Flying Without Fear

Rating:
Summary: very helpful
Review: After having grown more and more fearful of flying over the past few years, I finally decided to buy a book to help me. As I'm sure you're aware, a lot of these (and other) self-help books are filled with theories and explanations of why you are afraid. While this information is important, "Flying without Fear" goes beyond that by offering actual courses of action to take, as opposed to just helping you understand why it is you are fearful (which it does to some extent, too). The book should be read several weeks in advance of your flight, as some of the exercises (which aren't too hokey, don't worry) need to be repeated several times. I highly recommend this book to those who are aware of their anxiety and fear and really want to do something about it. Good luck!

Rating:
Summary: More afraid
Review: I admit it. I am a lifelong fearful flier, despite having been on airplanes more times than I can count. When I was a kid, I dreaded yearly airplane trips. After I moved out, I swore I'd never fly again.

It seems that fate had other ideas, because a few years ago I fell hopelessly in love with a man who is hopelessly in love with his airplane. I had to either ditch him or ditch the fear, and so I bought this book. That was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Dr. Brown is a very knowledgeable, kind author. He never talks down to the reader or makes you feel like an idiot for being afraid to fly. He explains calmly and rationally how airplanes are maintained, the intense training that pilots recieve, and why air travel is the safest way to go. The only fault of this book is that it was printed in 1996, so the terrorism information is out of date.

In addition to factual information, Dr. Brown provides techniques for controlling anxiety. You may feel a little silly doing some of the exercises contained in this book, such as rating your nervousness at various times in the flight. You may feel *really* silly doing some of the other ones, such as worry sessions. As odd as you may feel, do the exercises and *keep doing them.* They work wonders if you stick with them.

Two months after buying this book, I had to take a plane trip for business. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to just get on a plane and relax instead of freaking out! It worked for me, and it can work for you, too.

Rating:
Summary: Phobic fear about getting on a plane? This is your book.
Review: I am a frequent flyer. (178 flights in calendar 2001). I am the sort of flyer who gets on a plane, buckles his seatbelt and falls asleep. I have absolutely zero fear of flying.

Unfortunately, my ability to sleep on planes has convinced my friends and colleagues that I possess the secret to overcoming the dreaded FEAR OF FLYING. This is absolutely not the case. Having never once had such a fear-thus having nothing to overcome-I have no clue as to how one deals with that problem.

Fortunately, Duane Brown does. More importantly, he is able to articulate and explain that skill to others.

Mr. Brown understands flying, understands the causes of the anxieties and phobias that cause the dreaded FEAR OF FLYING, and provides useful and effective mechanisms folks can use to, if not eliminate the phenomenon. At least make it manageable.

This book is so good I bought a couple of copies to have on hand. Someone will come by and start a conversation that I discern is about this fear (it usually takes folks a while to get there) and I simply hand them a copy and tell them "Read this-it'll get you over the hump." Every person I have ever given it to (maybe two dozen or so) has told me it helped them immensely.

This book is for white-knuckle flyers. If you are just anxious because you have never flown, haven't flow for years, or are just jittery from 9/11 or whatever, a better choice would be The Fearless Flyer : How to Fly in Comfort and Without Trepidation...

Rating:
Summary: Information is power!
Review: I've been afraid of flying since I was in high school.
I've avoided flying for many years, but I wanted to
overcome this fear and see new places.
This book helped me to understand how airplanes function,
how they stay in the air, and made me trust the airline
industry, pilots and airplanes. I learned some Physics
about air and airplanes and I was not so afraid.
I spent one month in the United States and had to fly
back to my country after the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks,
and I survived!
Practice the exercises, they will help.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the Fear of Flying Books
Review: I've purchased just about every book that is available on the subject and this is the only one I choose to take with me when I fly.

I completed the Fear of Flying Clinic at SFO last year-that allowed me to fly again. This book reinforces much of what I learned at the clinic. I found it to be thourough, practical and factual. Of particular help to me is the 'checklist' it includes of sights, sounds and smells that occur during ordinary flight. When I fly I use this checklist to remind myself that all is going well.

Fearful flyers, you can do it! This book will help but don't expect miracles. Recovering from this fear can take a lot of work.

Rating:
Summary: It's much more than you can dream of...
Review: If you really want to get rid of this absurd fear of flying, you simply must read this book! I do know what I mean: I couldn't fly for more than half an hour and... even in such a short flight time I would feel so unconfortable and my anxiety would make me feel like I was going to die right away! But this book thoroughly inspects all those topics that are critical to a fearful flyer: psychological interactions, wrong technical informations hold as gospel by fearful flyers, and much much more. This book is not philosophical musings: on the contrary, it explains you how to handle EVERY little tiny thing which causes you to be a fearful flyer and it concretely helps you recovering from that. One last thing: after reading this book I had a 24 hours trip (from Italy to Korea) and... this time it was fun! I liked it so much! Can you believe it? I wish you this book has on you the same effectiveness it had on me.

Rating:
Summary: I Can Fly Again
Review: My fear developed slowly. After following several news stories a bit too close, and then having to do a (highly controled) emergency landing in a 747, I decided I couldn't fly until I did some research. Thus, this book. The best thing about this book is that it reconstruct people's misconcieved data about fying by replacing it with statitistics that prove that the most dangerous part of the flight is the drive to the airport. 11 million flights a year in the US and Canada alone! That right there helped a lot. Wierd noises, all explained. Weather, turbulence, engine loss, all covered. Honestly, after reading this, I swtiched my fear to the road. Buy this book if you have a flying phobia. It will help. (And for god's sake, stop following the news so closely!)

Rating:
Summary: More afraid
Review: That's right, this book has made me more terrified than ever to fly. I read it cover to cover, and I am someone who loves to travel and needs to take a plane to see family; and I dread it. Instead of addressing why you are afraid to die in a plane (which is the problem correct?), it lists stats and probabilities, some of which are lies. For instance, he states no plane has ever been lost to turbulence, ever. That is a lie. Japan air, Aerolineas Argentinas, and the recent American out of JFK were all turbulence-related crashes. This author used to work for American, what do you think he's gonna tell you? Another: pilots aren't allowed to fly into level four turbulence. Yet turbulence is unpredictable! How can they not be allowed to fly into something they don't know is there! I know dying on a plane is a 1 in a million chance, that doesn't make me feel any better. Neither will this book help you.

Rating:
Summary: I Can Fly Again
Review: This book will help you if you are afraid to fly. Last year I checked in for my international flight, but suffered what could be called a panic attack because I was so fearful. I had to have my luggage taken off the plane and go back home and face telling family and friends that I was not able to get on the plane (even though I've flown many times). I've read this book and am preparing to take another flight in 2 months. I have to say that with the information in the book I was able to quell the fears I had and now feel confident about flying. If you have even the slightest fear I would tell you to read this book--after all, it can only help.

Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: wow!! i cant tell you enough how this book calmed me down.. i was so terrified of flying that i would go in the airplanes bathroom and throwup!! i didnt understand how the airplane worked,and every time i would hear a peculiar noise i would freak out.. not to mention the turbulance.. unfortantly stewardess and pilots dont explain to you that of these things are perfectly normal..