Screw Up Bad? Change Your Name
An official report is out on the Helios Airlines crash last summer which suggests criminal charges may be filed. When an established airline has a crash, they have no choice but to take responsibility. But when a new airline has a crash, there is relatively little invested in the brand name. Just as ValuJet did after their crash in the Everglades, Helios has changed their name. Helios is now 'AJet.'
See: http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Report_on_Cyprus_airliner_crash_sha_10102006.html
.
==========
Then Claim Nothing Was Wrong In The First Place
Reacting to the report lambasting Helios, AJet comes claims no shortcomings whatsoever.
The Helios crash back in August of last year was due to such outrageous irresponsibility that language hardly exists to express the outrage.
The captain had been fired by Lufthansa. He and the copilot are not fluent in a common language. They didn't know the aircraft systems well enough to even recognize the warnings when the plane failed to pressurize!!!!!!
If anything speaks to the need to be a wise consumer when it comes to choosing an airline, corporate refusal to be responsible for anything should explain the necessity to choose an airline with a long track record of safety, and:
- not a new one you never heard of
- not a new one friends say is great because it has leather seats
- not one people say is safe because their flight got there and back.
A wise consumer, I believe, will choose an airline that has
- a pilot's union backing the captain in demanding the plane be properly maintained, and
- a pilot's union that has some (though currently a weak) say in limiting time on duty, and
- has flown enough to produce a statistically significant track record.
If it is not listed on http://www.airsafe.com with a low accident rate, don't fly it!
Here is the article in which the airline denies any and all responsibility: http:www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=112409&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21.
==========
Anticipatory Anxiety Due To Timeline Compression
At the New York SOAR-FEST, I told the group assembled that we had indeed broken the code of flight anxiety. The Strengthening Exercise, once properly practiced and thus 'installed', stops high anxiety and panic before it can start.
And I added that the next thing to break the code on is anticipatory anxiety. There are many small causes which, added up, can produce high levels of anticipatory anxiety. A few months ago, I sent out a write-up on the small causes that I had been able to analyze.
I believe we now have all the pieces of the anticipatory anxiety puzzle. Here is a brief write-up on that piece: Timeline Compression.
Some years ago, I went with a friend out onto a balcony that overlooks St. Mark's Plaza in Venice. Here are two photos from the balcony:
http://www.humancargo.net/gallery/venice/set_a/img/crop0020.jpg
http://www.greatmirror.com/images/medium/007563.jpg
When I surveyed the view, I saw the plaza, the sidewalk cafes, the pigeons, people walking, more buildings at the far end, the rooftops of Venice, the harbor to the left, and another church on the other side of the harbor. I looked at these things one at a time.
But I learned from my friend's reaction -- overwhelm -- that while some take in such a view item by item, others take in all the items at once; and when all those items are taken in at once (rather than one by one) it is overwhelming.
This can teach us a great deal about anticipatory anxiety. The 'events' (such as take off, climb, cruise, descent, and landing) that take place on a two-hour flight are spaced over two hours of time. Thus, if these events are experienced when they occur, they are experienced with several minutes of spacing between them. But when one ponders an upcoming one hour flight, one doesn't take two hours to ponder the flight. Instead, the events of the two-hour flight are compressed into just a few seconds of time.
Let's imagine that each one of these five events causes a stress hormone release. The stress hormone from the first event is burned off before the second event takes place. And the stress hormone from the second event is burned off before the third even takes place.
But when pondering an upcoming flight, the experience of each of these five events is compressed in time from an hour to just a few seconds. If each causes a stress hormone release, the five shots of stress hormone are released within a timespan -- not of an hour but -- of a few seconds and the result can be a high level of anxiety.
Taking a flight is like eating a Big Mac. You do it bite by bite. You 'process' each bite separate from any other bite by chewing it up, and then swallowing it. But when thinking of an upcoming flight, it can be like trying to swallow a Big Mac whole.
It is virtually impossible to simulate the experience of a two-hour flight by pondering it in a span of seconds; inevitably the experience of anticipating the flight will be inaccurate.
If you sat down and conceived of the flight, moment by moment, spreading all the events over two hours, you can see how that would cause no stress at all.
I'm trying to establish for you how inaccurate consideration of an upcoming flight can be, and how that inaccurate consideration can cause great (and inaccurate) stress. Do you make car payments or mortgage payments? What if you got a bill demanding that, instead of paying a montly installment, you had to pay the entire balance! That would be shocking. That, you would probably say, is unfair. OK. It is. So when you consider an upcoming flight, don't do the same time compression to yourself.
Sometimes, in an effort to determine ones readiness for a flight, one tries to imagine what the flight will be like. Inevitably, when doing that, the flight is compressed in time, and stress hormones are released which lead the person to believe the flight will be as stressful as the time-compressed imagination of the flight is.
Reality -- will not overwhelm you. Overwhelm takes place only when you imaginarily compress the events of several hours into the space of a few seconds.
