Fear of Flying

By Azor Periera Egos

The Airport in Doha                 Photo: Siam heute

Every day, 365 days a year, hundreds of thousands of people walk into a long silver tube called an airplane. They sit down and strap their self into the seat. Their time in that seat may be as short as less than an hour; it could be as long as  hours. It has become a routine for many passengers. For others, however, the mere thought of getting on an airplane for a short flight to Grandma’s house or flying half way around the world to negotiate the big deal is anything but a comfortable thought. These people are afraid of flying. 

There are so many kinds of fear. The fear to be alone, the fear of water and the fear of dying. Fear can cause extreme unhappiness. Fear can seriously disrupt a life and can even shatter dreams. But what if fear is the only way to achieve a dream? Will one be able to conquer one’s fear or just sit in a corner and be consumed by the demons in the mind?

The limitation of space on an airplane can further enhance the fear of flying. One might associate oneself with the typical sardine in a tin can. The roaring sound of the plane engine might also be disturbing for the fearful passenger. Safety demonstration videos and the safety information card can make a fearful passenger feel unsafe. Fearful passengers may have uncomfortable feelings well before the flight, in the car way to the airport, standing in a line waiting to check-in, or on the plane. Hands start to sweat, the body starts shaking, or the heart starts to throb once the flight is announced or delayed for some mechanical or weather problems. Some people start to panic once turbulence occurs. Sitting next to the emergency exit door of the plane with seatbelt and life vest under the chair can also cause fear.

A 24-year-old flight attendant, who wants to remain anonymously out of fear to lose her job, says, “I suffer from the fear of flying.” Despite her anxiety, air hostess remains her dream job. She uses extreme make-up to cover up the sweat spreading on her face as soon as the airplane is going to take off.

In the aviation industry a person who wants to be a pilot or flight attendant must show a strong personality and no fear of flying; fear of flying is the fear of being on board a plane. There are many different causes of fear of flying. In Kristina’s case, she has a fear of hijacking or terrorism. “I remember the movie United 93 about a plane that had been hijacked on September 11,” she says, “and it makes me feel nervous.”

The American comedian, actress, singer, and talk show host, Whoopi Goldberg, has not flown on an airplane since the mid-late 1990s. In her interview at The View, she shared her fear. “It starts the days before I go to the airport,” Whoopi says, “I start to panic, I stop eating, I shake and I get pale which is not cute.” Whoopi’s fear of flying began with a collision of two aircraft in 1978.

A fear of flying might be caused by other phobias, like claustrophobia, a fear of being closed in spaces like an airplane cabin. A fear of heights or acrophobia is a fear of high places. Even listening to radio news or watching a movie about a plane crash can spark off a fear of flying. “It can also be a feeling of being unsecured and fear of dying,” Wariluck, a Thai, psychologist, says.

Like all other phobias, the fear of flying has symptoms. There are physical symptoms that include shaking, sweating, dizziness, dry mouth, pale face, abdominal and intestinal discomfort and heart palpitations. The fear of flying can affect your daily life. It can affect your job, your important meetings or celebration and even your dream. Like Whoopi Goldberg who has started to travel in a personal bus since the mid-late 1990s in order to do her job.

According to a 1980 study by the Boeing Company 18.1% of adults in the United States were afraid to fly and about 12.6% of adults suffered anxiety attacks while on board of a plane. One in three adult Americans were fearful of flying and women more afraid of flying than men. According to a Newsweek Magazine study in 1999, 50% of the adults who have flown on commercial airlines are afraid to fly.

“There is less fear of flying or there should be less fear of flying than driving a car to a grocery store,” Brian Quimby says. Mr. Brian, a 64-year-old American, is a private pilot and has been flying a plane since he was 25 years old. His brother is a pilot for Federal Express who flies both Boeing 777 and MD-11. He says that any flight whether it is a Boeing 747 or a small plane involves an enormous amount of planning. “You plan your route of flight to ensure that the airplane is on acceptable weight, the weather is conducive for safe journey and you check to ensure that the plane is working properly before takeoff.”

Planes are strong, reliable and well maintained according to the government regulation. They are inspected regularly by well trained, licensed mechanics. Most major airlines have their own training center for pilots and cabin crews. Pilots and Flight Attendants are trained for about one to three months in order to provide safety and comfort to the passengers; to provide customer relations and represent the image of the company. Pilots need to pass medical tests such as physical and mental health in order to obtain a pilot license. Pilots also need to have hundreds of hours in flying in order to fly a commercial airplane. Experts agree there is nothing to be really afraid of.

Kristina had also been trained before her first flight. “I’ve learned the evacuation procedures and safety of flight routine but it never comes to my mind that I have a fear of flying, but it’s my dream so I have to do something”, she says.

Like Kristina, Whoopi did something against her fear of flying. She was treated by Dr. Roger Callahan with Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Her treatment has been discussed and shown on the television show “The View”. She also did a short course against fear of flying for Virgin Atlantic Airways.

There are lots of ways to conquer fear and to reduce anxiety. Psychological therapy like systematic desensitization and cognitive behavior therapy will help or, benzodiazepines and other relaxant drugs will help a fearful passenger to reduce fear. There are dozens of books like, The Fearless Fliers, Flying in the Comfort Zone, Flying? No Fear! There are also videos of Captain Tom Bunn, a licensed therapist and airline pilot that talk about fear of flying and other videos. In the United States, some commercial airlines offer, short courses to reduce the fear of flying.

After her fear of flying course finished, a fearful Goldberg flew from the United States to Great Britain in April 2009. Kristina finished her favorite book about fear of flying and after a couple of months training; she received a contract to become an international flight attendant.

Her first flight has come. “It’s no longer a training anymore, it’s a real plane,” Kristina says. It was a rainy night of June 2008. She’s wearing a red dress with a small scarf around her neck and black high heels. While she’s walking to the gate with her new colleagues, she whispers to herself, “I feel nervous again”. Instead of recalling United 93, Kristina keeps her mind thinking positively. After the boarding of the passengers Kristina’s hands are neither sweaty nor shaking. She feels calm and relaxed. The fasten seatbelt sign is on and the plane is rolling. “Cabin crew prepare for takeoff,” the pilot says. Kristina is sitting next to the exit door left while her heart starts to throb again. “Cabin crew prepare for take-off,” the pilot says. She fastens her seatbelt and whisper to herself, “Su su…”, which means “go fighting, go fighting” in Thai.

Azor Periera Egos, is a student at the Institute of International Studies at Ramkamhaeng University in Bangkok, Thailand. He is a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and has traveled widely throughout Southeast Asia. His dream is to become a commercial airline pilot. 

 Copyright © Azor Periera Egos