More On Anticipatory Anxiety And 'Timeline Compression'
Hi Tom,
Just wanted to share something with you. The last time we spoke you suggested that I read the newsletter article on timeline compression since I was concerned about being in the boarding area and 'what if-ing'. I put that info to good use yesterday -- here's how.
I needed to go to a new doctor to have something examined on my back. The thought arose that I would probably need a biopsy. Well, I went yesterday. Normally, my hands would be slightly sweaty and my heart would pound a bit as my mind would play a whole movie. I refused to let it and remembered the timeline compression article and stayed with what is and decided to take it 'one bite at a time'. I was absolutely fine. Same thing in the examining room. Same thing through the entire biopsy -- including the fact that the doctor hadn't used enough numbing agent the first time. I took each step as it happened and the anxiety never came even came close to a 1. Also of note, I was slightly apprehensive about not knowing the doctor. That completely disappeared when I met her.
Now I realize this is not anywhere near the anxiety I experience when thinking of flying -- a drop in the bucket instead of the whole bucket. However, if I can apply this experience to next week's flight and to meeting the Captain, that will be great. Just wanted you to know that your article on timeline compression was helpful.
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The JetBlue Saga Continues
Following Last Weeks Info, A Newsletter Subscriber Wrote To JetBlue, As Follows:
A pilot who emails me newsletters through an organization called fear of flying, emailed me a
disturbing bit of information about your company. I have flown on your airline several times with no
complaints. However, now I am concerned. Apparently, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal
about your policy about not restricting how long your pilots can fly at a time, that there have been
3 total incidents of a cocked nose wheel( not just the one on TV), and that you have used passengers
as guinea pigs. The report states that JetBlue pilots had 'volunteered' for shifts up to eleven
hours. The web site to read these reports are http:/www.jaunted.com/story/2006/10/23/52159/527/travel/Airline Repport: You Are JetBlue's Guinea and http:/www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/10/jetblue_pilots.html.
I am
concerned that an airline which I thought maintained good integrity would try to cut costs by endangering the public who fly. I have had a fear of flying and that's how I got involved with this fear of flying company. I am not fairly comfortable flying but to someone like me this is disturbing news. My son who lives in Long Beach flies on your airline a lot because Long Beach airport is convenient for his location. Please let me know what is going on! I have just made a reservation on Jet Blue for my son and myself before reading this article. I feel like I may need to cancel it and
change to Southwest, who does not do this practice.
Why aren't you a union, anyway? I am a nurse and any job that deals with people's lives should operate with the utmost integrity and not have employees work more hours than is safe. Otherwise, 'brain fade' sets in.
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JetBlue's Reply
Thank you for taking the time to write us with your concerns regarding the October 21, 2006 Wall Street Journal article on JetBlue's Alertness Management Program. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify some inaccuracies in the article.
JetBlue's Alertness Management Program is not about eliminating the eight-hour flight time rule -- it is designed to better understand the body's optimal alertness, the effect current pilot scheduling rules (which are 40 years old) have on the body, and to give pilots better tools and techniques to achieve more productive rest. We are working with pilots, scientists and human factor experts to measure the effectiveness of our education and awareness campaign.
Regarding the data-collection period referenced in the Wall Street Journal: JetBlue collected data from roughly 50 flights in May 2005, and each flight was operated within FAA regulations. There was no 'live test' or 'experimentation' on these flights, contrary to what the Wall Street Journal and other media outlets have reported. The FAA permitted JetBlue to conduct this series of flights under supplemental flight rules. Supplemental flight rules are used regularly by most airlines and are considered safe and legal. Under the FAA's supplemental flight rules, pilots may fly over 8
hours within a 24 hours period, and the flights must be crewed with a third pilot. It never became necessary for the third pilot to replace any of the flying crewmembers during our data-collection period.
The data collected from these flights was turned over to a third party for analysis. The result of this analysis is expected to be published in a scientific journal by the end of the year. JetBlue did not participate in the analysis. JetBlue will not be the exclusive beneficiary of this analysis, either. The results will be available to all stakeholders at the same time, and open to public and scientific scrutiny.
