Forum menu
Regulars will know I have issues flying which stems from anxiety. Well, 7 CBT session gone and I attended EasyJet’s fearless flyer course this weekend.
I flew around Essex today completely un-medicated, the first time I’ve been so on a plane for 18 years, likewise going through the check process unaided. I won’t say I wasn’t entirely devoid of nerves, buts it’s a large step toward sensibility.
I need to highlight in particular several ladies who where in tears yesterday during the ground based seminar, who got on the plane - in tears - and came out smiling.
Not cheap but worthwhile I feel. Recommended.
well done Kryton - and your ladies !
This is excellent news. Good for you!
Now awaiting your next threads....
What's the best seat on a BA747?
What shoes for long haul?
Etc.
🙂
Good work
What shoes for long haul?
Oi! stop stealing my material 😉
Well done Kryters.
Top result...congrats.
Thanks. The CBT is a massive help - even for life in general - I’d recommended it.
What shoes for long haul?
not those ones 😉
Could have saved a fortune and gone for the budget option....
Seriously, well done mate, onward and upward.
Good for you Kryton 💪🙌
Well done o.p
My niece has a fear of flying and like you would only do so "medicated" (in her case with alcohol I believe). She did one of the easyJet courses last weekend with a similar outcome to you and cannot stop raving about how good it was.
Top (gun)
My advice would now be to book a flight SOON. Make the new tolerance to flying a habit 👍
Dantsw13 - yes, that’s their advice too. Already booked a flight to Vancouver in April 😀 (Might have a day trip to Edinburgh first)
Was the plane on a conveyor belt?
nice one...
Vancouver eh, that’s a long flight from UK, I did it last June from Manchester, 9 hours. Sure you don’t want to do Dublin & back before then?
btw Vancouver Island is lovely if that’s where you’re headed
What did you do on the flight?
Solo MHC I reckon.
Vancouver eh, that’s a long flight from UK, I did it last June from Manchester, 9 hours. Sure you don’t want to do Dublin & back before then?
Then there’s the direct London-Perth 17 hour nineteen minute flight...
Seriously, well done, congratulations and enjoy the Vancouver trip. 👏🏻🤘🏻
Great news
well done Kryton amd #topshoebantz with CFH
"What did you do on the flight?"
He put smiles on Ladies' faces.
Bravo.
What did you do on the flight?
Well, a lot to do with it is the previous day. The ground course covers three parts - several examples of how we powerful our brains are at negative thinking / filling in gaps of knowledge negatively, a talk through “noises” and mechanical activity from the captian and a final session learning some dis-association and relaxation techniques.
On the flight, there’s a final relaxation technique before take off but then essentially you just fly about with the in cabin captian describing all the activity & noises - flaps, wheels, engine thrusts, bumps over the clouds, landing sequence etc.
Actually Vancouver was pre-booked. I won a work trip and subsequently discovered Mrs K has always want to see Canada, so this and the CBT was part of the process of re-discover ing flying. Plus the docs & airlines are now refusing medicating passengers.
For me the CBT is the biggest part. Discovering that I predominately spiral into negative thought patterns - catastrophising and prediction in the main for flying - and have been for those 18 years means I can now work to counter that. A lot of people including me were surprised how calmly I managed myself through the airport - even experiencing a full on search at security - and waited for the flight with nary a nervous twitch. Yes I was managing my thought process consciously but its a start.
Thanks for all the comments, I hope this inspires someone else to go through the same for whatever anxiety based troubles or concerns they have.
Will it be any different when the flight is for work?
Great news, well done Kryton. Enjoy Vancouver.
Do you feel the need for speed?
Angeldust, I'll entertaining the slight trolling - no . After all the was a voluntary trip I didn't have to go on and ended in gloomy Stansted not a sunny beach .
The Vancouver trip is a work trip, I'm going with colleagues and will have seminars to attend, it's not just the two of us.
ended in gloomy Stansted
Where you did a photo shoot for the Guardian?
Nice one. I've never had an issue with flying but am increasingly unkeen on long haul flights after three people I know got DVT in the last few years, got a work trip to the states in August I'm already dreading.
