Free Group Phone Counseling With Capt Tom Wednesday 10 PM - 11 PM Eastern Time

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The SOAR Library -- Open And Free



Articles for you on aviation and flight anxiety are at www.fearofflying.com/wordpress/

So Much For The Leather Seats And TV



Gokhan Mutlu has filed a two-million-dollar lawsuit in Manhattan complaining that he was required to fly seated in the toilet for three hours of a JetBlue flight from San Diego to New York.



It appears he was traveling February 16th on a JetBlue "buddy pass" that allows friends of airline employees to travel on standby. The flight was full, but he was allowed on after a flight attendant agreed to sit in one of the "jump seats." However, as the flight progressed, the flight attendant became uncomfortable in the jump seat and demanded her seat back.



Since FAA regulations allow only crew members  to use jump seats, Mr. Mutlu was told the only seat available was in the toilet. Yes. You read that right: in the toilet!



When he protested, the pilot came back and told him "he was the pilot, that this was his plane, under his command, that [Mutlu] should be grateful for being on board". He was left in the toilet even during turbulence, without a seatbelt, breaking federal laws, the legal papers say.



Not only did he suffer "extreme humiliation", the legal papers say, but he was also subjected to "tremendous fear" and danger as he was left in the closet without a seatbelt.



JetBlue had no comment.



You can read he full article at this link



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Two Great Books On Flying



Interested in a couple of great books on flying? I have two to particularly recommend.

• The Flying Book by David Blatner


• Ask The Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel by Patrick Smith
  
  

Read more -- or purchase -- David's book at this link.



Patrick will send you a signed copy. See this link.



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Videos On YouTube



Our videos are at http://youtube.com/user/CaptTomBunn.



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Suffering From Imagination



Last week I wrote that an author wants to interview people who have been in an airline crash in order to tell readers what to expect. My cautionary view on it was that -- through repeated expectation -- imagination is transformed into omen. It didn't occur to me that if people really knew what to expect, they would gain some relief until I got an email from a client -- a missionary in Africa -- who had been in a light plane crash there.



Her experience was that during a crisis there was complete calm. However, looking back at it -- and imagining what might have happened -- can cause emotional distress.



Many are afraid to fly because they fear they will experience terror in a real emergency. Imagining the terror they might experience, they cause themselves great anticipatory anxiety. Though the real emergency does not materialize, the terror does, never-the-less.



Though the real emergency fails to materialize, the fearful may rationalize the wisdom of their fear by saying, "But it could". Well, look at what happens when a real emergency DOES materialize. People experience the crisis in a focused, deliberate and calm manner -- not panic. Panic comes via imagination -- not reality.



To learn more about this, please take a look at the "Free Video" at this link. In the "Free Video", I tell the story of an attorney who had a gun put to his head. He didn't panic DURING the episode. It was only later, looking back at it, that he was overwhelmed.



It is -- not reality -- but imagination that we suffer from. This suffering can be alleviated by the SOAR Program by building in automatic stops to the process. We can stop the imagination that causes distress which causes more imagination which causes more distress, etc.



Here is the email:



I just read your newsletter about a request to interview crash survivors, and you said you hadn't had any in therapy.  However, I don't know if you remember me.  We were in touch maybe 6 years ago by now. I was involved in a crash landing near Nairobi in a 6 seater Cessna.  Maybe this doesn't count; it was a small plane, and it was in Africa. But crash we did!  With complete engine failure flying over the outskirts of Nairobi.  The pilot did a belly landing in a maize field with irrigation ditches, we landed very hard right against the side of one, then hopped through the field for another 80 meters.  There had been smoke and heat coming from the engine into the cabin.  The wings cracked, pouring fuel over everything including us.  It was amazing we didn't all go up in flames.

 

Shall I contact this lady? I agree so much with what you say. We can have an unhealthy interest in scary situations, with all the results you describe.

 

My answer would be what I have heard others say in sudden emergency situations. We became completely calm and self controlled. Somehow one's survival instinct takes over. You think rationally, emotions get pretty much switched off. You even face death completely calm and rationally. That was the experience of us all. 



The shock of what happened, or could have happened, came only afterwards. It also made me realize that if something goes wrong in the plane, it doesn't mean death. And if it does, you probably die not in terror, but not knowing what is happening.



