CHAPTER ONE

Simple things I've always wanted to ask..

How long could you stay up if the engines stopped at 35,000 feet?

If the engines stopped at cruising height you can glide for 30 minutes before you're on the ground. You could glide about 120 miles. All the controls work as if the engines were still going.

What are the things that make passengers most nervous?

Noises most of all, unexpected movements of the aircraft, not being in control of what's going on, not understanding what's going on and turbulence.

What can be done about it?

Read a book like this and get some information. Perhaps go to a 'talk-in' for nervous passengers. Have a flight simulator experience. Attend a nervous flyers' course. Or go on a nervous flyers'flight. There are also phone lines where you can talk to pilots.

Which is the best? The one that addresses your needs

 

How do they work?

They work because the courses give you the chance to ask the questions that bother you. And the more expensive ones can give you an actual flight experience under closely controlled conditions. But my suggestion is that you choose a course where the flight experience is optional. If you are nervous of flying it seems an odd way to ease those worries if you have to commit yourself to doing the very thing that worries you.

Do a course and then, if you want to, take a flight later with the course providers.

Do most people worry about the same things?

Yes, there are certain things that most people are nervous about:

turbulence, noise, movement, loss of control and sensations.

Some people fly for years and are still nervous: does that mean that these fears are very hard to overcome?

No, it just means that even in years and years of flying you don’t get very much experience of actually being in the air. And the bad feelings that we have look for and find re-enforcement.

Why do things often seem to get worse rather than better?

‘Seem to’ are the right words to describe this. There is evidence that stress builds up over a period of time. Although people subjected to constant stress find coping strategies, they still experience stress. People who are nervous of flying are always building up a bank of bad feelings in exactly me same way mat we build up good feelings about things we like. From my experience of nervous flyers, it doesn't take much to turn bad feelings into good ones. Knowledge, help and confidence are key ingredients.

 

OTHER CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK

Aircraft, Engines and Fuel, Automatic Pilots, Ordinary Pilots, The Weather, Air Traffic Control, In the Cockpit, Ground Crew, In The Cabin, Questions, Technicalities, Emergencies.

The book answers many more of the questions that trouble nervous flyers in a non-technical and candid style. Have you ever wanted to know, for example?

What is turbulence?

How does an aircraft stay up?

What happens if an engine fails or stops?

Why are there so many warning lights on the flight deck?

What are all those unusual noises?

Why are there so many delays when it's foggy?

Can doors be opened in flight?

How often are aircraft given safety checks?

How thick is cloud?

How can you see where you are flying when it is dark?

How do you navigate?

Why does it feel like I'm falling during takeoff?

Written by Captain Keith Godfrey, a highly experienced training pilot who worked for British Airways for 28 years, this book answers all these frequently asked questions and many more besides.