Sweden via Gatwick

Dear Peter,

I attended your Gatwick fear of flying course last Saturday. I had no great hope of overcoming my phobia as I hadn't flown for seven years and had failed to board the two flights I'd booked since then.

As the morning progressed, however, I began to gain confidence from the presentations of the two pilots. Seeing their relaxed and confident approach to something they actually enjoyed doing started to make me realise that my perceptions weren't based on reality. This was something my rational mind had always known of course but my phobia had always made sure that rationality was nowhere to be found when I'd tried to fly!

Meeting the pilot who was to take us up in the afternoon helped enormously too. There was no question that here was a very capable person in whom to put my trust.

By lunchtime I felt ready to fly but the afternoon session was helpful in providing techniques to help deal with any panic I might experience.

Knowing that Andy would be on the flight deck to give a running commentary was a crucial part of the day for me. If he was happy with the situation then I could be sure that everything was fine and there was absolutely nothing to worry about. My hope was that this would be the key to enable me to actually enjoy the experience.

I could scarcely believe how easy it was to board the plane after my previous attempts to do so. I remained relaxed throughout the flight, listening to Andy's superb commentary, and, to my amazement, all my fears had evaporated! I could just sit back and enjoy the luxury of flying!

Now I have to do it on my own and I'll be flying to Sweden in August. I still feel confident I can do it and will be playing the course back in my mind as the day approaches.

Thanks to everyone who made this transformation possible!