When I was in the Cessna going down, I believe it was my faith, and the children, that forced me to remain calm, though I believe it is common that in such circumstances people keep their head cool, and the emotions only surface later. Somehow we know that that is important for our survival. I have read and heard quite a few stories of survival of individuals, such as people attacked and dragged away by a lion; when they did survive, they recall a complete unreal sense of calm. The same for soldiers being blown apart by a grenade, seem to display an expression of immense surprise, not pain and fear.

 

Even as I am writing this I wonder whether panic erupts when there are more people together involved, which one would have in an airliner. Maybe then some might look to others to ensure their survival, and, seeing that no one is in control, panic can spread. Or people getting out of a large burning building.

 

Anyway, the experience of myself, my husband and the pilot was one of total calm and rationality in the face of death; an experience that seems not uncommon. The children responded to that and were totally calm, and so was the Kenyan man with us but he didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. The fear erupted later when I imagined (!) what could have happened .

 

This probably does much to underline what you often say, which is that fear is born out of insecurity and imagination, rather than real life bad flight experiences. 



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"Feel Like A Million Bucks!"



Tom,



Boy, do I feel like a million bucks! I flew for the first time ever, from Denver to Phoenix and back, and while I had anticipatory anxiety, everything I learned in the course made it possible for me to overcome my greatest fear. Just a year ago, I was sure I would never fly. Now I can tell I will actually enjoy it and I am eagerly anticipating my next trip!



Sure, I keep my eyes closed during takeoff, but boy do I love the landings! At about 30,000 feet I start looking out the window and am mesmerized by the beauty of it all.



Just 2 hours before my first flight I was so nervous my hand was shaking and I could hardly hold a beer in my hand. I had never shaken like that-- I usually have nerves of steel. But I went to the airport anyway and everything I learned in the course helped me to understand flying and to know that everything was ok. The Jell-o analogy helped me probably more than anything, even more than meeting the captain -- a meeting which lasted about 4 seconds.



I truly believe that everyone should take this course so that they may better understand flying and then they would probably be even more relaxed about flying.



Tom, I can't thank you enough for being so available and so generous with your time. If I can ever help you in any way, just holler!



Just had to tell you that since I have overcome my fear of flying (which was my greatest fear), I continue to feel powerful and unstoppable. I don't worry about much at all and I really do feel as though I can do anything.



This is so much more than I ever imagined I would receive when I enrolled in FastTrack.



I plan to fly all over the world and I know that my overall empowerment will last a lifetime



Most sincerely,



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You, Too, Can Fix The Flying Problem Now

Get started with the program that works. SOAR was established in 1982 because no programs existed which could help people with moderate to severe difficulties. Even today, no other program offers help that is effective except for mild difficulties. No matter how difficult flying is for you, we can help.



Full Length Course



We have the full length SOAR Video Course on 11 DVDs and we have the accelerated FastTrack course. The full length course provides the maximum help possible. More info.

FastTrack



FastTrack is for you if you have a flight coming up soon, even tomorrow! It includes three hours of the most important video clips from the full length course. More FastTrack info.

Get started now. The SOAR FastTrack program can be on your computer's screen in two minutes.

• Fast Track is inexpensive.
  


• Fast Track gives you the most help possible in the shortest time.
  


• A twenty-minute private session and unlimited group counseling sessions are included.
  
  


• What you pay for Fast Track is 100% transferable to the complete SOAR Course DVD or CD.

iPod Or Other Media Players

Complete a compact (about five hours) version of the SOAR Course on the go. Download it to your computer. Play it on your computer, iPod or other media player. More info.

Which To Choose

If you are unsure which is best for you, please call me at 877 332-7359 so we can talk it over. You will feel better as soon as you decide to act.

We are always here to help. As you go through the program, call or email whenever you have a question or a concern.

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What's Up With Patrick This Week?

Patrick explores what's up for the airlines as they get squeezed financially. You can read his column at this link.

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One Of The Best Sites



AirSafe.com is run by Dr. Todd Curtis, PhD., a former airline safety analyst with Boeing. Todd thoroughly analyzes safety data and presents statistics on his web site which can help you choose an airline wisely.



Todd will be happy to send you information of aviation safety. Subscribe to his service at www.airsafe.com/services/subscribe.htm and you will receive tips such AirSafe.com's Top 10 Safety Tips for Traveling With Children.



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