First-time flyers’ club takes off

I read the letter from Val Watson (Battling my flying terror, January 2017) with a sympathetic smile because 10 years ago my mother, at the age of 86, decided to go flying. She had never flown before and never been abroad.

Before I retired, I was a professional pilot and a qualified instructor. One day, while I was flying, she asked the airfield’s owner if my flying was okay. I had delivered planes for him all over Europe, so you can imagine his answer.

When I landed, she asked if she could go for a flight. I explained everything to her and off we went. After an hour, I could see she was loving it. She came flying with me many times afterwards.

I think the way to solve the fear of flying is to explain what will happen, before it happens.

Noises on take-off and landing can be disconcerting. One is the nose wheel revolving, before it goes into the undercarriage bay. Simple to explain.

D. Emmett, by email