THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9410280795
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 324 lines
KATE PREMO, clutching the beefy hand of a retired pilot and wiping away tears, haltingly walks through the main terminal of Washington National Airport.
``I can't do this, I just can't,'' she sobs to Chuck Lomax. ``I feel like I'm going to die.''
``You're doing great,'' he firmly yet gently tells the young woman. ``It's going to be fine. You can do this. I know you can.''
Premo looks up at him and nods, nervously pushing away the strands of her bushy hair. Her only response is a wavering smile. And more tears.
``C'mon, Kate,'' Lomax urges, putting an arm around her shoulder. ``Don't let yourself down. You've come this far. You WILL do this.''
A jet bound for Raleigh-Durham waits at the end of the accordion-like tunnel. But Premo stands there, nearly paralyzed. Flying is nothing new to the her, but she'd rather clean toilets with a toothbrush than fly. A hundred doubts swirl in her head:
Turbulence will cause the plane to spin out of control and crash.
The pilot isn't well-trained.
Airplane mechanics overlooked a loosened nut and bolt.
The wings will fall off.
A terrorist will hijack the plane to Iran.
Premo, 24, has what's called fear of flying, or aviaphobia. She's far from alone. Former Oakland Raiders football coach and television commentator John Madden travels the country in his bus rather than climb aboard a silver bird. TV producer Aaron Spelling and NBC ``Today'' film critic Gene Shalit refuse to fly. About 25 million Americans share this anxiety disorder: irrational, obsessive thoughts about flying.
In Premo's case - which is a bad case - she can't eat or sleep for days before a flight. She drinks to excess while on the plane to numb panicky sensations and still cries until it lands. Two days pass before Premo recovers.
So why is she walking through an airport terminal with 10 other aviaphobes?
They're all taking part in AAir Born, American Airlines' two-day fear-of-flying class.
For Kate Premo and the others, this is more than just Flight 643 to Raleigh. It's the most important flight of their lives.
How many of you had this thought: `Class of fearful fliers perishes in crash?' '' Sandra Brown asks the 11 people sitting in a small conference room on the second floor of the terminal.
Everyone laughs nervously and glances at each other. Moments before, as the eight women and three men waited for the first class to begin, the whispered talk had been of two recent USAir crashes this summer.
Judging from their faces, it looks as if several want to take flight and bolt from the room and never return, even though each has shelled out about $450 to attend the seminar.
That's a common reaction, says Brown, a former fearful flier who created the class six years ago with husband Duane, a counseling psychology professor. Brown, a tall, striking woman in a black suitdress, is empathetic but is unwilling to let them wallow in their misery too long.
``I was always afraid to fly,'' Brown tells the group. ``It became so bad I spent eight years totally grounded. When I started therapy, I thought Duane was controlling me, but actually I was controlling him. He drove me all over the country, canceling trips because I wouldn't fly.
``When I didn't take a flight, I thought I had saved my life,'' she adds.
The group nods en masse.
The Browns pass out folders full of materials and ask the students why they are taking the course. It's evenly divided among people who want to fly with ease to be able to visit relatives or go on vacations and those who need to fly because of their jobs.
Pat Richardson, 44, says she recently turned down a promotion at work because it would require flying every week. Her superiors sweetened the pot two weeks later, and she feels she can't afford to pass it up. Richardson has a big problem. She has to fly to three cities Monday, and she hasn't been on a plane since 1977.
Paul A., 39, is a systems engineer at an airline in Washington, D.C., whose work requires flying. He's also a licensed pilot who has logged 600 hours of flight time. But he hasn't been in a plane since 1992, after he experienced a panic attack on a commercial flight to Los Angeles. He says he's out of excuses he can sell to his boss about why he can't fly.
And Melissa Donovan, 26, flies every week in her job as a systems consultant for a D.C. computer firm, but each flight produces terror and tears.
``Many of you have control or trust issues. You'd rather be flying the plane,'' Brown tells the group. ``What do you do on takeoff? Clutch the seats and become part of the furniture. When landing, you lean back and put on the brakes.
``We want you to have control but in a different way. We want you to control your thoughts, breathing, muscles, heart rate. We want you to challenge your irrational beliefs of flying.''
Duane Brown gives statistics on how much safer airplane travel is compared to other forms of transportation (see box). They listen to retired pilots Chuck Lomax and Mike Freebairn discuss how pilots and mechanics are thoroughly trained and retested. How weather and turbulence produce bumpy rides but are really not dangerous.
Every question they ever had - or thought - about airplanes or flying is answered by the pilots or the Browns. But still they're not satisfied.
``Can pilots drink?'' Donovan asks.
``Pilots are not to drink eight hours before a flight, but pilots with American can't drink 24 hours before a flight, nor drink on a layover or drink while in uniform,'' Lomax answers.
``Do you put a doctor on each flight?'' Premo jumps in. ``Do you ask if anyone is a medical doctor when they buy their ticket?''
