Air Travel Phobia

 

This incident happened  few  years  back when  I  was  new to  Traveling  by  Air,    

 Sitting next  to  me was a unknown  guy whom I  met  for  the  first  time .usually I never  pick  up  conversation with  strangers but  here  I was  talking to  this  guy  for  more  then  two  hours  non-stop ,best  part is I still don’t  remember half  the  conversation I had with this person!!but once the  flight landed I came  back  to  senses and wondered  what  happened to  me ?  why  this  360 degree transformation? .Later I realized  that I  had  fear  of  flying  and  through out  the flying time I  was  so tensed that in order  overcome that  fear I  was blabbering with the  stranger !!

Every  one or  rather  most  of  us have fear of  flying and  we  have  our  own  way  to  deal and talking  to stranger is  one way  of reducing   this  fear of  flying,but always you  wont meet  a  person  who  talks  to  you  or listen  to  you  on  flight  right?Then what is  the  way  out ? No  option but I  had to over come this fear  permanently as  my  job  demanded  me  to travel frequently . I  felt it  is  better  to  overcome this  Fear instead  of covering the  distance  travelling by    train /Bus  for  18 hours  which  could   otherwise be   easily  covered by  flight in  less  then  two  hours .

Fear of flying is the second most common phobia of our time (following fear of public speaking) Pteromerhanophobia is a Fear of being on an aeroplane, or other flying vehicle, such as a Helicopter , while in flight . It is also sometimes referred to as aerophobia, aviatophobia, aviophobia or fear of flying in common speech.

The fear receives more attention than most other phobias because air travel is often difficult for people to avoid—especially in professional contexts—and because the fear is widespread, affecting a significant minority of the population

.   Air travel continues to cause a significant proportion of the public and some members of the aircrew to feel anxiety but when this anxiety reaches a level that significantly interferes with a person's ability to travel then  we  need  to  address  this issue like  the  way  I  did and  now I  have almost overcome  this  fear 

When  i  talk about business  travel I  remember reading  some  where one  interesting incident  in  life  of  a  person who  had fear  of  flying

This Guy who through hard work and perseverance built up his own business. His wife, too, owned her business. They had two fine children. Happy Family He traveled   frequently but suffering from fear of  flying and he  always believed that  someday day he would  die in an airplane crash,. For shorter trips he drove his car. For longer trips, he took trains, and even boats, to his destinations.

One of  those rainy season  a pilot of a small plane experienced a complete engine failure. On top of that, he lost his electrical system, and with it, the use of his radio and navigation instruments. Mist filled the sky. The moon had not yet risen. The plane went down helplessly and blindly in the darkness. And  crashed into  a  building .,though injured, the pilot survived the crash. He still cannot remember anything that happened as the plane struck the ground and ploughed into a motel just outside a large town. There was only one casualty: a man sleeping safely in the bed of his motel room. On that sad night, that man’s life-long premonition that he would someday die in an airplane crash found its conclusion.This  is ultimate  story  on fear of  flying !Person who was reluctant  to  fly  ultimately  died hit  by  a  flight.leave  aside  the  story and  let  us come  back  back  to  real  world  .Can this fear be  conquered? are we only  few people  who  are  afraid  to  fly ? only  me  and  you ? No we  have illustrious company of famous people across globe who are  with  us and  many of  them have  conquered this fear  and  many  of  them  still struggling to overcome this phobia

 : British actress Glenda Jackson is “terrified” of  airplanes; Ronald Reagan had to overcome his fear of flying before he could run for governor of California;  Loretta Lynn flies but does it only when unavoidable John Madden is well known as a person who refuses to fly. Mohammed Ali, Cher, Billy Bob Thornton; the list goes on and on why  talk about hollywood ,our  own  kannada actor  Late  Vishnuvardhan The  Lion of  kannada film land had  fear  of  flying  and  once  he  forced  himself out  of  flight  or  what  you call  it  as  deplaned after the  plane  was  about  to take  off  from  runway off !!  even Kannada Actress  Ramya has fear   of  flying

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Then  I  wondered  what  causes  this  fear? how  to  overcome  this ?