Safety is JetBlue's bedrock value, for our customers and our crewmembers, alike. It is this core value that led us to take a more thorough and scientific approach to understanding fatigue factors and working to mitigate them. Pilot fatigue is an industry issue that we think should be studied, and we think education and awareness can significantly improve the quality of rest for pilots, and other professionals who work under similar conditions. We welcome the
public's scrutiny on this issue, because we believe more action must be taken to reduce fatigue-causing factors.
Thank you for this opportunity to provide this information to you directly. We recognize that the complexity of the FAA rules makes this a possibly confusing story, and an easily manipulated story by some industry groups. We take great exception to the charge that we acted in any way inappropriately. It should be far more difficult to make allegations of
this nature. Our customers' safety, the safety of our crewmembers, and creating the environment in which we operate
in safe conditions is our fundamental promise, and we work very hard to maintain our high standards.
If we may be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to call on us. Thank you again for your time.
Regards,
Jason Ward
Director, Customer Commitment
JetBlue Airways
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My Take On This
My understanding is that before JetBlue did this research, they lobbied congress to lift the eight hour rule. Blue wanted to have their pilots from the East Coast to the West Coast, and back to the East Coast in one 'day', without rest. This can be legally done within FAA regs provided the workload is divided among three -- not between two -- pilots. Blue wanted their cake and eat it, too: change the reg so two pilots could be required to do the work of three -- paying, of course -- for only two.
Think what this means in terms of a daily schedule. Get up at 3:00 AM. Leave home at 4:00 AM. Drive two hours to the airport. Leave an hour to spare in case of traffic problems. Take thirty minutes to get from the crew parking lot to the terminal. Spend an hour looking over flight paperwork, doing computations, briefing the flight attendants, inspecting the plane, setting up the cockpit. Fly six hours to the West Coast. Wait an hour between flights. Spend an hour looking over flight paperwork, doing computations, briefing the flight attendants, inspecting the plane, setting up the cockpit. Flying five hours back to the East Coast. That totals 18.5 hours. Now the pilot has a half hour to get back to the crew parking lot, and two hours to drive home. That totals out at 21 hours. He or she is back home at midnight. Oh, wait. What if there is a delay due to mechanical problems or weather. After getting home at midnight, the pilot may be required to fly again the following day.
According to research, 17 to 19 hours of sustained wakefulness (starting at 0600 and finishing at 2300 and 0100 hours) produced similar (or worse) levels of performance as with a Blood Alcohol Level of 0.05 (0.06 at which drivers are arrested for drunk driving in many states). And, 20 to 25 hours of wakefulness (starting at 0600 hours and finishing at 0200 and 0800 hours) produced performance levels similar to a Blood Alcohol Level of 0.10.
If the idea of flying with a pilot who is occasionally hungover or drunk causes alarm, there is equally good reason for alarm when an airline wants its pilots to fly when equally impaired due to fatigue by the end of every day on duty.
In other words, if you don't want your captain to be drunk when it is time to land, you don't want your captain to be equally impaired due to 'brain fade' when it is time to land.
Keep in mind that the eight hour rule is, in the opinion of many of us, too lax already. You may remember that Air France pilots -- both well-trained and experienced pilots -- made a mistake after flying nine hours that no pilot in his or her right mind would make, and could not get the plane stopped before running out of runway.
I am led to believe that, unable to get results with their political efforts, JetBlue then turned to 'research'.
Research companies know where the bread is buttered. I majored in research in grad school; research can very easily be made to give the results desired, and still be made to look like good research to anyone except a skilled researcher.
If you are hiring a research company in order to get a desired result, you might ask them if the findings you want might -- or might not be -- a 'slam dunk'.
You may or may not be aware that drug companies have resorted to doing research on a product several times before offering it for approval; they 'cherry pick' the research that looks good for their product and hide the research that shows no benefit -- or unfortunate side effects. In some cases, they keep doing separate research projects until they get one that looks good.
When pilots exceed 8 hours, they are supposed to be relieved every two to four hours. In JetBlue's unauthorized experiment, relief pilots were onboard but not used; this is not the intent of the regulations.
Though Blue claims this was legal, and claims they had approval, as the above letter says. However, the FAA does not agree that it was either approved or legal. FAA spokesperson Alison Duquette is quoted as saying, 'It's something they can't do or shouldn't have done (without our approval).' She reportedly said the FAA reprimanded the airline carrier and ensured that JetBlue flew according to government regulations.
