Member-only story
How I Beat My Fear of Being in the Air
Aeroplanes, cable cars and chairlifts terrified me
I suffered from aviophobia or aerophobia— fear of flying – until I was almost 40 years old. I had flown a total of three times – none of them overseas. I was scarred from my first flight at 17. I flew alone. Maybe that’s how this debilitating fear started. I knew it was something I had to conquer if I were ever to be able to achieve my dream of travelling overseas.
My first flight
When I was 17, I flew alone on a Fokker Friendship plane from Townsville to Brisbane to visit my grandmother. The flight was rough and I cried silently the entire time. I had just finished high school and I was convinced the plane would crash and I’d die before I’d had a chance to experience anything!
Needless to say, it landed safely, but I refused to fly home after my holiday at Granny’s. I caught the train — 30 hours on solid ground was preferable to a couple in the air.
My second flight
I didn’t fly again until 14 years later and I was still terrified. I had to fly from Brisbane to Sydney to join a South Pacific Cruise I’d booked. Once again, I was flying on my own, but this time, it was worse. I was leaving my three children behind. What if the plane crashed?
