US Air course reassures fearful flyers

To many, Fear of Flying is simply the name of a bestselling romance novel written by Erica Jong. But for the 40 Philadelphians enrolled in the USAir Fearful Flyers course, fear of flying is a serious phobia that restricts everything from vacation plans and business travel to relationships with loved ones who live far away. According to Fearful Flyers Instructor Carol Stauffer, the course -- which was held weekly this month at the Philadelphia International Airport -- teaches flyers relaxation techniques to show them how to keep from panicking once they step onto an airplane. Fearful Flyers Director Frank Petee, a USAir pilot, also helps the students get over their fear of the unknown by educating them about aviation technology -- information which is very helpful, according to several flyers. "I felt better when [Petee] went through how turbulence doesn't affect the plane," said Claudia Siegle, a student in the class who said she is now "basically" over her phobia."I was afraid because of a combination of a lack of knowledge of what goes on in an airplane and not trusting the pilots." After three weeks of learning about the innerworkings of airplanes and relaxation techniques, this week the flyers were led on a tour of the aircraft, where they meditated for about 10 minutes. Next week, brave flyers will "graduate" the class after sitting through an hour-long flight around the airport. They will then get diplomas and celebrate with free champagne, Stauffer said. "You're not the same person you were before you took the class. You're no longer helpless with your anxieties," Stauffer told flyers this week before they toured the plane -- a difficult feat for many in the course who fear the actual aircraft more than they do flying. At first timidly, and then with confidence, students touched the nose and wings of the once-stigmatized object as Petee led the tour. "There was a time when I wouldn't enter an airport, let alone an airplane," said Ray Niglio, who waited until the other flyers touched the plane before he extended a hesitant hand towards the aircraft. "I would classify my fear, though, more as being claustrophobic." Nursing graduate student Kelli Eshleman, also a member of the class, said her fear of flying is rooted in claustrophobia as well. Before she took the Fearful Flyers class, Eshleman said she suffered panic attacks and began to tremble when entering airplanes. She said, though, that compared to some of her classmates, "I didn't have it half bad." For Janet Trimbale, fear of flying has been a lifelong phobia. She said she grew to fear planes during her childhood after watching her father, a pilot, call families to inform them that their loved ones had been lost in a crashed aircraft. Trimbale said she finally brought herself to confront her phobia because she did not want her daughter to learn to fear flying as well. Some flyers said their fears grew stronger when the USAir Flight 767 crashed over Pittsburgh last fall, killing about 130 people. Debbie Jones, who has never flown in her life, finally mustered the courage to reserve two tickets to Florida this summer to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary. Later that day, she heard of the Pittsburgh crash on the news. Coincidentally, Jones said she also heard of the Fearful Flyers class that same day. "God must have made me call that day, because otherwise I sure wouldn't have," said Jones, who wore red airplane-shaped earrings given to her by a supportive sister-in-law for the occasion. "It was fate." Ed Linsk, who said he enrolled in the course because he is "tired of driving back and forth to Florida" for family vacations, said that he took the Pittsburgh crash "personally," because it was a real-life example of his worst nightmare. But, he said he is trying to keep the phobia from overtaking his life. "It ruins wherever you're going, whatever you're doing," Linsk said. "It makes for a lousy vacation -- you go somewhere and all you can think of is the plane ride back."

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