If the relief pilots were used, then the research on the pilots on duty for longer than eight hours would have been spoiled for that particular flight. If you were a non-union pilot who volunteered to participate in this, would you after nine or ten hours say, 'Well, you know . . . I'd better have some relief.'
When ability to perform a tast is impaired by fatigue or impaired by alcohol, there is often an equal impairment of the ability to recognize one is impaired. This is why drinking and driving is such a problem; the person who is drunk is unable to accurately assess his or her ability to drive.
My point is, the pilots on duty for these excessive hours in the JetBlue experiment may have not asked for relief because their ability to recognize they were impaired was -- itself -- impaired.
It appears, when one considers those factors, that JetBlue's unauthorized experiment was neither a legal operation nor a safe operation. As the letter from JetBlue says, ' pilots may fly over 8 hours within a 24 hours period if the cockpit is crewed by three pilots.' But JetBlue's experimental flights were not 'crewed' by three pilots. The third pilot was not an active member of the crew.
In addition, consider that the pilots used in this research were 'volunteers'. When doing valid research, subjects are selected at random. Volunteers do not constitute a statistically valid random sample. Anyone savvy about research recognizes the attempt -- from the beginning -- to stack the deck.
Also consider the corporate spin: they call it an 'alertness' program. The whole thing is disgusting corporate greed. Executives who can find a way to squeeze more out of employees (at the same pay) get: guess what? More pay.
What I find even more disgusting is that when corporate executives do this sort of thing, they are proud of it. To top it off, they hire shills to write letters to spin it to the public.
In an earlier newsletter, I wrote about psychopaths. Everyone should know that they are encountering psychopaths every day. Only a small percentage of psychopaths are serial killers. Many of them are highly successful lawyers, politicians, doctors, and businessmen who -- though they have no conscience -- play by the rules when you are likely to get caught and do anything at all which benefits them if they believe they won't get caught.
Corporate executives who have no shame, and are proud of their ability to injure or destroy others, are psychopaths. It is my opinion that everyone needs to know that some of the highest regarded people in public and private life are psychopaths, so as to not make the mistake of believing that either the government or the corporations are honorable, or that they are looking out for you or your safety.
When JetBlue started, I thought that since they bought new planes instead of plans the established airlines were selling off, that the management might be of a higher order. It appears I was mistaken.
Finally, look at this paragraph: ' Safety is JetBlue's bedrock value, for our customers and our crewmembers, alike. It is this core value that led us to take a more thorough and scientific approach to understanding fatigue factors and working to mitigate them. Pilot fatigue is an industry issue that we think should be studied, and we think education and awareness can significantly improve the quality of rest for pilots, and other professionals who work under similar conditions. We welcome the public's scrutiny on this issue, because we believe more action must be taken to reduce fatigue-causing factors.'
Most pilots are of the opinion that there is a fatigue problem which is much worse than the eight hour rule. Extreme fatigut can resultl when pilots are required to work fourteen hours a day, day after day, with insufficient rest. On top of that, the pilots may be required to get their so-called rest during the day, one day, and during the night, the next, etc.
If JetBlue had been, as they said, interested in investigating alertness, why did their research not deal with the entire alertness problem which, if it were looked at squarely and acted upon, would give pilots more rest, in spite of the additional costs to the airline. Instead, they ignored that part of the problem where research would have shown pilots need to work less hours, and engaged in research only in the area where they saw a possibility of getting pilots to work more hours.
I have known these types of executives -- and their PR shills -- personally. My disgust for them is almost boundless. Though there is a difference in scope, I see no difference in character than that of a common street pimp or drug dealer who -- similarly -- exploits others for personal gain, pridefully and without guilt or remorse.
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Is It Wise To Fly JetBlue And Similar Airlines?
There is no such thing as absolute safety. As I see it, when choosing an airline, it is good to consider what the airline has going for it that should translate into safety. Certainly it is wiser to fly any than to drive. And we all have to consider the costs versus the safety benefits. I don't know about you, but I have a car with front side airbags. It costs more; I think it is worth it. Likewise, to me, paying a bit more may be wise when choosing an airline.
