He is scared of flying - need tips

[TheAviator737]

I flew with a nice gentleman today who is scared of flying and wants to conquer his fear - today I took him up on a "fun flight" just to get him behind the controls, in the air he didnt want to touch the controls at all because he was nervous that he would do something wrong - every little bump in the sky scared him and the whole flight he was nervous but at the same time when we landed back at the airport he I asked him how long he thought we were in the air for ,he said 20 minutes, when we were in the air for 1 hour - so that shows me he had fun and I made him feel a little better/comfortable in the airplane. am I ok to think this? and my other question is - if he keeps doing this , the whole "you take the controls im to nervous" when is the time I say "no you take the controls" or do I just let him finally stop asking me even though it might take a little longer then normal??

[mikecweb]

Just tell him in 250 hours he could be a first officer on a 50 seat airliner.

That'll make him more scared to be a passenger and might make flying a cessna seem not as big of a deal.

[Cessnaflyer]

Originally Posted by mikecweb

Just tell him in 250 hours he could be a first officer on a 50 seat airliner.

That'll make him more scared to be a passenger and might make flying a cessna seem not as big of a deal.

Haha yeah

[killbilly]

Originally Posted by mikecweb

Just tell him in 250 hours he could be a first officer on a 50 seat airliner.

That'll make him more scared to be a passenger and might make flying a cessna seem not as big of a deal.

Y'know, the logic to this is somewhat twisted and bizarre....but sound. I can't argue with it.

[MQAAord]

Sounds like you did a great job with the guy! For him to say he thought it had been 20 minutes shows how quickly time passed for him

As for getting him to take the controls, I wouldn't push it too hard. Just ask at appropriate times, and when he's ready to, he'll accept. Don't quit asking, just don't be pushy about it. Eventually, he'll do it.

[Fins Up]

To borrow from Bill Murray's "What About Bob", try "baby steps". Ask him to take the controls for 5 or 10 seconds for starters. Tell him on his worst day he couldn't kill the two of you in that time. Lie a little if you have to.

If you can get him to do that, maybe you can build from there. Just an idea off the top of my head.

[mtsu_av8er]

Originally Posted by mikecweb

Just tell him in 250 hours he could be a first officer on a 50 seat airliner.

Basic flying knowledge is not needed - you can learn the rules as you go!

[calcapt]

Disclaimer: I don't recommend this technique for those who want to conquer their fears.

When I take first time flyers up, I always do the negative G trick and float something around the cockpit. About the time my guest begins to recover, I distract them and pull the throttle to idle, moving my hand before they notice it was me. I then look worried at the loss of power and say "I could of sworn the guy put gas in this thing." Then as the stall buzzer goes off, I start a soft whimper and sob routine, telling my friend that I consider them one of my closest friends. "It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to have known you" I tell them.

Looking distraught, I wait about 20 to 30 seconds with the stall buzzer squawking and then say............................... "just kidding, wanna have lunch when we land?"

I had to quit using my Viking for these rides as my upholstery cleaning bills were getting out of hand. I rarely have requests for a second ride which ultimately saves me a ton of avgas.

BTW, don't try this on friends you want to keep.

[TheAlchemist]

Originally Posted by calcapt

Disclaimer: I don't recommend this technique for those who want to conquer their fears.

When I take first time flyers up, I always do the negative G trick and float something around the cockpit. About the time my guest begins to recover, I distract them and pull the throttle to idle, moving my hand before they notice it was me. I then look worried at the loss of power and say "I could of sworn the guy put gas in this thing." Then as the stall buzzer goes off, I start a soft whimper and sob routine, telling my friend that I consider them one of my closest friends. "It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to have known you" I tell them.

Looking distraught, I wait about 20 to 30 seconds with the stall buzzer squawking and then say............................... "just kidding, wanna have lunch when we land?"

I had to quit using my Viking for these rides as my upholstery cleaning bills were getting out of hand. I rarely have requests for a second ride which ultimately saves me a ton of avgas.

BTW, don't try this on friends you want to keep.

[charlie1017]

Originally Posted by calcapt

BTW, don't try this on friends you want to keep.

Or on spouses you don't want to divorce!!!!

[skydog]

"He is scared of flying" is a pretty general statement. In order to help HIM (only he can do it) overcome his fear, you need to figure out what he is scared of. For example, is he afraid of the physical sensations that come with flying? I was, and the way my instructor helped me overcome it was by exposing me to them until they were no longer unfamiliar and upsetting. Another fear I had was that I was going to screw up and kill us. He assured me that he did not want to die any more than I did, and therefore was not going to let me doing anything that would kill us.

It could be just that there is so much going on that he is not familiar with. Helping him get familiar with "all those sounds" and sensations might help. It could also be that because he is not in control, he is afraid. I am still that way sometimes. It's weird, but sitting in the back on even a lightly turbulent always bothers me, because I don't know what is going and have no control. But it never bothered me when I was up front.

