Primary course

About our Primary course

Below are the details of our typical primary course:

Morning

The day starts at the London Heathrow T5 Sofitel hotel with tea and coffee – an excellent opportunity to meet our experienced team who know just how to overcome a fear of flying.  It's also when you realise you're not alone as a nervous flyer, as you meet many others who are as scared of flying as you are. This is followed by a presentation by British Airways pilots. There is strong evidence to suggest that one of the main causes of fear of flying is simple lack of knowledge about how an aircraft flies and operates. So, the pilots give a detailed talk explaining the technical side of aviation especially concentrating on air turbulence, flight safety and much more.

Afternoon

In the afternoon session, one of our psychologists talks about the psychological aspects of aerophobia (fear of flying), the mechanics of fear, and how best to deal with anxiety and feelings of panic. Lack of control, claustrophobia, fear of tube trains, lifts, heights and fear of falling are the concerns of many nervous passengers. Our psychologist demonstrates positive ways of coping with and minimising these symptoms, and will conduct a relaxation session just prior to the flight. As preparation for this part of the day, you will be sent joining instructions prior to the course in which you will be encouraged to start taking small steps in your journey towards conquering your fear once that you have made the decision to do so.

The flight

The day concludes with an actual flight on a BA jet aircraft, lasting 30 minutes. Passengers are accompanied by our team of pilots, cabin crew and psychologists with the normal operating BA pilots and cabin crew.  During the flight, an extra pilot on the flight deck gives a running commentary explaining all the various phases of the flight and just what is happening. This aspect of the course has been found to be very reassuring and valuable, helping people overcome their fear of flying.