Kryton - if you have any questions about flying at all, drop me a line - happy to chat about it.
Let me know the details of your Vancouver flight - if it’s BA I can contact the pilots, if it would help you to pop into the cockpit before flying.
Ferrals - get up & walk around, keep hydrated, stretch/wiggle your legs when seated.
take an aspirin before flight. Don’t get pissed. Don’t go for a run when you land in Aus until the next day.
Well done Kryton!
Vancouver eh, that’s a long flight from UK, I did it last June from Manchester, 9 hours. Sure you don’t want to do Dublin & back before then
I would have through having enough time to get through anxiety, nerves, excitement, acceptance and finally to the point of being properly bored about the whole thing would be a excellent development opportunity.
Ferrals – get up & walk around, keep hydrated, stretch/wiggle your legs when seated.
take an aspirin before flight. Don’t get pissed. Don’t go for a run when you land in Aus until the next day.
Nice one. Is tehre any benefit to buying compression stockings?
I believe so, but i don’t bother.
Let me know the details of your Vancouver flight – if it’s BA I can contact the pilots, if it would help you to pop into the cockpit before flying.
Wowsers - thanks! It is BA, a 747 out of Heathrow so I'll drop you a line, much appreciated.
Well done Kryton, that is a great outcome.
I have yet to get over my fear of flying around Oxfordshire at the hands of my 17yo 😉 . He's currently on "Local Solo", and about 8 hours to PPL. Then it's take Daddy flying time.
BA 747 from LHR - I'll wave as you fly over my house.
It is BA, a 747 out of Heathrow
62K outbound, 62A return. 2K/A isn't too bad, either.
🙂
That aside, SeatGuru and STWFrequentFlyerTrackWorld are good source of seat advice. A good seat makes a lot of very positive difference to a flight.
Well done Kryton, you must be well chuffed, I know I would be!! takes balls to face a challenge like anxiety about flying. 🙂
Was the plane on a conveyor belt?
Can't have been, it took off.
Well done Kryton, I'm really chuffed for you!!
I'm very unhappy when flying and asked about those courses a while ago but didn't find time to do it. I've recently been to Verona (ski) and Zürich (work) and didn't die. I think over analysing every bump and noise doesn't help me. I flew to Zurich on a new Embraer, it sounds like an angry hairdryer and at one point was making an awful high pitched din for about 5mins. I was really uncomfortable for a few mins but survived.
I've got to fly to Dallas in about 6 weeks and I'm concerned about 10hrs in economy. At 6ft 1.5in with long limbs and 98kg of "relaxed geometry", it'll be mild torture. Woe is me..
Once again well done mate!!!
@danstw13 - any top tips for dealing with the general discomfort of being wedged into a small seat in long haul economy?
Well done, it's good to hear stories like this.
Also 2017 was the safest year ever for commercial jets. No passenger jet crashes. Let that sink in. That's crazy stats.
I've started to embrace flying now as I do it more but was never that happy about it.
I will add one tip. One two occasions to the USA it's been cheaper to fly premiere economy than economy with Thomas Cook from Manchester.
Bigger seats, less people, better meal and movies and first off.
ElShalimo - try a website called seatguru - it tells you the best seats on any airline/aircraft.
When choosing your seats online, look for where the number of seats in a block decreases (normally at the back as the aircraft narrows) the first row of the decreased number usually has slightly more space.
Other than that I’d always pay extra for an exit row seat with more legroom. Remember headrests normally have “wings” you can fold out to support your head when sleeping.
Row 31 for us to Vancouver. Pretty normal seat. We couldn’t upgrade as this flight is Economy and Business with no Premium in the middle. Upgrades were £3k each although this won’t stop me mentioning our 10th Wedding anniversary at check in 🙂 You never know your luck...
Upgrades were £3k each although this won’t stop me mentioning our 10th Wedding anniversary at check in You never know your luck…
Just wear the special shoes and have a paperclip in your lapel.
You'll have your feet up sipping champagne in no time.