Though statistics show that flying is by far the safest mode of transportation, many millions of people worldwide currently have or will develop a fear of flying at some point. People with this fear often experience great mental, emotional, and physical stress when they fly or even avoid flying at all costs; by doing so, they can risk missing out on important events like family vacations, friends’ weddings, or business trips.
A self-described terrified flier, Utah resident Brian Morris, had to confront his fear when he was asked to officiate a friend’s wedding in Florida. Working with airline captain Emma Henderson, he developed flashcards that explained every technical detail of the flight process and helped him overcome his fears. Morris and Henderson then worked together to create the Flight Deck Fear of Flying Flashcards to help other airline passengers gain the confidence they need to overcome their own fears.
Fear and Loathing in the Skies
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According to a 2016 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, over 40% of the global population experience a fear of flying every year, with 2.5% experiencing an extreme fear of flying known as aerophobia or aviophobia. In Morris’s home country of the United States, 25 million adults experience some version of this fear yearly. Though people can develop this fear at any point in their lives, it’s most common among people between 17 and 34 years old.
Though aerophobia usually doesn’t have a specific cause, the Cleveland Health Clinic suggests that people can develop it after hearing news stories about plane crashes or hijackings, experiencing turbulence during a flight, or feeling nervous during a plane’s takeoff or landing. Aerophobia very rarely develops from a traumatic experience on a plane and most people who have it aren’t afraid of the plane crashing; rather, they experience heightened anxiety from thinking about, anticipating, or experiencing flying on the plane.
People who have aerophobia can experience many symptoms before and during a flight, including chills, dizziness, trembling, shaking, upset stomachs, nausea, heart palpitations, and panic attacks. Depending on how intense their fear becomes, they might avoid flying at all costs and instead insist on taking more inconvenient and statistically more dangerous forms of transportation like cars, buses, or trains. They might avoid watching, reading, talking, or even thinking about flying.
Morris’s Journey From Experiencing Fear To Finding A Solution
By his own account, Morris had an extreme fear of flying from a young age. For the longest time, he would make up any excuse to get out of flying for business trips and try to convince family members to take road trips instead of flying to various destinations. That all changed when he was asked to officiate a good friend’s wedding in Florida. After failing to convince three of his friends to take a three-day road trip from Utah to Florida, he realized that he’d have to fly there and started to look for online resources to help him assuage his fear.
His search brought him to Lovefly, an online support group for people with fears of flying; there, he connected with Emma Henderson, a flight instructor, airline pilot, and captain from Scotland with over 30 years of experience in flying. Having been a fear of flying presenter for EasyJet Airlines and helped thousands of people overcome their fears of flying, Henderson started helping Morris work through his fear by describing and explaining things that happened during flights that might scare him. Morris diligently took notes on her lessons.
On the day of Morris’s flight to Florida, Henderson called him to give him a pep talk; after he returned to Utah, she called him again and asked him what had helped him the most in overcoming his fears. Morris told her about the flashcards he’d written based on the technical knowledge she’d shared with him. The cards detailed all the events that would take place and the sources of all the sounds and sensations the plane would make during the flight. Reading these flashcards during the flight, he said, gave him the confidence and knowledge he needed to fly because they reminded him that all these things were normal parts of flying.
A Deck Designed to Help Anyone Who Fears Flying
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Henderson loved the idea of explanatory flashcards and encouraged Morris to refine the deck into a helpful resource available to anyone who had a fear of flying. Combining his personal experiences as a fearful flier and her technical knowledge as a pilot and a captain, Morris and Henderson created The Flight Deck™ Fear of Flying Flashcards, a product designed to help anyone overcome their fear of flying.
Available for sale for $18.95, each Flight Deck contains 56 flashcards, a gold binder ring set, and an instant download that can be used on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Each numbered card walks the reader through every step from taxiing to landing. The deck also includes tips, reminders, and essential checklists. Just as he did to overcome his fear, Morris encourages deck users to flip through the various flashcards during their flights to understand everything going on. By taking the deck with them whenever they fly, people with fears of flying can grow more confident on flights.
Ever since he started using the cards on flights, Morris has received many comments, emails, and messages from people who are open to discussing their fears of flying with him and want to purchase the Flight Deck. The Flight Deck company sells the cards both domestically in the U.S. and internationally; according to Fox Business, the largest segment of fliers who use the deck are from the United Kingdom.
Final Thoughts
Airplane flights are the safest and often most convenient way to travel; however, for millions of people who have a fear of flying, they can cause debilitating stress and anxiety. Seeking to overcome his own extreme fear of flying, Brian Morris joined an online support group and created informative flashcards to help assuage those fears. Realizing that Morris’s creation could help millions, Captain Emma Henderson helped him refine it into a handy deck commercially available to anyone who fears flying.
Filled with information about every step of a plane’s flight, the Flight Deck Fear of Flying Flashcards helps inform fearful passengers that everything that happens during the flight is perfectly normal. By reading the cards, fliers can build their confidence with each flight they take. Having overcome his fear of flying thanks to Henderson’s and his deck’s help, Morris now aims to provide that same opportunity to fliers all over the world.
Disclaimer: This article is intended simply to provide information. It does not replace the medical advice of a physician. Please speak with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
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