EVEN IF YOU KNOW - LOGICALLY - THAT FLYING IS OK . . .

there can still be a problem with anxiety. Here's why. When a thought
starts to enter awareness, it is scanned first by the amygdala. The amygdala
scans the emerging thought to determine if this is something desirable of
something threatening.

If the amygdala says this is a "good thing", no problem. But if the amygdala
raises a red flag, as this thought enters awareness, it also triggers some
stress hormone release.

So let's say you start to think, "The plane feels like it is going down?" As
that thought started to enter awareness, the amygdala says, "Look out;
here comes a bad one, and I've already started a shot of stress hormones
to help you get rev-ed up to help you to fight or run."

When the thought enters awareness, your rational mind says, "Wait a
minute; the plane is going up AND down, and the up movements and the
down movement are canceling each other out, so it's fine."

But the damage is already done. Even though - rationally - you know
there is no problem, the rational mind is "a day late and a dollar short".

Well, actually, a few fractions of a second late. The amygdala is so quick
in its response, it always beats the rational mind to the punch.

It just doesn't matter how rational you are. It doesn't matter how much you
know. The amigdyla can always beat you to the punch.

Even if it does, that one punch from the amygdala can only take you - on
a scale of zero to ten - to a "two".

But what if you have five thoughts? Even if you can answer each one of
them perfectly, there is a potential for high anxiety IF those thoughts run
one right after another in rapid sequence. A rapid sequence of "bad"
thoughts can fire the amigdyla five times and take you to two, four, six,
eight, ten.

How can the amygdala be so fast? It is fast because it isn't very smart;
it will believe anything! So, to avoid getting those hits of stress hormones,
all we need to do is reprogram the amygdala's response to airplane
scenes and situations.

That's what the Strengthening Exercise is all about. If you have trouble
with flying, we can fix it.

Everything you needs is at:

http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml

If you have questions, call me at 877 332-7359 or Lisa at 800 332-7359.

==========

BECAUSE CAPTAINS LACK AUTHORITY TO REFUSE A PLANE AND . . .

because most if not all maintenance is subcontracted or outsourced, I
have recommended anyone - anxious or not - choose an airline that
operates in a more responsible way.

There are other reasons. When things go amiss, airlines with more
resources are not helpless to help you.

Here is an email received since the last newsletter:

Hi Capt Bunn:

I'd like to share this horror story about USA 3000. Yet another reason to
not use no frills airlines.

After a horrible night at Clearwater/St. Pete Airport, I am back in Plant City.

Arrived at 5:00pm for a 7:30pm flight from Clearwater/St. Pete to Newark
on USA3000.

Heard some horror stories about USA3000 so I asked about the departure
time for this flight (last flight until next Tuesday as they only fly on Thursdays
and Tuesdays to Florida). Told the plane from Newark to Florida was "in the
air" and expected to land on time, reload and go back to Newark on sched-
ule at 7:30pm to arrive at 9:45pm. So I checked luggage and went to the gate.

Then the "delay" announcements began saying the plane was still on the
ground in Newark due to traffic congestion and wasn't expected to leave
Newark until AFTER 10:00pm - no exact time given, which means the
earliest it would arrive in Clearwater/St. Pete would be around 1:45am
Friday morning - not sure of take off back to Newark, but assuming there
was still a valid flight, it would probably arrive in Newark at 4:45am Friday
morning.

I had already been charged one nights stay at a New Jersey hotel with a
guaranteed late arrival and pick up of a car rental on Friday morning.

Went back to the front and was given the US3000 general manager who
told me it was Newark Air Control due to bad weather. Called Newark on
my cell phone and found out the weather was clear since about 3:30pm.
Told the general manager who then said it was "traffic spacing" of aircraft
in and around Newark that is causing the delay. Called Continental, Delta
and United for time schedules on evening flights out of Newark to find all
flights were on schedule, no delays. Told the general manager he should
start telling the truth (crowd around me getting bigger as we spoke).

I asked (as did 4 or 5 other business men around me) for a more exact
departure time or the possibility of flight cancellation since it was into a
Friday schedule where the equipment was needed for flights from Newark
to other US cities. He "just couldn't make that kind of commitment, and air-
lines do cancel flights, you know."

Offered me a FREE ticket on anywhere in the US that USA3000 flies if the
Florida to Newark flight was canceled (wouldn't know that until after 2:00am
Friday morning. They would put us on the "next available flight" which is
Tuesday, October 3rd! )

The wedding is October 1st.

As we were speaking, they were announcing more delays about the
Newark equipment.

I canceled my seat and demanded my luggage back. Told me they could
not do that because the luggage was "staged" and would be almost imposs-
ible to find in that "mess."

I reminded him that if I did not board the plane the TSA was required to hold
the plane to remove my luggage anyway, so I would pick it up in luggage
claim sometime Friday.

Needless to say, they found my luggage after an hour, and still announcing
delays out of Newark.

By the time I got my luggage about 30 or more people were now at the
counter for cancellation and the general manager was demanding to know
from the agents what the "passenger count was now," they couldn't answer
because they were busy trying to find out who was sitting where. I suspect
this flight was eventually canceled out of Newark who also probably lost
passengers with their delay.

I had booked this flight on July 12th, after receiving Erica & Pete's wedding
invitation for $134.00. USA3000 called me last week to tell me my return
(direct) flight was canceled and combined with a flight from Newark to
Philadelphia to Florida in order to save fuel. (That tells me they don't have
many passengers, otherwise they couldn't combine this early.)

