How to Overcome a Fear of Flying - top tips on how not to freak out

Many people suffer from a fear of flying, at times even flight attendants themselves. The fear factor varies from person to person. Some people get a few butterflies whilst others can have a panic attack before or when they board an aircraft.

A fear of flying is both an irrational and an understandable fear at the same time. It's instinctive in some ways to be nervous flying at 500mph, 40,000 feet above the ground in a metal tube. However, it is also the safest form of transport.

It is often the lack of knowledge of how an aircraft works that intensifies this fear in many people. For example, the noises and vibrations one feels vary depending on where you are sitting in the aircraft. Turbulence may feel worse if you sit at the back of an aircraft than if you sit at the front. Certain parts of the aircraft cabin are noisier than others.

 In this article, I will try to address some points which might help reduce your fear of flying:

1. It is normal for the wings of an aircraft to flex during turbulence. In fact the angle which they can theoretically flex to is incredible, so there is nothing to worry about in terms of when you see the wings bending during turbulence/high wind.
2. Modern aircraft are designed to withstand extreme turbulence. Extreme turbulence is very rarely experienced as there are computer systems on board showing pilots geographical areas where they can expect turbulence and therefore avoid flying through these areas.
3. Regular levels of turbulence are normal so expect it when you fly. Also when landing in large cities turbulence can be created from heat rising off buildings. So when your coming into land and you start to feel the odd bump, don't worry. The same is true of mountainous areas.
4. Modern aircraft have the ability to practically land themselves via the autopilot and the glide slope system (ILS). All large airports in the developed world usually have a glideslope beacon which sends out a signal that the aircrafts computers pick up. This signal tells the aircraft to follow the beam which leads the aircraft at a safe angle automatically onto the runway. So in bad weather such as fog, aircraft can automatically locate the runway for themselves. 
5. Aircraft carry onboard radar which tells the pilot if an aircraft is flying too close to it or if there might be a collision. This is a back-up to what air traffic control are in charge of.
6. When you take off, the aircraft's engines are set to almost full thrust to give the aircraft enough lift to take off. This is a law of physics - the aircraft will lift off once it reaches a certain speed.
7. Often you may notice about a minute after take-off that the engines reduce their speed and the sound becomes less loud. There is nothing wrong with the engines. Pilots are not allowed to exceed more than 250 knots (airspeed is measured in knots) under 10,000 feet so this completely normal. They are simply reducing the thrust of the engines, which slows down the turbines and reduces the nice you hear. Again the autopilot usually controls this.
8. Prepare to feel vibrations under the aircraft upon take off and landing - these are the wheels moving up or down. This usually take about 20 seconds.
9. Flaps which are located on the aircrafts wings move up and down in order to reduce/increase speed (they cause drag) and help keep the aircraft stable. These are partially lowered before and during take-off after which they move back up to become level with the wing. During landing these are moved down fully. This can occur in several stages. These can make a loud noise depending on the aircraft model and where you're seated so don't be alarmed.
10. A speed break is present on both wings of the aircraft. These may be used during descent and approach to slow the aircraft's speed. These are similar to the flaps as they produce drag but instead move upwards at a 90 degreen angle to the wing when used. They are also employed to slow the aircraft down upon landing just as the reverse thrusters kick in when you land.
11. A twin engine aircraft can fly on one engine safely. If there is a need to shut an engine down most likely due to a bird strike (when a bird enters the engine, poor bird), the pilot can confidently fly the aircraft to safe landing on just one engine. Whist a rare event, this happens more than you might think - it's simply not reported in the news because it rarely causes a major problem. 
12. Aircraft are dismantled and put back together regularly to check all parts. So even if the aircraft your flying on doesn't look the newest, I assure you that every part of it has been checked in the recent past. The same goes for new ones. 
13. Aircraft are put through stress tests during their development to deal with just about any emergency situation. They are also designed to glide even with no power. It is not possible for the plane to simply fall out of the sky, again a law of physics.
14. The reason they don't have parachutes onboard (something I often hear people complaining/joking about) is because jet aircraft fly too fast for you to simply jump out of in an emergency. They are also pressurised so you can't just open a door. On top of this the rare number of accidents that there have mostly occured during take-off and landing. When your at 40,000 feet altitude, there is very little that can go wrong in the aircraft at this point. Many people I know refuse to fly long distances because of the length of time they are in the air. This makes very little difference to safety. It is take off and landing where care is needed. A 15 hour flight is no different in terms of real safety than a 2 hour flight. So sit back and relax and visit those far off locations you've always dreamed of going to but too afraid of the length of time spent in the air. 
15. Watch a movie to take your mind off all of the above when your onboard. You have far more chance of winning the lottery than anything happening to you so just think about that to yourself - am I likely to win the lottery today - I wish!! Therefore am I likely to be in air accident to day - not a chance!
16. If you do enter a situation where there is bad weather, rest assured that pilots have trained for 1000's of hours on how to deal with this and they will not put your safety in jeopardy. If they think there is a slight chance of an accident, they will simply divert to another airport and/or abort the landing and try again. Again, this is not such a big deal to them, they experience events like this regularly - they are not major events in their book - just a normal day at the office.

I have included 4 videos below this article of a recent flight I made from London Heathrow to Edmonton in Canada. These videos will show you the several stages of flight describe above in a Boeing 767-300 series aircraft (Air Canada). Enjoy the great views over Britain, Iceland, Greenland and Canada. This is what you should focus on when flying. Look forward to it and remember to is nothing to worry about!

If you would like to find out more about overcoming your fear of flying, I would recommend the following books - 'The Fearless Flier's Handbook' and 'Fly Away Fear' which can be purchased/viewed from the links below:

 Departing from Heathrow Airport, London, England

Enjoying the view over the Lake District

 Flying over Iceland and Greenland - Beautiful Clear Skies

Landing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada