AVIATION FEAR OF FLYING DESTINATIONS Quell “A


nd it’s off we go...70 miles per hour, 80 miles per hour, 90


miles per hour. We’re up in the air!”


says British Airways captain Gordon Black over the aircraft’s tannoy, as whoops and cheers erupt from the 100 passengers on board. As we ascend towards the clouds


I start laughing, tears in my eyes. I’m sitting next to the window looking out across the rolling green fields, and I feel overcome with emotion. Barely 12 hours earlier, I had cried


at the sight of my boarding pass for this very flight, so afraid that I couldn’t bear to look at my paper ticket as I stuffed it into my handbag. Aside from the British Airways captains, cabin crew and air-traffic controllers on board, every passenger on the flight had a fear of flying this morning. There were people who had never flown before, those who hadn’t flown for more than 10 years and those who, like me, endured flying, rather than enjoyed it. But our fears have been all but


forgotten now. We roam around the cabin enjoying tea and biscuits, as captain Gordon Black regularly reassures us that everything is fine and reminds us to practise the calming techniques we learnt earlier in the day. It’s almost unbelievable that we’ve come so far in just one day, but I can


 PILOT TRAINING British Airways has been running its Flying With Confidence course for more than 30 years, combining practical knowledge with psychological coping techniques designed to change the way in which we deal with our anxieties. Our morning session is led by two


current pilots, captain Richard Sanders and captain Gordon, who want to know what scares us most about flying. Unsurprisingly, turbulence features top of the list. “How many people here have


experienced severe turbulence?” asks Gordon. Several hands shoot up. Chuckling, Gordon turns to a line-up of 10 pilots at the side of the theatre. “Have any of you?” he asks. They all shake their heads. “I’ve


got 21,000 flying hours – that’s three years of my life spent above the Earth – and I’ve never experienced extreme turbulence,” Gordon tells us. “If flying was dangerous, I would be in a different profession.” Relieved whispers spread among the 100 people in the theatre. This is just one of many revelations during the day that change the way in which we think. First, they talk us through the


15 November 2018travelweekly.co.uk63


your fear


Don’t let a fear of flying put clients off. Eleanor Kirk learns how to overcome anxiety in the air


comfortably say that for the first time in 10 years, I’m enjoying flying.


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