As the 'Free Video' says (take a look if you haven't seen it at http://www.fearofflying.com), one drink won't make you drunk. Nor will five drinks spaced out over several hours. But five drinks, one right after another, will overwhelm you.
This new key for dealing with anticipatory anxiety is to understand time compression, and to pace ones self when considering an upcoming flight so as to spread each item of concern out. We need to learn to wait for reality.
==========
An Article About Airline Bumping
See: http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0610140255oct15,0,4934366.story?coll=chi-travel-hed.
=========
This Week's Hopefully Inspirational Email
Dear Captain Tom:
It's once again time for my annual ritual of sending you an e-mail to thank
you for getting me back in the air after many years of road trips. I am a
year 2000 'graduate' of the SOAR course. After taking the course I was
able to fly with little anxiety and start to enjoy travelling again. After
a couple of years I became quite adventurous with my travel plans and have
flown all over the world. This year we went to Japan and China from here
in Florida. Quite a bit of flying and quite a bit of adventure.
Although I have taken many flights since taking the course in 2000, this
year was a different experience for me. Firstly pre and post-SOAR, I had
always used Xanax as a crutch while flying. I always used a small dose
which never helped. Nevertheless I had used it in the past and continued
to use it after taking the SOAR course. This year I decided to try to fly
Xanax free. I discovered that the Xanax made absolutely no difference and
that there was no need to take it.
More importantly, this year the SOAR lessons seem to have ingrained
themselves in my flying soul! I had downloaded the 'At the Airport'
program and transferred it onto my iPod. I had listened to it a couple of
months before the trip and planned on listening to it before leaving and on
the plane (as this is what I had done in the past on all of my flights with
my SOAR cassette tapes). But a very weird thing happened ---- I did not
feel the need to listen to the program before the flights or on the
flights. It was like suddenly the lessons had been embedded in my brain
and the flight anxiety had been permanently buried into some deep recess of
my brain. Granted there was some very slight anxiety while heading down
the runway, but as soon as the plane was airborne the lessons seemed to
kick in on auto pilot (no pun intended). I did however indulge in my
(annoying?) habit of quoting my 'Captain Tom-isms' during the flight
(especially in nasty turbulence).
So once again, thanks for opening the world of travel to me and allowing me
to progress past the road trip into the world beyond our borders. Next
year we are thinking of Australia and New Zealand. Seven years ago I could
never have conceived of any considering flying this far. This year the
only concern is how to scramble enough frequent flyer miles for an
upgrade!! From sweaty palms (which my wife marvels at the lack thereof) to
an upgrade grubber ---- who would have thought it!!!!
Once again, thanks!
==========
Need More Help That Meds Provide?
Nothing in the medicine chest works as well as what's in the SOAR 'tool box': 'The Strengthening Exercise'.
- Full Strength.
- Flight Tested By Thousands.
Seriously though, what we have developed provides far more help that any anti-anxiety medication can -- and does so automatically.
- SOAR is not just another fear of flying program offering relaxation and reassurance
- SOAR is advanced help and succeeds with the most extreme cases of flight anxiety
- SOAR was developed through twenty-five years of research, study, and experience
Which Way Fits You Best?
- The Guaranteed SOAR Video Course on DVD
- Learn the cause and how to fix it in 'Psychology of Flight Anxiety'
- Understand amazing backup systems that make flying safe in 'How Flying Works'
- Get automatic control of the feelings when you fly with 'Control of Anxiety'
- Take a virtual test flight of your new skills in 'At The Airport'
- The Guaranteed SOAR Audio Course on MP3
- Hear lessons on the web site - or download them to your computer or iPod
- Download the 'Take Me Along' audio tracks to your iPod or laptop
- It's like having your own pilot sitting there with you
Complete and comprehensive. Ten DVDs (appx. ten hours). View it on the internet as soon as you place your order. Your DVDs are shipped to your door by FEDEX or Priority Mail.
See guarantee and order at: http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml.
The same complete information as in the Video Course but condensed into five hours of audio. Plus one important extra: 'Take Me Along' audio tracks to use during the flight.
I'll explain everything that is happening - as it happens - so you will know everything is normal on the flight.
See guarantee and order here: Read More Now!
- A Counseling Session
A session customized to your exact needs. I'm both an airline captain and a licensed therapist. I can help you based on success with over six-thousand clients in the past twenty-five years. The fee for a twenty-minute session covering the basics is $60.00, payable by MasterCard, Visa or American Express. Everything can be covered in forty to sixty minutes (fee prorated to time used).
Available 10 AM to 7 PM Eastern (New York) time. Outside the U.S. or Canada call: 203-258-4803.
==========
Not Ready To Order The Entire Program?
At least learn 'The Strengthening Exercise'. Order 'The Control of Anxiety' ($195.00 on video; $49.95 on audio) at: http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml.