Is Fear Of Flying Irrational?

Fear of flying is often said to be irrational. But for many, the concern is not so much that the plane will crash, but there will be an emotional crash!

Physical Safety Or Emotional Safety

Panic is frightening anyplace, but nowhere is panic worse than on an airliner. I've worked on this for twenty-eight years both as an airline captain and as a licensed therapist. Though pilots who give courses mean well, assuring people how safe flying is does not work when high anxiety or panic is a concern. I offered such courses myself until realizing the problem is not just physical safety; it is emotional safety.

To find a solution, I went to grad school, and became licensed as a therapist. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) taught in graduate school was helpful to some clients, but it was not effective when feelings of anxiety or panic developed rapidly, or without warning. The feelings took over the person's mind so rapidly that they could not employ the CBT skills they had learned.

Another approach, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) was promising. After a year of post-graduate training in (NLP), I found it produced no answers. Nor did hypnotism. Finally, through experimentation, I was able to develop a way that was effective with every case - not just mild cases. This major advancement took years of training, research, and experimentation to develop.

Is Your Problem With Flying Severe Or Mild?

If your difficulty with flying is mild, almost any approach will help. How can you tell if your problem mild?

• Do you have panic attacks?
  
  


• Do you have trouble with elevators, bridges, or tunnels.
  
  

If you do not have a problem with any of these things, hypnotism, CBT, NLP, and courses by pilots will work. If you do have trouble with these things, more advanced help will be needed. The methods mentioned will only leave you feeling - unnecessarily - defeated, thinking you are a failure when failed by inadequate help for your problem.

Another way to tell is to use the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise. If it is not enough to manage your anxiety level, you will need specialized help.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Exercise

Focus on some object in front of you. Say "I see" and then name something in your peripheral vision. Next say "I see" and name something else in your peripheral vision. Continue until you have made five statements.

Maintaining focus, say the words "I hear" and name something you hear. Next say "I hear" and name something else you hear. Continue until you have made five statements.

Maintaining focus, say the words "I feel" and name something you are touching. Continue until you have made five statements.

That completes one cycle. It takes intense concentration. That is exactly what you want. As you concentrate on non-threatening things, no new stress hormones are being released. This allows the "fight or flight" hormones that were in your body - when you started the exercise - to be burned off. As they get burned off, you get more relaxed.

To continue the exercise until all the stress hormones are burned off, keep the concentration intense by making one change: instead of doing five statements, begin again with things you see, hear, and touch, but make four statements instead of five. Then, in the next cycle, make three statements. Then, in the next cycle, make two statements. Then, in the next cycle, make one statement. If still anxious, start again at the beginning with five.

Use this exercise as early as possible to control panic before it can take hold when flying, or thinking of flying.

If More Adequate Help Is Needed

Specialized help is available for difficult cases of high anxiety, panic, or claustrophobia when flying at www.fearofflying.com

Capt. Tom Bunn LCSW

President - SOAR Inc.

Hard Core Cases - And Free Help For Mild Cases

The program I run specializes in help the really "hard core" cases of fear of flying that cannot be helped anywhere else. No matter what you have tried, if you have not had success, the problem is not with you, but with the method of help given.

But a person with mild flight anxiety can get by with the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise.

Focus on some object in front of you. Say "I see" and then name something in your peripheral vision. Then say "I see" and name something else in your peripheral vision. Continue until you have made five statements.

Maintaining focus, say the words "I hear" and name something you hear. Then say "I hear" and name something else you hear. Continue until you have made five statements.

Maintaining focus, say the words "I feel" and name something you are touching.

That completes one cycle. It takes intense concentration. That is exactly what we want. As you concentrate on non-threatening things, the "fight or flight" hormones that were in your body when you started the exercise get burned off. As they get used up, you get more relaxed.

To keep the concentration intense, we make one change: instead of doing five statements again, do four statements. Then, in the next cycle, do three statements. Then, in the next cycle, do two statements. Then, in the next cycle, do one
statement. Then, in the next cycle, we go back to five, etc.

