Fear of Flying

jayneair_2

I was saved by the Virgin fear of flying course. They gave the facts about flying and dispelled the myths and also showed me how to control my panic attacks. The reason I went was due to feedback being actually from past customers own e-mail addresses, so you can tell it's genuine.

b3nton

I find that being logical about safety helps me calm down on planes.
They are the safest method of transport.

tembele

kjikl;jlbnknbn,njknmn

tembele

sorry mistake

Fakefurbabe_2

:A So glad I have found this thread and I feel relieved that I am not the only one with this fear!

I am considering booking on my of these courses as having flown all over the place over a number of years I have developed a paralysing fear of flying which has stemmed from my dislike of turbulance but has got so bad that I don't even like going on ferries! (I have to sit out on deck so I can breath!)

I am desperate to travel again so I am willing to try anything. My GP won't prescribe pills (only breathing exercises) and booze doesn't work for me either. The breathing exercises are exhausting and the effects don't last as I am so gripped with fear I can't control my breathing for any length of time. I keep telling myself I am perfectly safe and that the plane could bend in two and we would still be o.k. but the panic kicks in and there is nothing I can do.

The last time I flew back from Florida a couple of years ago I had to have a cabin attendant sit with me practically all the way back whilst I was in the brace position sobbing. I don't like being like this but have absolutely no control whatsoever, my poor OH and DS have to sit away from me as it makes me worse as I am worrying about them worrying about me.

Blimey when I read this back I sound like a real weirdo!

If anybody else has any comments about these courses I would love to hear.

sturll

Fakefurbabe wrote: »

:A So glad I have found this thread and I feel relieved that I am not the only one with this fear!

I am considering booking on my of these courses as having flown all over the place over a number of years I have developed a paralysing fear of flying which has stemmed from my dislike of turbulance but has got so bad that I don't even like going on ferries! (I have to sit out on deck so I can breath!)

I am desperate to travel again so I am willing to try anything. My GP won't prescribe pills (only breathing exercises) and booze doesn't work for me either. The breathing exercises are exhausting and the effects don't last as I am so gripped with fear I can't control my breathing for any length of time. I keep telling myself I am perfectly safe and that the plane could bend in two and we would still be o.k. but the panic kicks in and there is nothing I can do.

The last time I flew back from Florida a couple of years ago I had to have a cabin attendant sit with me practically all the way back whilst I was in the brace position sobbing. I don't like being like this but have absolutely no control whatsoever, my poor OH and DS have to sit away from me as it makes me worse as I am worrying about them worrying about me.

Blimey when I read this back I sound like a real weirdo!

If anybody else has any comments about these courses I would love to hear.

RE your fear of flying and turbulence...

This might help..

I used to commute between Belfast and Manchester twice weekly, so 4 flights per week. It is literally a 40 minute hop across the water - No sooner are you up and you are coming back down. Anyway, one particular day it was hail stoning, raining, a really bad day. The pilot said there would most likely be some turbulence.

He wasn't wrong either. The aircraft was dropping, shaking violently and several times it felt like the plane would roll over, It's hard to imagine but it was like someone had hold of the plane and were shaking it like a ketchup bottle. The entire flight was locked down and people were screaming, crying, in fear of their lives. It was more intense than anything i had ever experienced and i was certainly shook up.
Eventually the pilot nosedived the flight and took us out of it and we landed safely. Whilst taxying to the gate the pilot came on the speakers and said that we had just experienced 'moderate' turbulence and that it was the worst he had personally ever experienced.

The point being we landed safely. Aircraft are built to survive the most severe turbulence and i can sit here and tell you that i experianced the worst imaginable and am here to tell the tale.

However, i continued to do that same commute for 3 years, have flown all over the globe. I recon a good guess would be that ive probably flown over 500 times and never ever have i experienced anything close to that one time on that 40 minute flight. I admit, i have had some pretty turbulent flights - one lasted all the way from Los Angeles right the way to Heathrow pretty much. But the fact is now i know how safe aircraft are in terms of turbulence, and how unlikely and rare even 'moderate' turbulence is.

Fakefurbabe_2

Just thought I would update you all as I have now attended a Fear of Flying course and in a nutshell I feel I am now worse off than before - no fault of the course which was excellent and I am sure there were many people there who probably have benefited but I probably won't get on a plane again!

