WHEN airlines began installing “tail-cams” and streaming live footage of flights to passengers, the idea was to offer a “God’s eye” view of the heavens. It is, indeed, a divine sight, but for those with a fear of flying also utterly terrifying. On a recent transatlantic flight, an anxious gentleman sitting next to Gulliver was glued to tail-cam for eight hours straight, scrutinising the plane (and flight speeds) for any signs of imminent mechanical failure—fearing, perhaps, that a lapse in his vigil could doom us all. It was only upon docking at the gate that his hands unclenched from the armrest and his ordeal came to an end.
Around 2-3% of people in developed countries have clinical aviophobia: an intense and irrational fear of flying. Symptoms include increased blood pressure, hyperventilation, gastric upset and panic attacks. Sufferers are usually aware that air travel is one of the safest forms of transportation, but are unable to shake off anxieties about...Continue reading
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