Use this exercise as early as possible to control panic before it can take hold.

Capt. Tom Bunn LCSW
President, SOAR Inc.

Turbulence Is Under Mother Nature's Control

It is easy to think anything which you don't control is a danger to you. The
idea that turbulence is something totally out of control frightens anxious
fliers.

Turbulence is not out of control. Turbulence is controlled by Mother Nature.
Think about the temperature of the air outside. Some days it reaches
almost 100 degrees, and some days it is below freezing. But, though the
temperature - like turbulence - is not controlled by you or me, it
always falls within a certain range. In the U.S., it rarely goes below
minus 25 or above plus 125.

Because we know the temperature falls within a certain range, and that
range is limited, we have learned how to deal with all the temperatures
we may encounter. The same is true of turbulence. It is never above a
certain level. But I suspect an anxious flier doesn't really understand
this, and thinks it might become so great it could threaten the plane.

No way! We know the most intense turbulence can become and we build
airliners with twice as much strength as is needed for the most intense
turbulence possible.

So you understand WHY turbulence is limited, consider this. Turbulence
- the kind you get at cruise altitude - is called Clear Air Turbulence,
or CAT. It is caused when the jetstream, which is a stream of
fast-moving air, scrubs alongside air that is not moving. The speed of
the jetstream is limited. How? Consider what causes the jetstream: the
earth's rotation. Since the earth's rotation is constant, the maximum
speed of the jetstream is restricted to what that constant speed of
rotation can produce. And, since turbulence is caused by the
interaction of fast-moving air and air that is not moving fast, the
amount of turbulence has to fall within a certain range, a range that
is not controlled by humans, but is in fact controlled by the earth.

That certainly should help you understand that turbulence is, in a way,
very much controlled, and thus is not a threat.

But understanding - alone - will not stop the reaction you have to turbulence.
To stop the reaction, you will need to learn and use the Strengthening Exercise.

You can learn what causes the feelings you - at present - are unable to control
and how automatic control of them can be established. That makes it possible
to fly without worry about a panic attack.

See the video at http://www.fearofflying.com

US AIR A-320 LANDS IN HUDSON RIVER - ALL SURVIVE

This afternoon, US Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York at around 3:30 PM. Thirty seconds after takeoff, the pilots reported two bird strikes and said they wanted to return to land at LaGuardia. As controllers began giving directions back to LaGuardia, the pilots changed their request to continue more or less straight ahead and to land at Teterboro airport, a small airport five miles north of Newark Airport, and the nearest airport to the position of the plane.

Apparently, as the flight headed toward Teterboro, whatever power the engines were producing was either lost, or became insufficient to maintain flight, and the captain elected to land in the Hudson River, which separates New York and New Jersey.

Some readers may be surprised to hear that the plane -- even without engine power -- can glide. Since the Hudson River is wide and straight in this area, it was a simple matter to keep the plane lined up with the River, and allow it to glide down to a landing in the water.

The plane landed in the water, and stayed afloat. The slide-rafts attached to the doors provided an inflatable craft for some passengers. Others climbed out onto the wing. Several boats nearby came to pick up the passengers waiting on the wing. Reportedly some slipped off the wing and had to be pulled from the water by rescuers.

New York City Mayor Bloomberg termed it "a miracle". And, perhaps it was. Had this been night, those in the water might not have been found. Had the plane been forced to land in a populated area, hundreds -- no doubt -- would have been killed.

Some pilots who commented on news broadcasts spoke of things that can go wrong with a water landing, and had great praise for the pilot. While it is true that things can go wrong when landing in water, the captain was a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and instructor. When I heard that, I said, "That explains everything!" Fighter pilots are to aviation what Derek Jeter is to baseball and Roger Federer is to tennis. When they make a great play, it is only what is expected of them. The same is true of a fighter pilot. The landing was simply true to form.

Patrick Smith was interviewed on one of the New York radio stations. He did a great job explaining that planes can glide, can land in water, and are expected to float. You can read what he has to say about the accident at this link.

