The Travel Ringer

I was doing some research to help someone realize that air travel is truly the safest way to travel. As I pointed out, the most dangerous part of any flight is driving to and from the airport.

People fear flying for many reasons; for some it’s being confined to a small space, for others it’s fear of having a medical emergency in the air. In the wake of 9/11 many fear terrorism or hijacking more than in years past, and yet other fear a plane crash or turbulence. Years ago, I had a fear or flying myself. I believe my fears were rooted in not liking the sensation of motion, and also not understanding physics (I was pretty young when I had these fears).

Taking My First Trip
I had not flown for years (probably since I was 11) and I had a job where suddenly I had to fly to Florida to meet my boss. A year prior (on another job) I had given up a chance to fly to visit a vendor because it was not mandatory. I later told my boss, when I was quitting, why I didn’t want to go with him on the trip to Ohio. He kind of laughed.

With the looming Florida trip, I didn’t have a choice because I was working for a good friend of mime. I had to ask myself what was a more compelling emotion; fear or pride. My pride would not let me tell him I was afraid to fly, so I figured it was “go time”. I asked if I could bring a mutual friend along who would spend the weekend with us down there, and he was fine with that. I also took some Dramamine to reduce the sensation. The funny part there was as I was putting my bag in the overhead compartment, it fell out and the lady walking by rolled her eye mumbling “oh great, this guys gonna throw up” or some nonsense (now there’s a classy gal for you). Anyhow, the flight was going well, until I told my friend that I was afraid to fly. What a dumb move on my part… all he did was give me a hard time the whole flight saying “dude, I think something is wrong” and “look at how much the wing is moving up and down… that can’t be right” (thanks Jimmy). So the moral of that part of the story is, you can tell your therapist you are afraid to fly but I wouldn’t recommend telling your friends; especially if you are a guy.

I was glad I made that flight, because my next flight would be out of the country (and all by myself) for my grandfathers funeral. It’s funny how God prepares us for things like that. I don’t think I would have had the courage to fly alone if I had not taken a previous flight. That flight was followed by annual overseas mission trips to places like Ghana, Thailand, Chile, Bolivia, and Mexico. On those trips I met some of my closest friends that I maintain to this day (and this was in the early 90’s). I can’t imagine what life would have been like had I not had those awesome experiences. Even later in life (like over the past few years), I ended up enjoying a fairly jet-set life, flying to conferences, seeing friends, Las Vegas, weddings, vacations, and even dating long distance. I met my wife back in 2005 and we dated long distance for about a year (at least twice per month) until she relocated.

How Can You Overcome Your Fear of Flying (A Free Online Course)
A pilot of 30+ years has put together a free online course called The Fear of Flying Help Course that gives you a complete education into the world of flying. His course includes topics such as:

- What to Expect
- Fear & Anxiety
- In Air Emergencies
- The Aviation System (all of the people and what they do)
- Aircraft Basics (How They Works)
- Aviation Principles
- Weather Condition
- Explaining Turbulence
- Airline Safety & Statistics
- Security in Air Travel
- Preparing for Your Flight
- Your First “Virtual” Flight

And much, much, more.

I learned quite a bit by reading through this course and I know you will too. Even if you don’t have a fear of flying, you will get an education and learn more about the inner workings of the airline industry.

If you truly enjoy this course, please help Captain Chance keep it updated by donating to his Fear of Flying Help Course website.

DISCLAIMER: I have never met, nor communicated with Captain Chance and have no vested interest in this course. I truly think it is a phenomenal tool that can help people overcome their fears of flying.