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Flight Fright
| Article
# : |
15162 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1989 |
693 Words |
| Author
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J. Richard Pearcey
J. Richard Pearcey is a Life editor at The World & I. |
The best way to fly is by train.
--Jackie Gleason
I'm holding this plane up by sheer willpower.
--Ronald Reagan
I have a couple of drinks before, a couple of drinks during
the flight--and then sit there and suffer.
--Bob Newhart
If you are afraid to fly, you are not alone. As many as forty million Americans, and untold millions worldwide, are afraid of flight to some degree.
Layne Ridely, author of White Knuckles: Getting Over the Fear of Flying, states that "twenty-five million Americans are so afraid to fly that they make every effort not to do it at all." About fifteen million "fly if they have to, but are any-where from uncomfortable to utterly panicked the whole time."
According to a Boeing Company study published in 1980, one out of every six American adults is afraid to fly and would rather do just about anything other than board an aircraft. For them, even just thinking about flying can bring on a sudden sweat, a racing heart, and a seemingly irresistible urge to escape.
The problem with aviaphobia, apart from its unpleasant symptoms, is that those who suffer from it are at a distinct disadvantage in today's world. Air travel is often essential
... (1998 of 4022 Characters)
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