FAQ

What are your courses like?

There is a clip on our home page that will give you a bit of a flavour of what we do

Can I get some help right now?

Yes. 

1. Have a look through the testimonials on our ‘message board’

2. Watch this 12 minute clip as many times as you like.  This is a good way to desensitize yourself to what happens onboard the aircraft and provides some reassuring answers to some of the common questions that nervous flyers have.

Can I bring someone with me for support?

Yes of course. Please call the office on 01423 714900 and this will cost £100+VAT for someone to join you for the flight.

How successful are your courses?

We measure the success on random courses in two ways.

Measure 1:  We do a simple count of how many take the flight. This only gives us one measure, as it doesn’t show how many of those would have flown anyway.  Measure 2:  We ask people to rate at the beginning and end of the day how they feel about flying.  We then use that difference to give us a measure of the difference.  The last course that we measured, the success rate was 98.6%.

We also get lots of postcards every week from graduates of our course and also feedback is regularly left on our ‘Message Board’.

I suffer from claustrophobia and panic attacks, how can you really help me?

We use a range of psychological techniques during our courses.  The mixture of different tools gives you the best possible chance of beating your fears.

Where are the courses held?

Every course is held near to the local airport.  The full course details will be either:

·      sent out to you in the post if you pay over the phone or
·      down-loadable if you book online.

I have lost my joining letter, what do I do?

If you lose your joining instructions, please email us and we will send a new letter out to you.

My fear only came on after I had children – have you heard this before?

It is quite common for adults to develop the fear later on in life. It can affect people who regularly take business or leisure travel, despite the fact that you may have travelled quite happily for years.  You too can be helped.  Often, people become more aware of their mortality as their responsibility increases i.e. Children, partners, etc. We regularly talk about this phenomenon on our courses as it’s so common.

Do you run courses for children?

We do run group courses specifically for children, however, we regularly discuss other options and ways that we can help. Please contact us for further details.  Here is a clip from one of our children’s courses.

Do you run courses for people with special needs?

Our help is open to anyone.  We would be happy to discuss this with you to find the right way for you.  Please email us and we will be delighted to help in any way that we can.

What time do your courses run?

Generally our courses run from morning to early evening, however, there are occasions where this may vary.  Full details will be given in your joining instructions.

I am the most scared person that you could ever imagine – how can you help me?

We started our courses in 1997 and we have helped thousands of people just like you.  Our experience has shown us what an amazing difference people feel about flying by the end of their day with us.  Please do visit our website ‘Message Board’ to see what those who’ve attended say.

I feel really silly having this fear as I am so competent in every other aspect of my life – can you assure me I won’t be ridiculed in any way?

Many people feel the same way.  Our empathic team know what it takes to help you beat your fears and some of them have even suffered from them in the past too. In the UK alone, we estimate that there are over 12 million sufferers.

What if I have a panic attack on the course?

In reality, it’s extremely unlikely that this would happen, as we give you the tools to overcome your fears before the flight, however, if it did happen, we are trained to help.

I notice that other people run courses – what makes your course so different?

Please do take a look in the ‘Why Choose us’ section of the website to see exactly why we’re so different.  We also feel it’s vital to feature independent feedback directly from past attendees, which is why we invested in our website ‘Message Board’ system.  We are constantly tweaking and improving the course. We want each course to be even better than the last and we don’t ever take it for granted the privilege of helping people like you to beat their fears.

Where do we fly to on the day?

This very much depends on air traffic control on the day. Wherever we go, you will have a full commentary from one of the Captains throughout the flight.

What if I don’t want to fly on the day?

There is no pressure from us to do anything at all that you don’t want to do. We’ll support and encourage you all day and give you the tools that you’ll need.  On the very rare occasion that someone chooses not to fly, one of our team will look after you and personally escort you back through the airport.  Our support does not end there either but we’ll tell you about that on the day of your course.

I notice that you say, ‘We don’t use Hypnotherapy’ Does that mean that you are against it?

We are not against hypnotherapy but we use other tools for our courses.  These include tools such as Neuro Linguistic Programming, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy elements, Relaxation Skills and Thought Field Therapy.  This gives you a range of options that you can choose from and you will benefit from the one(s) that best suit you – we use about 12-15 different techniques and tips to help you.  Look what Paul McKenna says about just one of our tools, Thought Field Therapy. “I have been practicing TFT and evangelistically spreading the word of this wonderful technology now for several years and I never cease to be amazed by the powerful effect that it has upon people to change their lives for the better.”

I notice that you say, ‘We don’t use props’.  Are they unsafe?

We don’t use ‘Propeller’ aircraft on our courses because feedback has always told us that people prefer ‘Jet’ engines that are on the large modern commercial aircraft that we use.  This does not mean that ‘Props’ are unsafe.  We simply give you what you tell us you want and need to overcome your fears.

What forms of photo I.D. do we need to bring along to the courses?

Please bring along either your passport or photo driving license.

How do we get the best from your course?

Based on our experience of helping thousands of people since November 1997, our  attendees tell us that the most success they have had is by taking the following steps:

Before the course:

  • Complete the online booking form and arrange your course ideally up to six months before your intended flight date. (This is not set in stone, just a guideline)

  • Stop watching any of those programmes that cover air incidents – this only feeds the fear plus, it is not always 100% accurate.

  • Please consider these questions:  Why are you attending this course?  What do you stand to gain by getting rid of the fear?   What do you stand to lose by getting rid of the fear?  Who are you doing the course for – yourself/others?  Why is it so important to face your fears right now?
  • Think about all the possible questions and fears that you have and, if you like, list them.

During the course:

  • Attend our Flying Without Fear course.  Make sure you commit yourself to the day. If there is lots of stress at work or home, for example,  then maybe you are not in the right frame of mind to attend.

  • Ask whatever you want during the day.  Please make your own notes as there is so much content we want to share with you when we see you.

  • At the end of the course, you have the option to take an accompanied flight with our dedicated team of professionals.  This is fully narrated which gives you a chance to practice the techniques and update yourself in actual time.  The pilot will narrate every movement and noise throughout your flight. You can then decide whether you believe what the professional pilot is telling you or the bizarre feelings in your stomach and ears.

  • Please remember that you were not born with this fear of flying; you learned it. It is entirely possible to learn something new.

After the  course:

  • If you intend to fly with Virgin Atlantic, phone Special Assistance on 0844 412 4455, so that we may let the airport staff and cabin crew know that you are onboard.  Other airlines often have similar type departments that you can call.
  • Play the complementary relaxation CD, ideally every night, for two weeks before your flight.
  • Re-read the materials that we gave you at your course.
  • Help prepare yourself for the experience of flying comfortably by watching this clip and imagining yourself flying quite happily.
  • Take another flight within six months of attending our course. (ideally, although some people have literally flown the same day as our course. Others have flown a year later!)
  • If you hear or watch any media reports that worry you, then ask us a question on the ‘message board.’  We will answer it for you but it will also help others that regularly read the messages.