People around me are often surprised when I admit that I’m afraid of flying. What? You who travel all the time? And yes indeed! You can be afraid of flying and still be a great traveler. It must be said that my fear is not too high either… I know very well that it is an irrational phobia, and it has therefore never stopped me from flying. Still, I’ve needed the alcohol-lexomil cocktail (in moderate doses of course) for years to endure the flight. I would like to put an end to this apprehension and this lump in my stomach that spoils the pleasure of air travel bloggers. So, I did not hesitate for a second when I was offered to attend a course against the fear of flying.
A former military and private jet pilot, this fear of flying course has recently become a partner of the airline XL Airways. It takes place over a whole day, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (in Paris or Marseille), with groups of 4 to 8 people, and is divided into three parts: a first technique, a second psychological and a third practice with a simulation of flight through a virtual reality headset. It is this last point that allows the “relatively moderate” cost of this course (330 euros) compared to others such as that of Air France (more than 600 euros) for which the practical experience takes place on board. a real flight simulator like the one used by pilots to practice.
I found it fascinating, and we learned a lot of things. I who have always been afraid when the plane leans very hard when it makes large turns after takeoff, I understood that it is the effect of centrifugal force, and that this pushes the plane towards up and not down, so there is no risk that the plane will fall at this time. My other big fear of flying is turbulence.
1/ Understand aviation and air safety
We all know that the plane is one of the safest means of transport, me being the first, and yet that does not prevent being afraid… It is in any case a widespread phobia, since 25% of passengers feel it. Moreover, as soon as there is an air crash, we only talk about it on the news for weeks, and of course we never talk about the thousands of planes that take off and land every day without any problem.
Did you know that every day there are 22,000 airliners flying and that at any given time, we have an average of 550,000 people in the air? It is considerable! Well in 2016, out of the 3.7 billion people transported, there were a total of 268 deaths… A drop of water, even if it’s true that 2016 was a very good year with few major crashes, unlike 2014 (694 deaths) with the two Malaysia Airlines disasters.
For my part, the figure that struck me the most was the comparison with domestic accidents. We necessarily feel safer at home, at home, than on a plane… And yet! Every year, in France, there are 12,000 deaths from domestic accidents. So besides, the 268 deaths (and in the whole world) due to air accidents, it’s negligible! Figures that make you think and seriously put into perspective.
I found it fascinating, and we learned a lot of things. I who have always been afraid when the plane leans very hard when it makes large turns after takeoff, I understood that it is the effect of centrifugal force, and that this pushes the plane towards up and not down, so there is no risk that the plane will fall at this time. My other big fear of flying is turbulence.
This is the case since a very hectic transatlantic flight where I really believed my last hour had arrived; I was convinced that the plane was going to break up in mid-flight. In fact, turbulence is not at all dangerous for the aircraft; it’s just unpleasant for its occupants. I thought the plane moved a lot during turbulence, but in fact, it’s just an impression, given by the speed of the plane (a bit like a car going fast on a speed bump). The plane does not move more than 20 cm! And the fenders are flexible and designed to absorb shock.
2/ Psychology and fear of flying
The second part of the course is delivered, psychologist and former phobic of the plane, who explains the psychological springs of the fear of the plane and how to overcome it. The first condition is the will and the motivation. It’s interesting to learn that there’s not much point in offering a loved one this kind of internship if they are not ready to do this work on themselves.
The second important thing is to determine the origin of this fear. For some, it may be a flight that went wrong, or it may be related to other phobias such as claustrophobia, agoraphobia, or fear of heights. For others, it can be a trauma that occurs shortly before boarding a plane, such as bereavement, divorce or other, and unconsciously, the brain will then associate the plane with a negative event, and it can change in phobia. Finally, it is a fear that parents can transmit to their own children because the latter will feel in danger if they feel that their parents are afraid. Hence the importance of taking care of yourself if you want to avoid “infecting” your family.
