When the sky’s really your limit
Afraid to fly? A course could put your worries to rest once and for all.
Ilove flying. Many don’t. Recent news that the Duchess of Cornwall is cutting short her jolly with Prince Charles to Australia next month because of a fear of flying made me think this is more common than first thought – and an island nation is not the best place to be stranded if you have a flying phobia.
I am able to quash the queasiness that others naturally feel when hurtling over oceans at 38,000 feet in a metal tube that’s flying 800 kilometres an hour and is exposed to risks such as lightning strikes, acts of terrorism, technical failure, or a flock of geese. While I enjoy the novelty and excitement of the airport, phobia psychologists say this area is where about 15 per cent of people start to worry and hyperventilate.
The reality is that flying is safer than it has ever been, but thanks to mass communication and globalisation we are far more aware of death and destruction than our ancestors. So, despite recent high-profile and stillshocking aviation disasters, worldwide data shows you are still much safer in the air than on land (on our roads, for example).
This isn’t to minimise the severity of those with a fear of flying, also known as aviophobia. Like many phobias, it can defy logic and reason and cannot just be explained away by facts of data on death rates. So what can you do about it? Many sufferers simply mask or drown their fear with booze and anxiety or sleep medication, which, although effective for some, is only a short-term solution.
Psychologist and aviation expert Grant Amos has been running fear of flying courses in our three main cities for more than 30 years. Amos first started running the courses in conjunction with his employer at the time, Air New Zealand, but eventually spun it out at as a standalone business called Fly Without Fear. The historical link to an airline is common and many other airlines such as Qantas and British Airways operate fear of flying courses.
At Fly Without Fear nervous flyers pay $750 to attend a four-night course where they are educated on everything from the central nervous system, to