Easyjet Fearless Flyer Course - Conquering my Fear of Flying

This past weekend I did the Easyjet Fearless Flyer Course, run by Easyjet and created by businessman Mark Wein who cured his own fear of flying, and Lawrence Leyton, a motivational speaker. The course takes place over a two day period to help those like me who suffer from a sometimes crippling fear of flying.

I mentioned in my post about my Anxiety that when I moved over from New Zealand four years ago, I didn't have a fear of flying. It's something that has developed over time the more flights I have taken. We usually take a trip anywhere between every four to 12 weeks, and as time has gone on I have found myself booking holidays closer to the UK, where the flight time isn't as long. I realised I needed to do something when our plans for Christmas were entirely centred around where we could take the train.

We decided on Paris in the end, since we could take the Eurostar (hardly a compromise really, Paris is so beautiful!), but I knew I needed to do something to help conquer my fear since the underlying levels of Anxiety from flying all the time were starting to affect my everyday life.

Seeing a CBT counsellor has started to help address my Anxiety issues, but I knew I would need something more to help my biggest fear. I downloaded the Easyjet Fearless Flyer e-book, and they then emailed me about a Webinar, which I did, where they give you a brief overview of the course. The thing that most appealed to me was that they do the theory part of the course on a separate day to the experience flight. I know some people would prefer to get it all out of the way on one day, but I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the theory course if I knew I was getting on a plane a few hours later!

If you wanted to do a course where it's all done and dusted on one day, Virgin and British Airways both offer these options. I also chose Easyjet since they're the airline we've probably flown the most with in the last few years and I knew I always felt safe on their planes.

The course was held at the Beales Hotel in Luton. The first day is three hours long and is spent teaching you the basics of how flying works and dispelling the myths we can build up in our minds about the noises we hear and the bumps we feel. An Easyjet Pilot is on hand to answer everyone's questions, and no matter how crazy they might seem to you, they've definitely heard them all before! We were also taught visualizations and techniques to help stop panic and anxiety, and how to stop those negative thoughts from taking over.

The next day I arrived at Luton airport feeling anxious, more anxious than usually as I decided not to take the Beta-Blockers I take to help with flying. It seemed like everyone from the previous day had made the decision to go to the airport and get on the experience flight and there was a mix of excitement and anxiety in the air as we lined up for check-in.

This would be my first ever flight on my own, though I could have chosen to take Bradley with me for an additional fee. I wanted to do it on my own because I knew it would really push my out of my comfort zone completely.

I was calm until we got to the front of the queue where I promptly started to have a huge panic attack. They are obviously used to this reaction and I was sat in a chair by Lawrence and taken through what we had learned yesterday. I have to say I have never calmed down from a Panic Attack so quickly, and it made a huge difference that I was treated as if having a panic attack was completely normal and not made to feel embarrassed at all.

Seeing I would be on my own, I was paired up with some members of the Fearless Flyer staff and a few other lovely ladies who took me through Security and right up onto the plane.

The pilot from the previous day explaining all the noises coming from the engines

Once on board the Pilot from the previous day's presentation stood up front explaining every single noise, bump and even everything the crew was doing throughout the entire flight. If only I could have him on every flight! It really helped to understand what was happening, and halfway through the flight I moved from my usual aisle seat to a seat by the window. I have never been so comfortable on a flight, and the sense of excitement and relief I felt was amazing.

The team gets up as soon as the Seat Belt sign goes off and wanders down the aisle, offering help and making sure everyone is okay. They are happy to stay with anyone who needs help for as long as you need it, it was such a supportive environment.

I have to take my own selfies when Bradley's not with me!

The entire experience was so fantastic, I was so proud of myself afterwards for facing one of my worst fears head on and I got off a flight feeling really positive, which has never happened before.

This lady was so kind and sat with me the entire flight.

I cannot recommend this course enough, everyone was so kind and positive throughout and my next step is going to be to try and replace my previous flight memories with this one fantastic flight!

After you have completed the course, there is also the option of joining the experience flight on later courses if there is room for a fee. This is such a great idea, especially if you do not have any flights booked after your course, I'm definitely going to see if there's room on the next one for me!