A Pilot's Eye View Of Turbulence - This Week In Patrick's Solon.com Column

http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2006/11/03/askthepilot207/.

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An Email

Tom, Let me start this by using two phrases, '30,000 miles' and '25 years'. Now let me tell everybody what these numbers mean. I am a Professional Golfer and have been in contact with you on and off for a few years and have the DVD set. I have done all the exercises and watched the DVD a few times. Because of my EXTREME fear of flying my life and career were put on hold and my world had shrunk to mostly driving around the Northeast. I had taken a trip with my family about 5 years ago that was pure torture and then again last year I had to go to Orlando on business and that also was not that much fun, although better due to the exercises.

Early last year I was at a definite crossroads in my life, job and peace of mind. I had been presented with a great opportunity to concentrate on just playing golf and nothing else. It was something I had been doing regionally for a long time, but now I had the opportunity to make it a full time, year round commitment. The only thing standing in my way was my fear of flying. I just couldn't pass up this opportunity. I revisited all the exercises and the DVD and made it a part of my daily routine to work on this problem. I had an opportunity to fly in the middle of the summer and passed on it. I was so mad at myself I made a promise never to give in to it again. Of course that's easy to do when there are no flying plans in the near future! This was in early August (05) and so what I did was make travel plans for September and October, bought the tickets and did all the necessary hotel planning, thinking that if I did that I would have to go. Well, the first trip was coming fast and I was getting nervous! I knew I had to go. So, armed with my index cards, 5-4-3-2-1, and my letter to meet the pilot, off I went to the airport. This first trip was only to Baltimore, which is a 1 1/2 hour flight but that didn't really matter because taking off was my biggest fear. So, I obviously made it and I gutted it out on the way home. The next week I was off to Raleigh Durham which was just a little further and it was a little easier, then it was to Charlotte the week after that, which is even a little further still and it was even easier. The week after that it was off to Houston and then San Antonio and California twice and San Antonio again and am now flying back and forth to Florida on a regular basis.

In all I have flown 30,000 MILES (remember that number?) since September 10 of '05 and I can say without a doubt that I do not fear flying at all anymore. I am even looking out the window on takeoff and landing and while I still have my letter to the pilots, I have not used it in a long time. I may have a very slight tinge of nervousness as the wheels leave the ground but it goes away immediately. I now look forward to flying and going to new places. My life is back and the confidence in myself has risen dramatically!

It was 25 years (remember that number?) of absolute torturous fear of flying. Not only was it the fear of flying that made it so hard, it was also what it was doing to my life and self esteem. You can conquer your flying fear! I was fortunate in that I have had the opportunity to fly repeatedly, but I still had to get on the plane and do it over and over again. Once you are armed with the exercises and skills, you MUST put yourself under the gun. The only real way to conquer this is to take Capt. Bunn's program, practice it diligently and then put it to the test and get on the plane. It will work!! I thought about my fear of flying at some point everyday for 25 years and wishing I could just be like everyone else who could get on a plane and go.

Captain Bunn and Lisa gave me that opportunity and it worked. They can't fly for you but what they give to you is as close as it gets. Just believe in the program and most importantly, believe in yourself.

I pinch myself everyday, not really believing I can now do this and my past fear of flying seems so distant. I drive myself to the airport and do everything that a so called 'normal' flyer would do. There are no magic pills that will erase the fear but Capt. Bunn's program mixed with your own strength is as close as it gets. Meeting the pilots and the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise,(which I use in everyday life, also), helped me the most along with the knowledge I now have of how an airplane works. If I can do this, anybody can, just dig deep!!!

Thanks Capt. Bunn for giving me the tools necessary to fight the fear of flying, it works.

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The 'Honor System' on Liquid Explosives

Rudy Maxa, who hosts 'The Savvy Traveler' on PBS has reported in yesterday's New York Times that in his most recent flying, security personnel in the U.S. did not examine his bags for liquids.

As I reported here back in October, claims that liquid bombs were about to be used to destroy airliners were a politically-motivated hoax. Not only it is not possible to mix a bomb on board that could take down an airliner due to the tremendous heat produced during mixing, the people arrested had never produced any liquid explosives.

Apparently now that the elections are behind us, it is no longer necessary to terrify the American public -- nor is it necessary to search for liquids as part of the charade.

Read the following quote from Rudy's article:

At the boarding gate for a flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul, our gate agent read a Transportation Security Administration warning that liquids and gels were not allowed in our carry-on luggage. Of course, any of us could have bought any number of those items in airport stores on the way to our gate.



'How,' I asked the agent, 'do you know if I have any liquids or gels in my carry-on bag?'



'We really don't,' she said with a shrug.



'So it's sort of an honor system?' I asked.



'Yeah, I guess you could call it that.'



'So the bad guys -- they're on the honor system, too?'



The gate agent shifted to a slightly tougher stance.



'Well,' she said, 'I think there are T.S.A. agents roaming the airport doing random checks at gates.'



There weren't, of course. She was putting lipstick on a loophole big enough to drive a liter of Evian through.

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Two More Of Those Arrested In 'Plot' To Blow Up Airliners Released By the Brits

Now, two more of those originally taken into custody have been released following the judge's finding that there was 'insufficient evidence' to charge them. Of the twenty-five people originally arrested, only thirteen remain in custody. Expect the whole liquid bomb fiasco to disappear from the news now that the election is over. Before long you will be able to take your liquids on the plane as if nothing had happened.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/uk/article_1217087.php/Airline_plot_brothers_walk_free_from_court.

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The Associated Press Got It Wrong And The New York Papers Got It Right -- As Usual

If you read a local newspaper about Cory Lidle's crash into an apartment building, you probably mistakenly believe he crashed into the building because of wind.

There was a six to seven knot wind, as much as produced by a brisk walk. But since the National Transportation Safety Board mentioned that wind played a role, the Associated Press -- which rarely gets aviation news right -- said wind caused the crash.

The cause was that Lidle's plane started the u-turn from the middle of the river, instead of starting from one side, or the other. There just wasn't enough room. When you do a u-turn in your car, you move over to the right first -- to make sure you have room to make the turn -- before running out of pavement.

Also, it appears that when they realized there wasn't enough space, they attempted to tighten the turn. But -- at the slow speed the plane was flying -- the wing did not have had enough air passing over it do so.

Here is the Associated Press version titled 'U.S. safety officials say wind blew airplane off course and into New York building': http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/03/sports/NA_SPT_BBL_Plane_Crash_Death.php.

This is what the times had to say: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/04/nyregion/04plane.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin.

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