By Charlene Smith
In the first generation of jet aircraft there were five accidents per million departures. In the third and fourth generations, that figure dropped to 0,5 accidents per million departures. And today? Every aircraft built in the last 10 years has remained accident free, according to the aeronautical engineering department at the University of the Witwatersrand.
So why then are there gouge marks on aircraft armrests where passengers have dug in their nails when clear air turbulence tosses the plane? How many relationships have begun, or ended, when a nervous traveller grabbed the hand of her fellow passenger and held on for dear life - or so she thought at the time - when a thunderstorm bucked the cabin?
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Mike Finch, an SAA 747 captain, has tried to smooth the furrowed brows of anxious passengers for 14 years with a course he runs in Johannesburg. He says that between 60 percent to 80 percent of travellers fear flying and about 15 percent are petrified.
| 'I used to be so scared of flying I wouldn't even go into an airport' |
He, like Charles Bothma, a duty officer at Durban airport who runs a similar course in that city, has a psychologist and an aircraft maintenance expert assisting with the training. They have anything from eight to 16 people on an average course.
Some people like East Coast radio announcer, Damon Baird, have always been anxious flyers. His fear was exacerbated when an aircraft he was flying on caught fire: "I used to be so scared of flying I wouldn't even go into an airport, and if I flew I'd sweat so much I'd have to change into spare clothes at my destination."
He took Bothma's course because he had a simple choice - one that faces many people: you can have an exciting career earning lots of money but have to do a lot of travel, or you can stay at home, push paper and earn peanuts.
"I would be lying if I said I was totally comfortable in an aircraft, but I do the things they suggest on the course. I watch my breathing, I don't stress, I read or focus on other things. I fly every week and am going to the USA soon. I've also found that if I get anxious and chat to someone it helps me relax."
He says he wouldn't contemplate taking drugs or drinking alcohol to help him cope. And he is absolutely right according to Mike Finch. From a safety point of view, it's not a good idea to have a drug or alcohol in your system.
| 'I would be lying if I said I was totally comfortable in an aircraft' |
Dr Kevin Bolan, a psychologist, says that the most common fear is of the aircraft crashing (which the statistics above show is almost impossible), followed by claustrophobia, and a tiny percentage who fear the aircraft being hijacked.
You might also get someone who had a spontaneous panic attack on a plane and then blames the flying experience - misperceptions maintain fear. If something is misunderstood we often interpret it as threatening. Bolan says that on the training course he runs with Mike Finch, they give people correct information to counteract anxiety.
Fear depends on what you tell yourself about a situation.
He says too, that some have control issues - they don't like the fact that they can't see what is happening. It's a trust issue too. And those who have claustrophobia fear suffocation, although only around 30 percent of air on a plane is recycled, most of it is fresh.
Jane Munro (not her real name) says she flew regularly without qualm "until I was flying back to Durban from Johannesburg and we encountered a series of late afternoon thunderstorms. There were unaccompanied children and they began screaming 'I am going to die,' and that triggered anxiety in me.
"It was only when I enrolled on Charles Bothma's course that I realised how I was feeding my fear. I fly a lot but it takes hard work, I do a lot of mental preparation."
Bothma does chaperoned flights with very anxious course participants and Jane was one of those who flew with him. "I was taken into the cockpit, I sat there with blood pounding in my head and rising panic and kept thinking I can't scream and thrash around, everyone was being so nice to me. They allowed me to put headphones on and listen to the control tower. Halfway to Johannesburg, the copilot said 'press that button there and you will make the plane descend.' I didn't want to, but he urged me to. The nose of the plane dipped slightly, it was tremendously liberating. When the plane came into land I was almost cheering with excitement."
But she says if she doesn't fly for a while fear builds up and then she watches a video Bothma has put together to coax herself onto her next flight. "Whenever I fly, Charles meets me at the airport, gives me a hug and puts me on the plane.
He introduces me to the cabin crew and that gives me a sense of personal connection." She laughs: "Now I'm trying to wean myself off his help."
How to prevent or manage fear:
Read a book, chat to a fellow passenger, listen to music;
If you get tense lift up your arm toward the air vent and let air flow over your arm and onto your face;
The only way the wings will fall off is if a missile is fired at the plane;
Even if two engines fall off a jumbo it can continue to fly;
The speed of an aircraft creates lift which is in excess of the weight the plane carries and helps keep it up;
During turbulence it's natural for the wings to move, if they didn't they would crack;
Think of turbulence like driving fast over a corrugated dirt road - the faster you go the less you will feel the bumps.
Finch says that aeroplane radar picks up three levels of turbulence, "green is rain, we can fly through it without a problem. Amber we can fly though, but not for too long, and red is associated with highveld thunderstorms, we avoid them with a passion, although if necessary we can fly through them."
Bottom line is this - the pilot wants to get home as much as you do, he or she has a vested interest in a safe flight too.
Contact Fear of Flying Help on 011-442-6452 or e-mail: finchy@mweb.co.za or in Durban contact Fly with Confidence on 031-450-2256 or e-mail:flywc@webmail.co.za
- This article was originally published on page 8 of The Star on May 27, 2004
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