My impression from the day was that there were a large number of people who had a what I would call trepidation rather than a fear of flying as there were a number of people who had never flown and people with underlying fears i.e. claustrophobia.

Unfortunately for the crew on the flight we hit some unexpected clear air turbalance which the pilot could not get us out of quickly enough because the radio was busy dealing with other flights. After 5 minutes of drops and bumps we eventually nosedived out and we were told consequently that what we had experienced was moderate turbalance. Prior to the flight in the session relating to turbulance the pilot (who had over 50,000 flying hours) told us that he could count on one hand the amount of times he had experienced moderate turblance.

I must be extremely unlucky then as I have flown around 100 hours and this is my third experience of moderate turbulance. I don't think flying is for me!

However for some reason and maybe it is my personality I am still thinking of trying hypnotherapy or drugs not so much to help me fly but more for the reason that because of the fear of turbulance/flying I can't cope on ferries and sometimes buses/trains going to fast and maybe in time I will try a flight again.

Sorry if this is all negative and I don't want to put anyone off but I feel I need to put something down as I don't want anyone to feel that the course itself will 'cure' you if you really do have a fear.

I have been advised to try one-to-one flying i.e. being accompanied on a couple of internal flights however after this weekend's experience I feel like an emotional/physical wreck whereas at least before this episode I was happy to get on a plane I don't think I want to go near one again for a very long time.

Aidenr

Fakefurbabe wrote: »

Just thought I would update you all as I have now attended a Fear of Flying course and in a nutshell I feel I am now worse off than before - no fault of the course which was excellent and I am sure there were many people there who probably have benefited but I probably won't get on a plane again!

My impression from the day was that there were a large number of people who had a what I would call trepidation rather than a fear of flying as there were a number of people who had never flown and people with underlying fears i.e. claustrophobia.

Unfortunately for the crew on the flight we hit some unexpected clear air turbalance which the pilot could not get us out of quickly enough because the radio was busy dealing with other flights. After 5 minutes of drops and bumps we eventually nosedived out and we were told consequently that what we had experienced was moderate turbalance. Prior to the flight in the session relating to turbulance the pilot (who had over 50,000 flying hours) told us that he could count on one hand the amount of times he had experienced moderate turblance.

I must be extremely unlucky then as I have flown around 100 hours and this is my third experience of moderate turbulance. I don't think flying is for me!

However for some reason and maybe it is my personality I am still thinking of trying hypnotherapy or drugs not so much to help me fly but more for the reason that because of the fear of turbulance/flying I can't cope on ferries and sometimes buses/trains going to fast and maybe in time I will try a flight again.

Sorry if this is all negative and I don't want to put anyone off but I feel I need to put something down as I don't want anyone to feel that the course itself will 'cure' you if you really do have a fear.

I have been advised to try one-to-one flying i.e. being accompanied on a couple of internal flights however after this weekend's experience I feel like an emotional/physical wreck whereas at least before this episode I was happy to get on a plane I don't think I want to go near one again for a very long time.

Oh my goodness ! I am so sorry to read what happened. I do think ( right or wrong) that it was good of you to report back what happened on the day.

Im crew for Virgin and in over 2yrs that I have been flying, I have encounted SOOOO many people with different levels of fear onboard, so please anyone who may read this think that you are in some way a "weirdo" you could not be further from the truth !
With the Virgin fear of flying course, I have herd great reviews of it working and some stories like above where it hasn't. I think its important for the individual to be able have all the information of any given course to ensure that it is taylored to YOUR needs as everyone is different.

From a personal point of view, I will always give information and support to someone who is anxious about a flight, be it takeoff/landing or general noise and bumps. I cant speak for all crew/airlines however, I would like to think that all airlines would give you a level of support.

Fakefurbabe: I think its a real shame that you day on the course has made you worse about going near a plane. The idea that you suggested regarding having a personal excort type thing is a really great idea. Maybe a good friend and you could do a short flight together as a weekend away to Ireland/scotland for example to get used to the plane, noises etc.
I know at Virgin we use the big jumbo's so that may had an added effect on the level of fear that was caused?

I hope things work out for you. Any questions, feel free to give me a shout

A