Planes float because of the boyancy of the fuel tanks. Obviously, if the tanks were full, the tanks would not provide boyancy. But on most flights, the tanks are not full, and that was the case today with this flight scheduled to land at Atlanta.

The plane, due to river currents, floated downstream from where it landed at around 45th street down to around 20ths street, where it was tethered to a tug and lashed to a pier a bit father downstream.

What is it that you should take away from this?

• An airliner can glide with no engine power


• An airliner can land, provided there is a plane to land, without engine power.


• An airliner can land in water, and provided the landing is well-controlled so that no damage is done, the plane will float

Even more important is this: this is the FIRST time since jets came into use by the airlines in 1958 than an airliner has become disabled over water and been forced to land!

Now, having happened once in fifty years, it would seem -- to me at least -- that this is not something that belongs on your list of things to worry about, at least, not for at least another fifty years or so.

If this accident does cause you additional stress, there is no better time than now to get a handle on the problem.

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If
you are unsure which is best for you, please call me at 877 332-7359 so
we can talk it over. You will feel better as soon as you decide to act.

We are always here to help. As you go
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concern.

Turbulence

Turbulence - How Much Does The Plane Move?

In turbulence, it feels like the plane is moving a great distance up and down. Anxious passengers often ask if it is ten or twenty feet, or hundreds of feet. It is neither; it is less than an inch. It is very hard to understand this, but if you have played croquet, you may remember a strategy called "sending your opponent". It is also called "taking a croquet stroke", or "sparking". An understanding of what happens can help you understand how less than an inch of movement by the plane can feel like far more.

During a game of croquet, if you are able to hit an opponent's ball with your ball, you are then entitled to "send your opponent". You do this by placing your ball in contact with the opponent's ball. Then, you place the sole of your shoe on top of your ball, maintaining a strong pressure on your ball, so that when you strike your ball hard with your mallet, your ball moves only a fraction of an inch, but your opponent's ball is sent several feet away.

Something similar happens in turbulence. The plane, like your ball, moves only a fraction of an inch during turbulence. Just as your ball is restricted by your foot, the plane's movement is restricted by the jello-like thickness of the air.

You as a passenger are like the opponent's ball. You are caused to move several inches even though the plane -- like your ball held underfoot -- moves only a fraction of an inch.

Because of speed, the air outside the plane is as thick to the plane as jello. But inside the plane, the air is like air you normally breath. The thick air outside restricts the plane's movement like your foot restricts your ball's movement. The plane is jolted by turbulence just as your ball is jolted when hit by your mallet. But the jolt amounts to nothing; neither your ball or the plane moves more than a fraction of an inch. Yet, the jolt causes you as a passenger, like the opponent's ball, to move a greater distance.

When watching a croquet game, if you were to observe only the opponents ball, you would see it moves ten or twenty feet. You might get the idea that whatever caused the ball to move ten or twenty feet must have moved at least that much, and might have moved more. But you would be wrong. The plane, like your ball, moves only a fraction of an inch. But that fraction of an inch transmits enough intensity to cause you - like the opponent's ball - to to be moved more.

Knowing It Has No Bearing On Safety, Turbulence Means Nothing At All To Pilots

To help you understand that turbulence is not in any way a safety concern, consider this. A pilot flying cargo, such as UPS or FEDEX, would not even bother to press the mike button and ask for a smoother altitude. To a pilot, turbulence simply does not matter. Pilots are so used to it that turbulence that would cause an anxious flier to be very upset would not even be noticed.

Years ago when we did live courses and took people in the course on a "graduation flight", many times I was asked "Is this turbulence dangerous"? My automatic response was, "Turbulence? WHAT Turbulence?" Not only had I not noticed it, I couldn't even notice it after being asked about it. It just did not register on my Richter Scale.

"But Turbulence Is Frightening Because It Is Out Of Control"

Think about the temperature of the air outside. Some days it reaches almost 100 degrees, and some days it is below freezing. But, though the temperature - like turbulence - is not controlled by you or me, it always falls with a certain range. In the U.S., it rarely goes below minus 25 or above plus 125.