In any case, the first step is to isolate the cause of his fear. Then you can develop a course of action that will help him overcome it.

[juxtapilot]

Originally Posted by calcapt

Disclaimer: I don't recommend this technique for those who want to conquer their fears.

When I take first time flyers up, I always do the negative G trick and float something around the cockpit. About the time my guest begins to recover, I distract them and pull the throttle to idle, moving my hand before they notice it was me. I then look worried at the loss of power and say "I could of sworn the guy put gas in this thing." Then as the stall buzzer goes off, I start a soft whimper and sob routine, telling my friend that I consider them one of my closest friends. "It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to have known you" I tell them.

Looking distraught, I wait about 20 to 30 seconds with the stall buzzer squawking and then say............................... "just kidding, wanna have lunch when we land?"

I had to quit using my Viking for these rides as my upholstery cleaning bills were getting out of hand. I rarely have requests for a second ride which ultimately saves me a ton of avgas.

BTW, don't try this on friends you want to keep.

Nice!

[Fly4Pay]

Originally Posted by calcapt

...Then as the stall buzzer goes off, I start a soft whimper and sob routine, telling my friend that I consider them one of my closest friends. "It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to have known you" I tell them. ...

This is known as "the embodiment of evil.".....

Maybe a somewhat less heinous way of working it would be to recommend this book. It gives non-fliers info on what's going on around them. Fear of the unknown is at the heart of MOST fears, and especially the fear of flying. Maybe reading this book will help dispel those fears.

[calcapt]

Originally Posted by Fly4Pay

This is known as "the embodiment of evil.".....

It quickly determines who really has a passion for flying.

The last guy I gave "the experience" to literally ran from the plane after I shut it down. I really thought he was a sailor hearing all the foul things spewing out of his mouth. He never pitched in for gas anyway, so screw him.

[charlie1017]

Originally Posted by calcapt

The last guy I gave "the experience" to literally ran from the plane after I shut it down. I really thought he was a sailor hearing all the foul things spewing out of his mouth. He never pitched in for gas anyway, so screw him.

Yep, those pax who always want a free ride . I know a couple who would enjoy "the experience".

[athomeinthesky]

I would try two things and then he should be able to overcome his fear and not waste more money than needed.

He could try to find a reputable person to hypnotize him to overcome his fear of flying. I am not talking about some weirdo but there is some registered nurses and people in the medical field that can do it quite well. This won't work for everybody but it is just a suggestion.

Another thing would be to find someone that he can tag along with on a few flights. That way he can get used to the plane without paying for the plane/instructor and being so anxious that the lesson ends up being pointless.

[tonyw]

There's a guy I know who does fear of flying classes. He's a writer for Salon and I've talked to him a few times. Good guy!

His name is Patrick Smith and his columns are hilarious. If you want to, just go to Salon and you can get his contact information.

[rdsoxpilot]

Originally Posted by calcapt

Disclaimer: I don't recommend this technique for those who want to conquer their fears.

When I take first time flyers up, I always do the negative G trick and float something around the cockpit. About the time my guest begins to recover, I distract them and pull the throttle to idle, moving my hand before they notice it was me. I then look worried at the loss of power and say "I could of sworn the guy put gas in this thing." Then as the stall buzzer goes off, I start a soft whimper and sob routine, telling my friend that I consider them one of my closest friends. "It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to have known you" I tell them.

Looking distraught, I wait about 20 to 30 seconds with the stall buzzer squawking and then say............................... "just kidding, wanna have lunch when we land?"

I had to quit using my Viking for these rides as my upholstery cleaning bills were getting out of hand. I rarely have requests for a second ride which ultimately saves me a ton of avgas.

BTW, don't try this on friends you want to keep.

HAHAHA...I'm trying this one next time.

[Polymox]

Originally Posted by calcapt

Disclaimer: I don't recommend this technique for those who want to conquer their fears.

When I take first time flyers up, I always do the negative G trick and float something around the cockpit. About the time my guest begins to recover, I distract them and pull the throttle to idle, moving my hand before they notice it was me. I then look worried at the loss of power and say "I could of sworn the guy put gas in this thing." Then as the stall buzzer goes off, I start a soft whimper and sob routine, telling my friend that I consider them one of my closest friends. "It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to have known you" I tell them.

Looking distraught, I wait about 20 to 30 seconds with the stall buzzer squawking and then say............................... "just kidding, wanna have lunch when we land?"

I had to quit using my Viking for these rides as my upholstery cleaning bills were getting out of hand. I rarely have requests for a second ride which ultimately saves me a ton of avgas.

BTW, don't try this on friends you want to keep.

Awesome, I love it.