美国国家公共电台 NPR After Boeing Crashes, More People Want Help Taming Fear Of Flying

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Boeing 737 MAX airplanes have been grounded worldwide. This after two deadly crashes within less than five months. There was particular concern here because it was the same kind of plane. But crashes remain really rare. And yet an entire industry exists to help fearful fliers, including online classes. And since the two Boeing crashes, enrollment¹ in some cases has more than doubled. Here's NPR's Jasmine Garsd.

JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE²: This summer, musician Katie Sucha will be touring England, and she's scared.

KATIE SUCHA: It really is a serious mental challenge to sort of walk through those doors and get on the plane. You know, I often have to take anti-anxiety meds in order to make it possible for me.

GARSD: Her fear is so bad, when she was a teacher in Mississippi and Sucha wanted to visit her family in Michigan, she'd take a 14-hour bus ride rather than spend two hours in the air. And then there's that upcoming trip to Europe. It's a great career opportunity. But still, she's freaked out. She can't stop watching the news about the Boeing 737 MAX. She gets nervous just talking about it.

SUCHA: You know, if this happens with one type of plane, how many other examples of, you know, a faulty sensor³ or something malfunctioning⁴, and pilots who are highly trained have no idea how to deal with it?

GARSD: There's this whole industry built around fear of flying. For $2.99, you can buy an app called, Am I Going Down? There's another one offering hypnosis relaxation⁵ for $4.99. The list goes on and on. There's also a myriad⁶ of classes, many taught by retired⁷ pilots. There's fearlessflight.com, fearofflyinghelp.com and another one, SOAR, which has been around since 1982. Here's an excerpt⁸ from the SOAR online video seminar.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO SEMINAR)

TOM BUNN: It's like being in an elevator. And you're coming up to the floor where you're going to stop - you feel a little lightheaded. So you might think the airplane's falling, but no, it's not. It's just slowing down its climb.

GARSD: That's SOAR's founder⁹, Captain Tom Bunn, a retired United Airlines pilot and licensed¹⁰ therapist. His course, which includes videos and counseling, starts at $200. Bunn explains to clients how planes fly and why they don't just drop out of the sky. It is one common concern he hears. Bunn also teaches techniques to handle stress and fear. Graduates of SOAR, like Ben Kaminow, say it's worth the price.

BEN KAMINOW: It was debilitating¹¹ to my life. I would not go away with my family.

GARSD: Kaminow's phobia started in 1993 when his vacation flight from New York to Mexico hit strong turbulence¹². He was terrified. When he got back to New York, he vowed¹³ never to get on a plane again. And for the next eight years, he didn't. He even canceled his honeymoon¹⁴ to Greece. They drove to North Carolina instead. Eventually, he enrolled¹⁵ in SOAR.

KAMINOW: He basically went all about how planes fly, how they get up in the air, what turbulence really is.

GARSD: His package even included a letter to give to your flight attendant explaining that you're working on your fear and would love to meet the captain before takeoff. Kaminow could fly again. And then 9/11 happened. He was working at the World Trade Center.

KAMINOW: I was in the first tower, plane hit the building. And I could not get - I couldn't get in a plane again. So all these trips I had planned after going through this whole thing to be able to fly again - I shut it down.

GARSD: It would take Kaminow another four years to board a plane again.

KAMINOW: The fear was just being inside, being uncomfortable and not being able to be in control. You know, when you drive a car, you have the control. Here I didn't have the control. I didn't know how to handle it.

GARSD: He says he finally did the SOAR training sessions again - the techniques to handle stress and fear and trusting that pilots are highly trained, and they, too, want to get home safely. I asked Kaminow if the recent Boeing 737 crashes worry him. He says no. In fact, just last week, he took a trip to Los Angeles. For him, being able to even get on that plane without being afraid - that was the real journey. Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, New York.

1 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

4 malfunctioning   

出故障

参考例句：

• But something was malfunctioning in the equipment due to human error. 但由于人为的错误，设备发生故障了。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• Choke coils are useful for prevention of malfunctioning electronic equipment. 扼流圈对于防止电器设备的故障很有帮助。 来自互联网

5 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

6 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 excerpt   

n.摘录，选录，节录

参考例句：

• This is an excerpt from a novel.这是一部小说的摘录。
• Can you excerpt something from the newspaper? 你能从报纸上选录些东西吗？

9 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

10 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

11 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

12 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。

13 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

14 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

15 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》