Me and flying - how I got to this point

I think I was about 14 when I first flew. Balkan Airways, from Birmingham to somewhere in Bulgaria. It was a Tupelov, but apart from that I don't really recall much about it. I guess my interest in flying didn't start until much later.

I think it's largely my partner's fault. She's absolutely terrified of flying, and has nearly crushed the bones in my hand whilst we've been sitting on commercial flights. The moment anything on the aircraft makes a noise, or something feels different, she goes into full-on "Ohmygodwe'regoingtodiewe'regoingtodie" mode. I started doing a bit of armchair study before we took a flight together, so that I could say to her "That noise is the gear extending", or "That one was the flaps - this is what flaps do", or even "That noise means that another passenger wants a drink"; she's still terrified, but at least she's a bit better when she knows that whatever just happened is perfectly normal.

I didn't confine my armchair reading to pre-flight, though. When we went away, I'd find myself making mental notes of things that I'd seen or heard, and looking them up when I got home. When I did this, I'd find new words, phrases or concepts that I didn't understand, and I'd have to look them up as well. I soon found myself with every tab open in my browser on some sort of aviation reference, Wikipedia page, or just looking at aircraft porn. It was at this point that my other half suggested that maybe I should get help.

I fully expected this 'help' to take the form of a nice man who'd lie me down on a couch and talk to me about my obsession. With fees starting from £40 a session, psychotherapy may have been quite a cheap way to deal with it. Instead, she suggested I took lessons. I think she occasionally suggests things like this as a bargaining chip: "Yes, I know I spent £100 on a new handbag, but how much do you spend on flying?" is a conversation I can see us having in the not too distant future.

So, that's where I stand now. I've done a trial lesson (which I'll write about next), and I fear that I'm hooked. The armchair study has been taken to new levels. I can't wait until the next time I'm in the air.