I suspect that a flight from Florida to Philadelphia that took off on time at
7:30pm Thursday night from a gate next to ours (about 20-30 passengers
in a plane that holds over 180) was going to Philadelphia, unloading and
loading passengers then going to Newark and turning around and coming
back to Florida_ if_ it had enough passengers.

When I got back to Plant City last night I went on line to get another plane,
but with one day notice the fairs are extremely high and the best tickets
get me from Sarasota Fl., to Conn. for a wedding in New York!

Calls to the 800-USA-3000 went unanswered and the "Customer Care
Center" telephone announced it was closed until Friday at 9:00am, but
they are still running the voice mail "closed" tape today.

I WILL get a full refund from USA3000 and maybe reimbursement of my
hotel bill after a series of nasty letters and complaints but that doesn't
replace the fact that I am going to miss the wedding.

Safe to say, I don't recommend USA3000, the most you can get is a "free
ticket" after a horrible experience. It's like going to a bad restaurant who
gives you a certificate for another bad meal!

==========

PILOTS GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO HELP ANXIOUS FLIERS

Dear Capt Bunn

I did it! Last week I flew from Boston to San Francisco(the longest I
have ever done)that I feared so much. This was a business trip that I
was trying to back out of. Thank you so much for your support. You have
helped me to prepare for this flight mentally. I watched some of the
DVDs and read some of your news letters and emails up to the date.
Although I took the meds about 1/2 hour before boarding as a backup, I
was amazed at how calm I was on my own. No anxiety the night before or
the day of. I thought I did not do enough of the exercises but
apparently the little I did worked sub-consciously. I was determined to
meet the captain. Despite my co-workers' skepticism, I did it and it was
great! The captain, after introducing himself and the co-pilot, invited
me into the cockpit to sit in his seat and to steer the control. I was
ecstatic! So much so that I did not even have the urge to make the same
request going home. I never thought I would say this but now I am
looking forward to more personal and business trips. Thanks again for
helping me to accomplish this goal. Keep on doing what you are doing.
You are making a difference.

==========

ALASKA AIRLINES REDUX

I looked on the message board a few days about and found someone has
posted something about Alaska air and a problem with the jackscrew. And
almost as a reflex, I started to say, "Oh this happened several years ago,
so don't worry about it; everything is fine."

But I clicked on the link, and lo and behold, several Alaska mechanics
have found jackscrews with no grease. The absence of lubrication was
discovered on their regular every-650 hour check of the unit. Checks of
the jackscrew are more frequent - thank goodness - since flight 261
crashed. But these planes had been flying with unlubricated jackscrews
and in time would have worn out.

Now the mechanics did not know who was last supposed to have greased
the units; they greased them (I think one was replaced first) and manage-
ment was notified that someone had - a few months earlier - signed off the
jackscrews as greased by not greased them. Somehow this came to the
attention of the Seattle Times, who contacted the FAA, when THEN decided
to take action. According to the Seattle Times, the last time the units were
supposed to have been greased was at a maintenance subcontractor.
Alaska's own shut overhaul facility was shut down; the work was subcon-
tracted to an outfit in Oklahoma.

When I have taken fearful fliers down to talk to mechanics, inevitably the
question arises, "How do I know you do they job right." As a pilot, I would
have thought they would say out of concern of losing their license; never
was that said. Instead, "Because I know that when my family flies on a
pass, it is going to be on a plane I have worked on."

Self-interest is a profound motivator. I suggest doctors' families might get
better health care than the rest of us, and lawyers' families may get a few
breaks with the law that we don't get (not to mention policemens' families).
Likewise, I suggest there is reason to believe maintenance can be depend
on more when an airline has its own mechanics who get passes and feel
some company loyalty than when done at a subcontractor where the
mechanics do not get passes, and have no loyalty to the airline.

See:

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slu
g=alaskaair30&date=20050930&query=alaska+airlines

==========

STARTED TO PANIC, AND STOPPED IT

Captain Tom,
I just wanted to let you know that I made it on our trip out West (from
D.C.) I felt pretty prepared going since I had spent some time practicing,
and really had no problem (took 2 planes). I talked with you before going
about fear of heights, and since we were going to the Rockies and to the
Grand Canyon in Yellowstone, I wondered if you had any help for me on
that also. You told me why people fear heights, and I must say, I had an
absolute WONDERFUL time...I could not believe how much I enjoyed it...
looked over the edge...didn't miss anything that my husband did (usually
I was hovering somewhere, scared to death!) However, on the flight back,
I had not "mentally" prepared, so I started to go into panic mode...but I
pursued and met the captain, and did some quick practicing. Just for any
readers information, I definitely combine prayer with the exercises, and
thank the Lord for this helpful tool to overcome fear. Thanks so much!

==========

DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE HOW FLYING FEELS?

To get started, please just go to:

http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml

==========

IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, CALL ME

I'm available from 10 AM until 7 PM Eastern Time (same as New York) at
877 332-7359. Outside the U.S. and Canada, call (203) 258-4803

Or email me at: tom@fearofflying.com

==========

FEAR OF FLYING BLOG

All the newsletter from the past year or so are at:

www.fearofflyingblog.com

plus some photos of last years New York SOAR-FEST and blogs
by Bonnie, Cap'n Steve (AA captain) and others.

==========

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BLOGGING?

Oh yes, what does 'blog' mean anyway? It is an abbreviation of web log;
a few years ago, a few people started just putting their daily thoughts on
an Internet site; they called them their web log. That got shortened to 'blog'.

If so, please submit your blog to tom@fearofflying.com