Thank you very, very much to all the Flying Without Fear Team

I fly about once a month and for no good reason have become increasingly terrified. Feeling very fed up of experiencing terror on a monthly basis I thought this course could only be of help. I felt better right from the start to see there were 180 of us so it is much more common than I realised. The whole day was handled with sensitivity, complete understanding of everything that goes through our heads and lots of humour.

Captain JJ discussed in huge detail all the technicalities of aircraft and flying, allaying a lot of misconceptions I had. Paul and Gill’s sessions on retraining the mind not to be scared and coping strategies were also extremely useful. I liked Paul’s comment that we are not born with a fear of flying, it’s something we’ve learned and can unlearn it.

We then went on a flight, going through the whole check in, security and waiting at the gate process. Whereas my stomach is normally in knots going through all this, I felt completely nerve free, couldn’t believe it was me! The flight itself was great and the captain explained that all the different noises, speeds and engine pitches we were hearing were normal and the technical reasons for them. This stopped my usual terrified habit of listening out for these noises and worrying the plane is in trouble.

Having come away from the course feeling very confident, I still felt I would only really know if the fear had been conquered by taking a flight in a regular scenario without all the support network. I took a short domestic flight last Friday and felt so much better, like a different person. I think it will take a while to relearn not being scared and to control my brain to think logically using all the strategies we were shown, but after just one excellent day I feel I am already vastly improved.

Many thanks to all the team, including Lucie our team leader who was lovely.

Sarah

I attended the course on Sunday 18th July with my daughter Cornelia and friend Clare. Although we fly every year its a very terrifying experience and the nerves and anxiety start about a week before!

The course was absolutely fantastic, Our team leader Kev was brilliant, supporting us during the day. Captain JJ, the psychologists and Virgin Atlantic staff members were great, and its great to be able to understand that most of us had the same fears and that by helping us understand what happens during a flight, what noises we hear, and ways to alleviate our nerves, our confidence grew throughout the day. We found that we were supporting each other!!

I agree with Martin, the experience was liberating!! I am actually looking forward to our flight next week and i will be taking lots of elastic bands with me, a new trick we learned on the day.

Thanks Virgin Atlantic for this course, I will recommend it to everyone!!

Happy flying everyone,

Helen and Cornelia

A life changing experience

I attended the Flying Without Fear course on the 18th of July and it was fantastic! It was so helpful to know exactly how and why a plane stays in the air...what all the strange noises are...the full story of a pilots training...that turbulence is uncomfortable not dangerous etc. etc.I felt very reassured after the day but as they say the proof of the pudding...Well, I have just got back from a fabulous week in Las Vegas and the flights were great! I read the book, practiced the relaxation techniques and listen to the cd for the week before we went and I'm sure they really helped. I replaced my old mantra (which was oh my god, oh my god, please don't let me die, please don't let me die!) with a new one (the feeling in my stomach is merely anxiety, it cannot hurt me and I can breath it away. I can cope with whatever happens. Flying is safe.)and made sure that i did something as soon as I started to feel even the slightest twinge of nerves. I remember them saying you don't have to love it you just have to be able to do it...and I did!! I'm so proud of myself. Both flights were good and even though I felt a little anxious on take off it was nothing to how I would have felt before. The main body of the flight was fine (even with some turbulence) and I would even go so far as to say that I quite enjoyed the landings! Amazing! On the return flight there was a problem with the electrics which meant that as we pushed back from the stand we lost all power and had to wait for a jump start.I didn't even let myself go down the old mind motorway, but just told myself that the pilot wouldn't fly if it wasn't safe and tapped my way through it! Do I love it? Not yet! Do I hate it? No! Would I do it again? I can't wait!! I have been pouring over holiday brochures since we got back and am planning a family holiday with the kids next year..which given that my daughter is 9 and my son is 17 and i haven't felt able to take them on a plane is testament itself to this amazing course!! THANK YOU xx