- Has the airline stood the test of time?
Airline accidents are rare. So, if an airline has flown accident-free for a million flights, that doesn't prove much at all when accidents happen only once every 10,000,000 to 20,000,000 flights.
Qantas is often cited as the gold standard of airline safety since it has had no accidents (at least, in modern times). But Qantas has only flown just over one million flights. Contrast this with the idea that Alaska Airlines is unsafe since they crashed six years ago. But that was Alaska's only in six million flights. Who is to say what the situation will be at Qantas when they have flown six times as many flights as they have so far?
JetBlue has only flown about one-third of a million flights. As I see it, this is not enough flights to be statistically significant. But, then the same thing could be said of Qantas.
You can check the statistics at www.airsafe.com. If the airline is not listed, the airline has not done enough flying to provide even a suggestion as to their safety. And, if the airline has not flown several million flights, the accident rate shown doesn't mean much.
So, in answer to the question, is it OK to fly JetBlue? JetBlue is not at the top of my list (American, Continental, Delta, Hawaiian, Northwest, Southwest United, USAirways), all of which are airlines with a long track record and a pilot's uniion. But Blue is not at the bottom of my list, either.
- Is There A Pilot's Union?
Financial pressures on airlines are great. Competition is extreme. Every cost that can be cut without an obvious impact on safety has to be cut. The problem is, the line between safe and unsafe is not clear. And, it is less clear to a non-pilot executive who makes the decisions than it is to the captain who is going to fly the planes. When it appears to the captain that the line has either been crossed, or the operation is too close to the unclear line, it is the captain's job to tell management he or she will not fly the plane.
But, without a union, the captain cannot refuse to fly a plane without risk of being fired. Thus, the importance of the captain being backed up by a union is obvious.
- Does the Brand Name Mean Something?
Is the brand name well enough established that to abandon it after an accident would impact the company negatively? If a brand name means a lot, corporations can't afford to take the same risks that a new airline -- with a new name -- can. Helios Airways, the Cypriot airline that crashed, and changed its name, is now going out of business. Following its crash, there was a public outcry in Europe for more government oversight. People had gotten used to the idea that airlines were all reliable; new airlines which were not reliable exploited that view. I need to remind readers that you should not blindly trust corporate management, and that includes the corporate management of airlines. There are many psychopaths at top jobs in corporations, and they only behave themselves if they know they can be held accountable.
The way you and I can hold airline management accountable is not to fly airlines which exhibit behavior that shows they don't hold themselves accountable.
See: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/30/europe/EU_GEN_Cyprus_Airline.php.And
Safety is relative. No one can tell the future. But the past -- if there is a long track record -- is some indication of future performance. Choosing to have your captain be backed by a union is a no-brainer. I don't fly an airline without a pilot's union, and I don't put my children on an airline without a pilot's union.
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Re: Crash In Nigeria
Regular readers will remember my admonition to disregard crashes outside technically advanced countries as not relevant to the kind of flying most of you do. Hopefully you remembered that with the recent crash in Nigeria, the third in the last year.
The Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Prof Babalola Borishade has said in the press that the aviation industry in Nigeria operates with obsolete equipment and almost no highly trained technicians.
See: http://allafrica.com/stories/200610300114.html.
And
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Wednesday Night Conference Call On Flight Anxiety
- 9:00 PM until 10:00 PM Eastern time
Join our regular 'chat' (where we type what we want to say).
10:00 PM until 11:00 PM Eastern time
Join in by phone on a conference call dealing with flight anxiety.
Instead of typing, we can just talk.
- Listen in to the discussion.
- Take part in the discussion.
- It's your choice.
Want to know more about:
- How flying works
- Turbulence, and why it is not a threat
- Controlling anxiety, panic and claustrophobia
We'll talk about this and more every Wednesday night
- Eastern Time: 10 PM until 11 PM
- Central Time: 9 PM until 10 PM
- Mountain Time: 8 PM until 9 PM
- Pacific Time: 7 PM until 8 PM
As simple as 1, 2, 3.
- 1. Dial 1-641-793-7500
- 2. You will hear, 'Thank you for calling the Conference Center.'
