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Planes and Fear of Flying the Hollywood Way

November 7th, 2009 • By: Diane Owens • Advice for partners of fearful flyers, Overcoming Fear of Flying
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 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.
 
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.

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Two new CFT Classes: 11/10/09 & 12/5/09

October 26th, 2009 • By: Diane Owens • Advice for partners of fearful flyers, Events, Getting Started, Overcoming Fear of Flying

Sign up for the next CFT 101 class, our last two Basic Classes of the year.   They’re held at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix and they’re free!

11/10/09 Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30

12/5/09 Saturday morning from 10:00 to noon

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

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Fear of Flying–No Men Allowed!

October 26th, 2009 • By: Capt Ron • Advice for partners of fearful flyers, Airplane Crashes, Getting Started, Overcoming Fear of Flying

airplane

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 Chicken Soup for the Soul Presents the Fearless FlightKit. They order downloads of our online Cleared for 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.

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Ray Bradbury’s Novel Way to Overcome Fear of Flying

October 19th, 2009 • By: Diane Owens • Overcoming Fear of Flying

“Give me three double martinis!” science fiction novelist Ray Bradbury told Delta Airlines before he boarded a cross-country flight. Bradbury didn’t exactly have a novel way to board an airplane. Many use alcohol. But the alcohol gave him the courage to get on the plane, and once he was there, he had an amazing insight about the origin of his fear of flying.

We don’t advocate alcohol as a way to cope with fear of flying, but we do tell fearful flyers that if medication such as Xanax can help get them on the plane and take the edge of their fear, then yes, get a prescription from your doctor and use it. Fear of flying can be overcome, but trying to fly “cold turkey” with no medication or new knowledge and coping strategies may further traumatize you and keep you in fear of flying mode for a long time to come.

Once you’ve managed to get yourself on a plane after being fully prepared to tackle the flight, you may have an AH-HA moment about your fear, just like Ray Bradbury did. And then the world will be at your feet, just like it was for him.

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Next Basic Fear of Flying Class 10/24/09

October 15th, 2009 • By: Diane Owens • Events, Getting Started

Come join us for the next Basic Cleared for Takeoff Class at Sky Harbor Airport.  The two-hour free class will be held Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  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.

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