iPhone’s “Fear of Flying” App

November 10, 2009 | Uncategorized

I like my iPhone and use many of its numerous applications, or apps, regularly. In fact, they’re great for someone who travels a lot.

There are apps for tracking flights, tracking weather, finding restaurants, understanding world customs, and at least 85,000 other things, according to Apple. So I guess it was only a matter of time before someone came out with an app for those who fear flying.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has just launched an iPhone app for its Flying Without Fear course which VA claims has a 98% success rate. That’s very impressive.

According to the airline, this app was designed to help people overcome fear, whether it be about unfamiliar aircraft, the strange noises a plane makes, or of losing control. It seems to be a pretty good idea since it gives people something to do when they get a case of the nerves in the air.

The Flying Without Fear app has an introduction by Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic’s president, followed by a video-based in-flight explanation of a flight, frequently asked questions, relaxation exercises and a fear attack button for emergencies, along with breathing exercises. Reuters has named it the “iPanic button.”

Virgin developed the app with a company called Mental Workout which develops software to help people resolve issues and increase mental performance. According to the company an estimated one in every three adults is scared of flying. I think that estimate may be a bit high, although I guess we all get a bit nervous at one time or another on a plane.

Even though I’ve practically lived on planes for many years, I do get edgy during rough takeoffs every now and then. Years ago, when flying on Pakistan International out of New York’s JFK, for some God-only-knows reason we took off in a violent thunderstorm — and when the plane dropped after being airborne a minute or so my head hit the overhead luggage bin.

I’ve always tied my seatbelt a bit tighter since then.

Jim Ferri