``In an emergency, like if someone has a heart attack, we ask if there are any doctors on board,'' Lomax says..
``Oh my God!'' Premo interrupts.
``But we have doctors available to us 24 hours a day by radio,'' he assures her. ``The flight attendants all know CPR and first aid. If you're going to get sick, a plane is one of the best places to do it.''
``Oh my God!'' Premo repeats.
Sandra Brown describes how negative, panicky thoughts produce physiological reactions in susceptible individuals. They may hyperventilate and their breathing become labored, she says. Their hearts may race and muscle tense.
The key to overcoming the fear of flying is to control that reaction, Brown says. And that can be accomplished through rhythmic breathing, relaxation techniques and imagery. But ``thought stopping'' is your most important weapon, she adds.
Brown then passes out a rubber band to each person.
They stare at it, perplexed.
``This,'' she says, ``is your weapon against irrational thoughts, your pattern interrupter, your thought buster. Wear it around your palm. When you have a negative thought, I want you to snap the band.''
She pulls the band taut, releasing it against her palm.
Thwack..
``Ouch! You've got to have some technique to stop the automatic thoughts or they will control you,'' she says
``What are the other passengers going to think when they see us, snapping these bands and deep breathing?'' Pat asks. The other students turn questioning eyes to Sandra, who doesn't hesitate.
``Don't worry about them. Focus on yourself,'' she says. ``It's not important what they think.''
It's now time to board a stationary jet, like the one they would be taking the next day to Raleigh.
The sound of snapping bands echoes in the jet bridge as the students draw closer to the door of the plane.
``My palms are sweaty,'' Pat Richardson admits, sliding into one of the royal blue seats. ``I'm feeling a little jittery and shaky.''
But she stays. So does everyone else.
Some students can't even make it onto a stationary plane, Duane tells them. He then relates the worst experience he ever had with a class.
``We had to switch planes at first, then were delayed. Up in the air, smoke was coming into the cabin. One of the engines had shut down. On the way back, we hit birds. All but two students did very well. But we landed safely and everything was fine.''
As part of the familiarization process, every student gets to sit in the cockpit, learn which buttons and levers do what, and scan a plane's log. They learn how to book seats based on a particular fear.
If turbulence is a bother, sit over the wing, because there's less movement.
Those with claustrophobia do best by the aisle.
If you're afraid of heights, sit by the window so that you can pull down the window shade.
And read a book, do a crossword puzzle or listen to music while waiting for a plane to take off, Sandra Brown advises them..
The rubber bands continue to snap as the class disembarks, relief etched on many faces.
``My mouth is just as dry as a bone,'' says Richardson. ``I feel a little better now that we're off.''
It's Sunday morning and Paul is saying how he stayed up past midnight, debating whether to take the flight to Raleigh and back today.
Richardson tossed and turned in her hotel bed, as did most of the other out-of-town students. But Donovan went to an Irish bar and sang all night. She looks it, too, with her sleepy eyes and a mouth that won't stop yawning.
``I don't get the anticipatory anxiety,'' says the sweatsuit-clad Donovan. ``But the minute I get into turbulence, I'm miserable and swear I'm never going to fly again. It's the same promise you make when you have a hangover.''
Kate Premo is not happy. Yesterday she was joking and laughing with the class, but this morning she awoke upset and can't stop crying.
``I don't know what's wrong,'' she says, wiping at her nose with a tissue. ``I just feel out of control.''
Duane Brown reviews the breathing exercises he taught the class yesterday. They take a few deep breaths and start counting backward to themselves, consciously slowing down their breathing. They perform muscle-relaxation techniques.
Sandra leads them through a guided imagery. They close their eyes, imagine a relaxing scene and listen to Brown as she starts the flight backward.
``See yourself getting off the plane - celebrate your success. You've done it!'' she says in a low, soothing voice. ``The world is yours.
``Now you get back on the plane. You hear noises but they're perfectly normal. You relax and begin to talk to your new friends. You're doing so well. . . .
``Now picture yourself as the plane climbs to cruising altitude,'' she continues.
Rubber bands snap intermittently.
``You know all the maneuvers are safe. You tell yourself YOU are in control and are going to fly today. . . . Now go back to that peaceful scene and slowly open your eyes.''
Duane Brown has them check their anxiety level with plastic stress cards. The cards have a sensor gauge and four colors - black for stressed, brown for tense, green for calm and blue for relaxed. Thumbs are pressed on the gauge for 10 seconds to see what color is produced.
Only three gauges are green or blue.
He leads them through two more guided imageries, pretending to be a pilot making announcements on a plane.
The bands keep snapping.
Too soon, it seems for Premo, the group is following the Browns uncertainly through the halls, like second-graders lost on the first day of school. Two of the participants elect to stay grounded, which is about par for the course, Duane says.
The rest find their rows, in the section over the wings. Premo plops down in a window seat, next to Freebairn. Lomax situates himself across from Donovan and Richardson. Richardson leans her head back on the cushion and tries to breathe deeply.