To combat the fear of flying, you must understand what is going on in the brain. In fact, we have two brains: a cognitive brain, the neocortex, conscious, rational, which plans, analyzes, and an emotional brain, the amygdala, unconscious, automatic, which manages fear, pleasure and masters physiological functions such as breathing, heart rate, sweating… Phobia, which is an excessive fear in the face of a non-existent danger, appears when the emotional brain somehow bypasses the cognitive brain, and triggers a feeling of fear while rationally, there is no reason.
At this stage, we can repeat that the plane is safe and give all the possible arguments, it is useless, because the emotional brain is not impacted by this kind of reasoning. The only way then is to go through the body to reduce anxiety, since it is the body that is directly related to the emotional brain. This is undoubtedly the part of the course that I found the most interesting, because the psychologist shows us with practical exercises how to relax thanks to the technique of cardiac coherence. This allows you to bring your breathing into line with your heart rate and thus ease tensions.
3/ A plane flight with a virtual reality headset
This is the last part of the course: to get in condition for a real flight thanks to a virtual reality helmet. For my part, I found it a bit “gimmicky” because I fly very often and therefore, I don’t need a helmet and 3D image to better visualize a trip by plane. Now for the big phobics who can no longer fly, it can be a first step before daring to get back on board a plane.
Summary of the fear of flying course
To conclude, I found this day of training exciting and very intense. I learned a lot about aviation and having to repeat the figures on aviation safety, even if you already know it, allows you to put the risk into perspective. The discovery of the relaxation technique with cardiac coherence is also a real plus. I also had the opportunity to test the effects of the course very quickly, since the next day, by chance, I flew to Guadeloupe. It’s actually a very good thing to quickly follow up with a plane trip right after the course. Everything is still very fresh in the head!
The course does not stop at this training day. Since it also includes a follow-up of the participants by telephone for the next plane the mother daughter trips. The trainer therefore called me shortly before boarding. To reassure me and give me the weather forecast for my flight. Which luckily was good! Anyway, the flight went very well. And it was the first time in a long time that I didn’t need to take a tranquilizer. The information given during the course on turbulence reassured me a lot.
We will of course have to see how things evolve over time. And the real test will be during a next choppy flight with heavy turbulence. In any case. It’s already a great victory for me to have managed to get back on the plane without medication! Anyway. The flight went very well. And it was the first time in a long time that I didn’t need to take a tranquilizer. The information given during the course on turbulence reassured me a lot. And as it was my main source of fear. I would say that I am rather “cured” on this aspect.
We will of course have to see how things evolve over time. And the real test will be during a next choppy flight with heavy turbulence. I found it fascinating, and we learned a lot of things. I who have always been afraid. When the plane leans very hard when it makes large turns after takeoff. I understood that it is the effect of centrifugal force. And that this pushes the plane towards up and not down. So there is no risk that the plane will fall at this time. My other big fear of flying is turbulence.
In any case, it’s already a great victory for me. To have managed to get back on the plane without medication! Anyway, the flight went very well. And it was the first time in a long time that I didn’t need to take a tranquilizer. The information given during the course on turbulence reassured me a lot. And as it was my main source of fear. I would say that I am rather “cured” on this aspect. We will of course have to see how things evolve over time and the real test will be during. A next choppy flight with heavy turbulence. In any case. It’s already a great victory for me to have managed to get back on the plane without medication! I would say that I am rather “cured” on this aspect.
We will of course have to see how things evolve over time. And the real test will be during a next choppy flight with heavy turbulence. In any case. It’s already a great victory for me to have managed to get back on the plane without medication. I would say that I am rather “cured” on this aspect. We will of course have to see how things evolve over time. And the real test will be during a next choppy flight with heavy turbulence. In any case. It’s already a great victory for me to have managed. To get back on the plane without medication!
Cons: I still have two reservations about this course. The first is that I found the anxiety of the other trainees quite communicative. The course is very interactive. Everyone shares their questions and fears. And many have raised potential issues that I wouldn’t have even thought of. It must be said that I was one of the “least serious” cases. Because others had such a phobia that they had not been able to fly for years. Otherwise, I was a little disappointed by the virtual reality headset which does not add much to my opinion.
