole new three-ounce size revolution–go into any convenience store and you’ll see tons of “travel-approved” sizes of toiletries now on the market.

It’s bad enough to be afraid to fly.  But it must be awful to also have to worry about what’s on the approved list and whether your stuff will be pitched by one of those well-intentioned TSA agents if it’s not on the list of acceptable travel items.

Once a fearful flyer is ready to fly, they need the list of what’s TSA permissible and what isn’t.   Someone just did a search for “curling iron” on our site.  Unfortunately they didn’t find our site helpful in that regard.  But because we want to help make flying as enjoyable as possible for you, here’s the link directly to the TSA’s website of what you can and can’t bring on.

So maybe you’ve overcome your fear of flying and are all ready for the big trip.  Ready to play the guys’ version of the  TSA travel game?

I’m going on an airliner and I’m taking an axe, a baseball bat, and my favorite golf club.  Sorry but you and all that stuff won’t get very far past the TSA screeners!  Even if you leave your axe and baseball bat behind, your prized putter Tiger Woods once used  isn’t approved to fly in the cabin with you, no matter how much you distrust the baggage handlers and how nice you are to the TSA agents.

Let’s play the ladies’ version of the packing game:   I’m going on an airliner and I’m taking an aerosol can of hair spray (3 ozs. or less), bath oil (3 ozs. or less), cuticle cutters, deodorant (3 ozs. or less), and eyelash curler.  Great!  You’ll sail right past security with all this stuff in your carry-on bag.  Unfortunately, the TSA site, like our site, doesn’t have “curling iron” listed on either the okay-to-bring or okay-not-to bring list.  Although there’s not a list of approved beauty products, I’d say it’s probably safe to bring it, but if the TSA pitches it, you can always use your eyelash curler in a pinch!

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. Whether You Fly Or Not

Of course fear of flying is real!  Listen to this email:

I am going to Cancun for spring break this year. I have been on a plane about two other times but it seems the older I get the harder it is to fly. While I’m in the air I have major axiety and I just think of the worst that could happen! I try thinking of happy things but then bad things pop in my head. all the other flights I’ve been on I throw up. I always go with my family, so I have support. But, the whole time I feel like I might have a heart attack. and reading so many stories on planes crashing is not very often… but it could happen to me. Why not? So, that scares me.

Flying over water is the worst. I always imagine the plane crashing into the water. and you have almost no chance of living. The worst thing about flying is when you board the plane and you see the pilot and attendants grinning at you like they might do something. The last flight I was on was to Puerto Viarta Mexico for a vacation. We had to fly from USA to Mexico City. Then get on ANOTHER plane to fly to our next destination. The plane dropped and turned on its side and I freaked out and wanted to die. That is when I threw up. I have a huge fear of flying from my bad experience of flying. Please help!!!!!!!

This comment is why I’ve continued to work with fearful flyers ever since I was invited to help a Phoenix psychologist back in 1987.  After reading comments like this and thousands of others, there can be no doubt that fear of flying is very real.

When you read the above-referenced comment, you find it riddled with evidence of the power of our minds and the manifestations of the mind-body connection.  “While I’m in the air…I just think of the worst…!…I throw up.”  The gastrointestinal system has more nerve cells than the brain so is it any wonder that anxiety is felt as “butterflies” in the stomach–and extreme fear occasionally results in vomiting?

“…when you board the plane and you see the pilot and [attendants] grinning at you like they might do something.”  As a career pilot, I never imagined that my friendly smile might be interpreted as evidence of a sinister motive until I became involved with fearful flyers.  The crew really wants to help you, so be sure and share your fear with them to get the extra TLC you deserve as a fearful flyer.

The problem with fear of flying is that it’s not about airplanes and flying.  It’s not even about crashing and dying.  If that were the case, we wouldn’t get into our cars or go for a walk (7,000 people die every year in the US as pedestrians!).  The problem lies with thoughts and feelings, both conscious and unconscious, generated by a part of our nervous system that was designed to ensure that we would survive the attack of prehistoric predators.  Unfortunately this system has failed to downgrade its sensitivity as the threats in our modern world have diminished.

The good news is that overcoming fear of flying has one of the highest success rates of any phobia.  Because its origins are both conscious and unconcsious, your success is dependent on efforts in both areas.

So yes, fear of flying is very real.  But it can be overcome–really!

Related posts:

1. Top 10 Worries Besides Fear of Flying

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