``My heart's starting to race,'' she says to Lomax, who immediately grips her hand and tries to reassure her.
The plane starts taxiing down the runway, and Richardson looks out the window. ``Oh, I can't look out,'' she frets.
``Then look straight ahead,'' Lomax orders. ``Look at the exit sign.''
The plane takes off, and the snapping rubber bands almost drown out the deafening roar of the engines.
Once airborne, the bands cease. The students are calm. They accept beverages from the flight attendants and settle back. They swap personal stories. Donovan reads Richardson her horoscope from Cosmopolitan magazine.
Paul can't believe it. He's up in the air.
``This is bringing back good memories,'' he says, munching on pretzels and washing them down with orange juice. ``Doing it routinely would work for me. I'm glad I came.''
Kate jumps out of her seat and triumphantly holds up her stress card.
``Look, everybody. It's green!'' she yells, reveling in the claps and cheers of her classmates.
When the planes lands at Raleigh-Durham, another round of cheers rings out.
They disembark and nearly run through the tunnel, laughing and crying and hugging each other. Premo looks as though she has won the Virginia Lottery.
``I feel so much better!'' she exclaims. ``I know it sounds corny, but this is the best thing I could ever have done for myself. This is so cool! I am so excited!''
They traipse down the hall and enter the Admirals Club, where Sandra Brown awards certificates to each participant and Freebairn pins a set of gold wings on their lapels.
Freebairn, tears glistening, gazes around the room at the overjoyed students. All would be going back to Washington on the return flight to awaiting friends and families.
``You are now one day old,'' he tells them. ``Your life has just begun. And it's only going to get easier.'' MEMO: The next American Airlines' AAir Born seminar will be held Nov. 5-6 in
Newark, N.J. and Nov. 19-20 in Philadelphia. The cost is $495, which
includes a round-trip graduation flight. Call (800) 451-5106. ILLUSTRATION: JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff color photos
Capt. Mike Freebairn (retired) introduces ``fearful fliers'' Pat
Richardson, left, and Melissa Donovan to the cockpit and controls of
an American Airlines plane.
Capt. Chuck Lomax (retired) shows the class for fearful fliers how a
plane reacts on takeoff.
Richardson joins class participants in a ``no hands'' takeoff as
they strive to face their fears.
Donovan receives her ``wings'' from Capt. Freebairn after completing
a successful flight.
Photos
JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff
Class members boarded a vacant plane for familiarization and a
discussion the day before their ``final test'' flight.
Duane Brown, a counseling psychology professor who, with his wife,
Sandra, created the class six years ago, leads the group in
breathing exercises to help them relax during flight.
After a successful flight to Raleigh, Michele Hendrix, left, and
Kate Premo clebrate with retired pilot Mike Freebairn.
After a successful flight to Raleigh, Michele Hendrix, left, and
Kate Premo celebrate with retired pilot Mike Freebairn.
Graphics
HOW SAFE ARE YOU IN A PLANE? If you have a fear of flying, these
statistics may make it easier for you to step on a plane:
Flights originating in United States each year: 10 1/2 million
People flying each year in the United States: 478 million
Passenger miles flown annually in United States: 456 billion
Number of persons killed per year in U.S. plane accidents in the
last five years (including the 171 killed this year): 66
Number of people killed per day in U.S. auto accidents: 110
Pedestrians killed per year in the United States: 7,000
Statistically, how long it would take if you took one flight per
day before you would be involved in an accident: 29,000 years
Probability of being killed in an auto: 1 in 5,000 chances
Probability of being killed when walking: 1 in 26,000
Probability of being killed in a train accident: 1 in 367,000
Probability of being killed on an international flight when
flying on a first-world carrier: 1 in 4.4 million
Probability of being killed in an airplane crash when flying
domestically: 1 in 11 million
Source: The 1993 World Almanac
OTHERS OFFERING HELP FOR FEARFUL FLIERS USAir has offered a
Fearful Flyers program for nearly 20 years in various American
cities. The course costs $325, which includes a graduation flight,
and is taught on four consecutive Tuesdays from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
The graduaton flights are on Saturdays.
The next Fearful Flyers course will be taught in Washington,
D.C., starting Nov. 1 and ending with the graduation flight Nov. 26.
For more information, call (412) 366-8112 or USAir's D.C. office at
(202) 223-3430. USAir also has available a book called ``Fly
Without Fear,'' which costs $9.95 plus $2 postage and handling. You
can order the book by sending a check to USAir Fearful Flyers
Program, Box 11, Glenshaw, Pa., 15116.
United Airlines offers a correspondence fearful-flying course
called SOAR (Seminars on Aeroanxiety Relief), which is run by an
airline captain who is also a licensed therapist. The $285 price
includes course materials, audiocassettes, manuals and
questionnaires. If you would like two hours of one-on-one
counseling with the pilot/therapist, the price is $390 and is
guaranteed. Call (800) 332-7359 for more information.
KEYWORDS: FEAR OF FLYING by CNB