A look inside our plane.

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4 Comments

Comment by harry beattie on June 2, 2009 at 12:20pm

Hi Keith, Its Harry here , had a bit of trouble with my broad band after moving house, think its ok now, I havnt had a chance to get used to the new site yet, dont even now if im posting this in the right place.I just wanted to say were going to Turke on the 24th August and I havnt flown for four and a half hours since Crete four years ago, so getting a bit nervous,will speak soon. H.

Comment by Captain Keith on April 19, 2009 at 11:55am

I don't ever take the view that people are moaning...even a Chelsea fan. It's a stressful business being anxious about flying so I understand.
Actually the course may well cure your fear...we just don't advertise on the basis of silly figures like 99% etc. Only one person that has been on the course has failed to fly. I'll run the course just for you if necessary!
Keith

Keith

Comment by Captain Keith on April 19, 2009 at 11:17am

Hi Gordon
As you know you've been unfortunate on this site so far because I missed one of the threads and ended up forgetting to reply to you. Now, the cup final is getting in the way of the next course. I'll take this opportunity if I may to describe the course so that other people can see as well.

The course that we run does help people for the following reasons it seems.

(1)
We do not say that we will cure your fear of flying, because the fear belongs to you and only you can cure it HOWEVER we think we can prepare you as well as is possible for you to make the necessary changes to the way you see flying so that you will fly with less fear than you have now. This puts a responsiblity on the anxious flyer and more so on us to provide you with every possible strategy for dealing with your fear.

(2)
The world fear of flying conferenc e in Montreal recommended that courses should be multi dimensional, in a supportive environment, with other people who are fearful and interactive.

(3)
The course should INVOLVE fearful flyers.

We certainly include those elements and many more of course, but it seems that it's more popular to see hypnotists, life coaches, hypnotists and other less direct therarpies. I can understand the attraction of responding to an advertisement that says things like "we can cure your fear of flying in 2 sessions for ten dollars."
There's almost a catch 22 situation, someone says they can cure you but if they don't it's because you are not using 'their method' correctly. Doesn't seem very fair to me.

I'm amazed that sitting in a defunct aircraft playing some sounds and videos and answering questions can help people to overcome their fears. But I would be amazed because I don't suffer the fear in the first place...I love flying. But because I'm an airlin and e pilot because I've trained pilots for most of my life I've got an insight to learning, teaching and human behaviour and people seem to get confidence from meeting me and hearing me telling the truth in an empathetic way. They respect my experience as an airline captain.

I think this offers real support because it doesn't make false promises, we've stopped making claims about how successful we are because I don't know what should be measured. The airline courses count everyone who gets on their graduation flight but do they fly after that? Because people don't leave our course and head off to Heathrow the same day does that mean we have no success? Overcoming a fear of flying is not a five minute job for most people who visit this network. It's the constant support from each other that eventually gets terrified flyers on to their flights. We pick up a lot of people who have been on other fear of flying courses. And of course anyone heading off for a course who knows there's going to be a flight after it can't be quite as scared of flying as some people here who can hardly bear to come on the site.

All in all, for a lasting strategy to address your fears we think that if we can't do it then no-one can. Why does the famous hypno therapist succeed? Because his reputation is so strong that people get confidence from him and 'believe' that they have some inner strength that they magically find after his guidance...everyone has that strength...well almost everyone, and if you've got it, the lasting way to keep it is to discover it from your own thoughts actions convictions and experience. This is the best form of learning whether it's the three R's or overcoming a fear of flying. No amount of esoteric mind wandering is going to change the fact that if you fundamentally believe that turbulence is dangerous that under stress it WILL reappear.

If you're climbing Mount Everest in the 'death zone' who would you prefer to take guidance from Chris Bonnington or a life coach?

Having said all that I'll try to change the date of the course to a week earlier ...would that be of interest to you? I hope so because I really want to help you

Comment by Elizabeth on February 25, 2009 at 8:05pm

Great new videos, especially good idea showing interior of The Plane