Because we know the temperature falls within a certain range, and that range is limited, we have learned how to deal with all the temperatures we may encounter. The same is true of turbulence. It is never above a certain level. But I suspect an anxious flier doesn't really understand this, and things it might become so great it could threaten the plane.

No way! We know the most intense turbulence can become and we build airliners with twice as much strength as is needed for the most intense turbulence possible.

So you understand WHY turbulence is limited, consider this. Turbulence - the kind you get at cruise altitude - is called Clear Air Turbulence, or CAT. It is caused when the jetstream, which is a stream of fast-moving air, scrubs alongside air that is not moving. The speed of the jetstream is limited. How? Consider what causes the jetstream: the earth's rotation. Since the earth's rotation is constant, the maximum speed of the jetstream is restricted to what that constant speed of rotation can produce. And, since turbulence is caused by the interaction of fast-moving air and air that is not moving fast, the amount of turbulence has to fall within a certain range, a range that is not controlled by humans, but is in fact controlled by the earth.

That certainly should help you understand that turbulence is, in a way, very much controlled, and thus is not a threat.

The Airlines Versus The FAA On Air Safety

The Airlines Versus The FAA On Air Safety

Several airlines have opted out of a safety program which, for years, has been regarded as a great success. But the airlines say they want changes so they can punish pilots for what they call willful and intentional safety violations. It escapes me how airline management thinks a professional pilot would willfully violate a safety regulation because there is no advantage for a pilot doing so.

But since there is an advantage to the corporation when management violates federal regulations without getting caught, perhaps management people think pilot, too, spend as much time as management types do at figuring ways around regulations.

The stucture of business is such that psychopaths can flourish in the corporate culture. That should be obvious in view of recent events on Wall Street. Management people are -- in far more cases that non-therapists realize -- psychopathos who abstain from doing damage to others ONLY because of fear of being caught, fired, or otherwise punished. Psychopaths do not understand at all there non-psychopaths operate on a different basis: empathy for others, or at least, identification with others. That does not compute in their brains. Thus it is natural for a psychpath to think the only reason a pilot would do the job right is fear of punishment. That belief -- plus the fact that psychpathos enjoy punishing others -- is the only way I can explain the logic behind airline management's decision to opt out of a program proven to enhance safety.

Even if they didn't care, pilots know about enforcement by gravity. Gravity can be counted on to "punish" a pilot who tries to break the law of gravity -- every time.

For example, one of the "Ten Commandments Of Aviation" is " Maintain thy airspeed when landing lest the earth rise up and smite thee!" When you have that to deal with, a form of enforcement which enforces EVERY time a pilot screws up that bad, it should be obvious even to a psychopath that the their punishment is not useful. 

For an article on this, see this link. 

Airlines Sue To Stop FAA Pilot Fatigue Protection

Pilot fatigue is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, threat to airline safety. Before deregulation, unions were fairly successful in negotiating agreements which protected pilots against extreme fatigue. But deregulation changed that. As new airlines sprang up with no unions, and no retirement to pay for, the legacy airlines were under pressure to compete. Pilot unions were forced to relinquish these protections.

Yet, at unionized airlines, pilots were able to deal with the problem by calling in sick when fatigue mounted. Airlines fought back by reducing the amount of sick leave available.

The warfare continues, now in court, as JetBlue, US Airways, Continental, American, and two cargo airlines, Evergreen and Atlas, have filed a lawsuit against the FAA to challenge the legality of new rules to provide better protection from fatigue on flights lasting sixteen hours or longer.

It is interesting to see JetBlue join this suit even though it has no flights of that length. JetBlue is the airline that got into trouble with the FAA when the decided to do fatigue "experiments" by having pilots fly from the East Coast to the West Coast and back to the East Coast in one day with passengers aboard the plane.

JetBlue's founder has been quoted as saying he doesn't think the FAA should impose any rules on the airlines unless an accident has proven the rule necessary. I guess JetBlue just wants to take a stand against any government efforts to impose safety.

Read a story on this at this link.