85-year-old overcomes fear of flying to travel to Venice
For most of us, flying isn’t much of a concern. While it might be long and uncomfortable, many travellers simply see a plane journey as the easiest way to get from A to B – not to mention a good way to catch up on some new-release movies! For those with a genuine phobia of flying, however, the simple thought of hopping on board a 747 is downright terrifying.
Olive, an 85-year-old from Birmingham in the UK, finally got the push she needed to overcome her fear and take on a new adventure when husband of nearly 60 years, Ron, passed away in 2008. Since then, she has been working up the courage to step out onto the tarmac, overcoming her fear with a weekend getaway to Venice.
To help ease Olive’s mind, great-nephew (and Monarch cabin crew member) James Gibson, organised for his great-aunt to meet the crew, pilot, and even go behind the scenes in the cockpit.
“When we boarded the aircraft the crew were lovely and helped settle me in for the flight,” she told Metro. “I couldn’t believe I was actually going to be flying up in the air. I was quite scared when it came to take-off, but I was determined to go through with it and I did.”
“The pilot was lovely and rather good looking too,” Olive cheekily added. “Meeting him helped ease my nerves, I knew I was in safe hands.”
She is already planning her next trip – a visit to the Rock of Gibraltar. Good luck, Olive!
Take a look at some of Olive’s sweet holiday snaps in the gallery above and tell us in the comments, how did you overcome your fear?
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