- 3. When asked, enter this pin code: 681956 followed by #
For Your Convenience The Following Info Is Also Displayed Where You Enter The Chat At:
http://www.fearofflying.com/chat.shtml
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This Week's Hopefully Inspirational Email
Hi Captain Tom,
Well here I am in sunny Florida enjoying the nice weather. I flew in last Thursday on a night flight and am flying back home to NY this Thursday. I have to tell you that your program and your Conference calls worked like a charm for me. I had some anticipatory anxiety on the way to the airport and a little at the airport but not near as bad as I thought it would be. I used the 5 4 3 2 1 exercise whenever it got to about a 2 on the anxiety chart.
My plane was delayed 40 minutes and even with that I remained calm. I got a bit nervous as I stood on line waiting to board but I made a friend on line who volunteered to sit next to me to help me out if needed (Brave Woman). She did come in handy to have someone to talk to but I handled myself quite well. Even when I boarded the plane and saw how narrow and how crowded it was I still was in complete control of my emotions.
Take off for me was just a bit bothersome but my anxiety level never got past a level 2. I was able to relax and watched three episodes of the Golden girls on my DVD player. I even dozed off every now and then but would be awakened by the man in the next row snoring as loud as the airplane engine (that caused more anxiety then the flight). I even got up walked to the bathroom and was calm the entire time. That surprised me since I thought I would be numb in my seat with fear unable to move but NOT SO.
Do you want to know the best part of my flight? the turbulence; I loved it It made me feel connected to the earth somehow. I know that must sound weird, right? But for some odd reason I felt comforted by the bumps.
When we started to lift off the ground at take off I felt that lightheadiness a bit but I remembered what you taught us in the SOAR program and knew that it was to be expected and that it was normal to feel that way. Upon descent I knew we were descending before the pilot announced it because of the light feeling I felt and my ears began to clog up. Again, because of your course and your conference calls I knew exactly what that was and what to expect.
I listened for all the noises you explained to us in the course and was at ease with everyone of them. Captain Tom I just want to say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for helping me get my freedom back to go anywhere i want to go in this big world.
It was 16 years since my last flight and now I am looking forward to next one. I would recommend your course to anyone who wants to get off the ground and go see the world. Please keep up the weekly conference calls; they are wonderful.
Talk to you Wednesday
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Medication Is Not The Answer
The writer of the following email asked me to publish it in the newsletter in the hopes that it will prevent others from having similar situations. He consulted a doctor whose attitude, he says, is to rely completely on medication for anxiety problems. Following his doctor's advice, he had a very negative reaction to the medication, was unable to fly, and lost his job. Please understand that the adverse reaction he had to the medication was unusual, also understand that medication is of limited help in treating flight anxiety.
Dear Captain Bunn,
Thank you for your many words of encouragement last week as I prepared to fly to Dallas on October 22. Unfortunately, the Ativan which my doctor had confidently prescribed did not work as expected and I had a bad reaction to it. As a result, I could not board the plane and subsequently was terminated by my employer. I would ask that you advise all readers of your column to be wary of these drug cures, especially without first attempting a 'dry run' with the medication. My doctor advised me to take the Ativan for the first time at the terminal, and not to try it before as it would lessen the effect. As a result, my last memory was lying on the terminal floor in front of my coworkers before waking up in a hospital emergency room about several hours later. The doctor who gave me this prescription in New York has a reputation as a 'pill pusher' and routinely sees medication as the solution for everything from aviaphobia to whatever. PLEASE advise your readers not to accept a quick pill cure as I did. The worse that happened to me was the loss of a good job (at age 52 not likely to have another shot), but realistically given that I was unconscious for several hours it could have been much worse.
Thanks again for all your support and encouragement. I hope one day to fly and be fully aware of my surroundings.
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Need More Help Than Meds Provide?
Nothing in the medicine chest works as well as what's in the SOAR 'tool box': 'The Strengthening Exercise'.
- Full Strength.
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Seriously though, what we have developed provides far more help than any anti-anxiety medication can -- and does so automatically.
- SOAR is not just another fear of flying program offering relaxation and reassurance
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- SOAR was developed through twenty-five years of research, study, and experience
Which Way Fits You Best?
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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.
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- 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).
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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.