I used to be a really confident flyer before I had kids. I stopped flying when I was 28 after a really bumpy flight with my firstborn on my lap. I suddenly became anxious, which without being kept in check became a real fear and I subsequently didn’t fly for the next 20 years.
Once the kids (Dave and I have 6 between us) were bigger I wanted to start going places but my crippling fear of flying was stopping us all. It was my problem and it was something I had to deal with.
I’d looked it up several times and In November 2017 finally booked a place on the Virgin Atlantic Flying Without Fear course at the Holiday Inn near Gatwick Airport.
We were on tables of about 8 and we had a flying mentor on each table. In the morning there were talks on what all the noises are, how planes fly, how turbulence doesn’t crash planes, that if we have any sort of medical incident the crew have access to a doctor at the end of the phone who can talk the crew through all manner of complicated medical procedures etc etc. They also taught us coping mechanisms like twanging an elastic band on your wrist to confuse your brain that this little bit of pain is what is making you anxious or something. Captain Dave was marvelous as was Paul Tizzard who was running the course.
We had a lovely lunch and were then put on buses to Gatwick North Terminal. Lots of nervous laughter on the bus. We were all handed a ticket from Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport. This was going to be a flight like no other. One hundred passengers on the same flight who all woke up this morning scared to death of flying. Could it be done?
I’d bonded with my table of 8 and we all got on the aircraft and were supporting each other. We just wanted to do it now.
A few people got on and got off the plane a few times.
I sat by a window and texted my family “I’m on – I’ve got this” and then quickly turned to aircraft mode as I didn’t want to push my luck!!
Only one passenger didn’t get on. I felt so sorry for him and couldn’t help thinking if he’d been in our group he might have done it.
Doors closed, we pushed back from the air bridge and then we were taxiing to the runway. There was silence. We hurtled along that runway all twanging our elastic bands on our wrists and then we were up. We all cheered and clapped. As Paul said it was impossible for a plane not to take off if 100 people are willing it to so much!! I liked that. I had tears in my eyes. I looked around and all the others in my group were as ecstatic as I was. We’d done it.
Eat Sleep Fly Repeat 