Lot  of  my  questions  were  answered over  a  period  of  time like what  is  this  Fear  of  flying? how  to  overcome?how not  be  tensed during takeoff,  by  going  thru  number of  Journals write ups  on  Air phobia and   also  talking  to  frequent  fliers 

First  and  foremost I  brushed  up  my knowledge on  engineering  and understood or  rather  revisited my basic  on  aviation  as misunderstandings of the principles of aviation can fuel an unjustified fear of flying. For example, many people incorrectly believe that( even  I  was  one  among  them!!) that the engines of a jet airliner support it in the air, and from this false premise they also incorrectly reason that a failure of the engines will cause the aircraft to plummet to earth. In reality, all fixed-wing aircraft glide naturally, and the engines serve only to maintain altitude during the flight. A big cause of fear of flying is that it is difficult to imagine how planes stay in the air, thus a person's understanding of the science behind flying can affect the person's fear about flying.This understanding  helped  me to overcome  the  fear  to a  large  extent

 As stated  earlier Fear of flying can be caused by a number of factors, including claustrophobia or a fear of heights. Many fearful fliers feel an irrational anxiety that their plane will malfunction and crash, no matter how many times they hear the statistics about how safe flying is compared to driving. Other travelers worry about terrorist hijackings, or panic at the idea that they're not in control of the aircraft that's carrying them.All  this can  be  overcome with little  understanding  the Statistics Data  compiled by the Department of  Transportation which states that 

   flying is  considered to be one of the safest forms of public transportation currently available and airline travel is 29 times safer than driving an automobile.I  also understood  people  die  more  in  road  accidents  then  by  Air crash ,moreover anyone who flies—even someone not afraid of flying—understands that there is always some chance of an accident, just as with any life activity. Relatively few accidents happen in aviation because pilots are specifically trained to stay calm and to think clearly in an emergency—and they are trained to handle.

  Of course  Statistics do not help because the fear of flying actually has little to do with risk as such. If the fear of flying were actually caused by the potential for an accident, then everyone who fears to fly would be even more afraid—29 times more afraid, to be statistically exact—to drive or ride in an automobile.   problem with the above statistics is that they do not stop people from being afraid of flying.

I  also understood the  media hype  created  during Air accidents  add to  our  fear of  flying where  they  cover and  sensationalize the  news for  days together  even if  5  people die  in  crash but  not  so  even if 100  people die in bus falling  into  a  river .

No matter why you're afraid of flying, there are certain steps you can take to help alleviate your fears. Whether or not to fly is a personal decision, and one that we can't make for you. But for those of you who are determined not to let this change your way of life,

Few  things if  followed I  thing  will  help  us to at least prepare our self to fly   with  less  fear

Before Your Trip
1. Know what to expect. For many fearful fliers, learning the basics of how airplanes work can go a long way toward alleviating their anxiety. For instance, understanding how a plane can continue to fly even if an engine fails can help you feel less concerned about your aircraft malfunctioning. Many  web sites offers an easy-to-understand explanation of how planes stay in the air, what causes turbulence, and what's behind those scary sounds during takeoff and landing.

2. Familiarize yourself with your plane. Getting to know what your plane looks like can make it seem a little less scary.

3. Choose an aisle seat. Most airlines and booking counters  allow you to request a seat assignment when you book your flight. Request an aisle seat, particularly if you're prone to claustrophobia; you'll feel less hemmed in by other people, and you'll be able to get up and move around the cabin more easily. This also makes it easier to avoid looking out the window if those sky-high views make you nervous.
4. Monitor your media intake. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's worth mentioning: avoid plane disaster movies, news coverage of plane crashes or other scary media images. Remember that the vast majority of flights arrive safely, but only the problem flights make the news. Don't let that skew your impressions of flying.

  Few things  at  the  Airport  which  May  help  you
1. Don't rush. Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the airport before your flight is scheduled to depart. Racing to the gate and worrying about missing your plane will only add to your anxiety.

2. Wait for your flight in an airline lounge. Most airlines have private airport lounges that are quiet, luxurious oases away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the airport. Or  make  yourself  comfortable in a place  where  you  can  calm  your  nerves by  reading  books  or  newspapers

3. Breathe. As anxiety increases, your breathing may get shallow -- but deep breathing is an instant stress reliever. Breathe slowly and deeply for a count of 5 or 10. counts then  you  feel  better

On the Plane
1. Meet the crew. If there's time before your flight, ask to meet the pilot of your plane. Alternatively, spend some time chatting with a flight attendant. Often, meeting the folks who hold your safety in their hands can make the plane seem like a friendlier environment and reassure you that that crew is knowledgeable and competent. Or   introduce  yourself to  your next  seat  passenger  Speak to  them  on  lighter  topics just  the  way I  was  doing

2. Tune in. Bring your iPod and play some soothing music to help get you into a peaceful frame of mind, Or watch  some  movies in  your  Lap top

The best way to overcome fear of flying is to arm yourself with as much knowledge of airplanes and air travel as possible. A statistic can help you compare risks, but can do nothing more than that. Knowledge of an airplane's backup systems, the rigors of test flights, security and mechanics can help you demystify the experience and tackle fears when you're on board. Arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible about planes, traffic control, safety features and pilot training. You can find a wealth of educational resources online

The Wright Brothers created the single greatest cultural force since the invention of writing.  The airplane became the first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together.  ~Bill Gates