The Fearless Flier's Handbook: Learning to Beat the Fear of Flying with the Experts from the Qantas Clinic [Paperback]

Debbie Seaman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

As many as one in five people is afraid of flying. For some, the fear is so paralyzing that they have never boarded a plane. For others, flying is a necessary evil-they'll do it because they have to, but it's torture. They white-knuckle their way through the flights they have to take or avoid air travel and miss out on promotions, business opportunities, and the thrill of visiting new places with friends and family. This book provides a sensible, tested alternative, with proven strategies that have helped hundreds of people overcome their fears and head happily skyward.Based on the Australian airline Qantas's world-renowned "Fearless Fliers" course, THE FEARLESS FLIER'S HANDBOOK is filled with soothing facts and step-by-step exercises for turning fear into calm and confidence.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Debbie Seaman is a freelance journalist who writes about travel and the creative side of the advertising business. She currently contributes to People, the New York Times travel section, and Advertising Age's Creativity magazine. She first wrote about her recovery in the Fearless Flyers program in an article in the New York Times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580080294
• ISBN-13: 978-1580080293
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Air Travel
  • #88 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Knuckles No Longer White, October 4, 2001

By 

M. Smedley (Wales) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fearless Flier's Handbook: Learning to Beat the Fear of Flying with the Experts from the Qantas Clinic (Paperback)

Having experienced an aborted take off, a collision whilst taxiing and a drop in altitude which left a stewardess in tears, I feel I'm well equipped to comment on this book.

I'm a 34 year old balanced/sensible male who for some bizarre reason conjures up terrible nightmares before each flight, dwells on them and then allows fear to breed fear - almost to the point of not travelling.

I've tried all sorts - pills, alcohol,more alcohol, but to no avail. Until buying this book I couldn't talk, eat or begin to relax on a plane - even whilst cruising. I used to spend the entire flight waiting for the engines to fail or imagining the pilots were dealing with some sort of emergency (whilst we sat in our seats, oblivious to our imminent demise).

I also knew my fear was irrational, but that made it worse - I felt totally isolated in my own private hell and as there was nothing to do on the plane (or nothing I could do) I let my imagination run riot.

Anyway, to get to the point, something had to be done. I bought this book and it gave me exactly what I wanted - reasons why things go 'bump in the flight', reassurance on the safety/maintainance aspects (I'm no longer waiting for the plane to drop out of the sky. I mean, do people worry about a car just stopping on the motorway - and that's only got one engine!)

I no longer watch the stewardesses and assume that if they're not smiling the planes about to crash. I'm amazed I thought that way now.

Unlike other phobics (and a couple of the reviewers that critisized this book) I've always known there isn't a magic cure
and I'm the one whose got to change the way I think about flying.

I've had to go from knowing it's irrational, but feeling petrified, to knowing it's irrational and actually believing it's the safest form of transport.

I'm not there yet, but I'm slowly winning. In fact on three of my last four flights I've been able to eat and talk !!

Many thanks Debbie - your book was money well spent.

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of stats to prove fear of flying is a *groundless* fear, May 5, 2000

By 

Rosemary Thornton "Niece of Addie Hoyt Fargo ... (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Fearless Flier's Handbook: Learning to Beat the Fear of Flying with the Experts from the Qantas Clinic (Paperback)

Flying is too convenient and speedy to be scared out of it. Which is where I was headed. This book was a resource that did a good job of explaining the mechanics of flight. I had no idea there were so many back up systems to every aspect of flying. And after you read this book, you understand that if you are still afraid of flying, that particular fear really has nothing to do with the plane or flying.

This book helped me pull the mask off this fear and did a lot to promote healing.

Last time I boarded a plane, I walked into the cockpit and had a long talk with the [Southwest] co-pilot, who was *very* dear and understanding. He was funny, too. He showed me how things work and reiterated the incredible safety record of jet planes.

I wouldn't have dreamt of walking into that cockpit until I read Debbie's book.

Just knowing the man who was flying the plane helped tremendously.

And during the flight, I told hubby everything that was going on. Because I had read this book so many times I knew everything that was going on.

There are dozens, maybe hundreds of reassurances in this book about the safety of jets. For instance, did you know that the WING (there's only one wing on jet planes - it's a continuous piece of metal) can flex up and down over 20 feet before breaking? Planes can take an incredible beating and keep on flying.

And the wing[s] act as shock absorbers so the fuselage maintains a more even flight.

This really was a great book. Taught me an incredible amount of the how and why of flight.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book brought me relief!, January 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fearless Flier's Handbook: Learning to Beat the Fear of Flying with the Experts from the Qantas Clinic (Paperback)

I had never had a fear of flying until about five years ago. A bunch of occurrances...forgetting my husband't suit for a wedding (and having to run back home, and back to the airport with three minutes to spare), 9/11, a few very turbulent flights, being tired and dehydrated (which made me ill) before getting on a plane all added up to a paralyzing fear. Not only did I have a more than subconscious fear of a plane going down, I had a fear of forgetting something important, and of getting sick. The getting sick (yes, throwing up...a lot) was a vicious cycle, because I'd be nervous about getting sick on a flight, and I'd get so nervous that the nerves made me sick! I was a mess and my life was controlled by a fear of flying. If I had a flight planned, I'd wake up terrified (and ill) in the middle of the night with uncontrollable anxiety weeks before the flight. Just the thought of getting on a plane sent me into an emotional and physical tailspin (pardon the pun). I too, knew that it was irrational, but the fear was so viceral and so out of my control, I finally sought help. A therapist suggested that the anxiety and subsequent vomitting was due to an overdose of adrenaline, and that is about all the help she could offer. I bought this book after reading the other reviews on line. I read it in a day, and over the next three flights I took after reading it, each flight became easier and easier. The last flight I took I genuinely enjoyed and I didn't need to take any anti-anxiety medicine. The book teaches you that the noises you hear a plane make are the noises it *should* be making. I always used to fear that the planes engines were failing upon ascent because you could hear them "loose power." I had no idea the pilots had that much control over the engines and that sometimes, for example, they just need to slow down the planes to comply with neighborhood noise ordinances! The book teaches you about weather conditions, and turbulance, and how planes and pilots have astounding abilities to handle them both. Sure, I still might sometimes (only sometimes) get a little jittery before a flight, but I feel that, like anything else, fear stems from the unknown, and when I educated myself on how planes work and how flying works, my fear went away. This book really, really made a huge difference in my life.