I would go with Alot of Xanex - plus scotch

As one who has gone too far more than once, just here to let you know you went too far on that one...

I'm afraid to fly US....

And have WN trauma...

I second the suggestion to take what is called a "Discovery Flight" offered by most flight schools. The CFI will review how planes work, and then take him up for an intro flight. Your friend will be able to control the plane to the degree he's comfortable. Perhaps the most eye-opening and reassuring part will be for the CFI to cut all power to the engine. He needn't tell your friend ahead of time. He can just do that, and then tell your friend, "now we are flying as if we lost all engine power." When your friend sees how much the plane glides, he'll overcome what is likely his greatest fear, which is plummeting to earth out of control.

I suggest the CFI not perform any spin maneuvers.

Just don't explain glide ratio's and lift to drag ratios. A 747 will glide further than the Cessna as it has a glide ration of 18:1 vs the Cessna's 10:1 (Miles/for every 1 mile of vertical height). The problem is the Lift to drag ratio. The 747 will hit the ground waaaay before the Cessna because it has far more drag.

Can't you fix that with balut and San Miguel?

Balut and San Miguel will quash any number of fears...^

I took a "fearful flyer" course on Pam Am 34 years ago. Boy am I old!!!! I would not get on a plane and cancelled many wonderful trips, because of my fear. I still don't love flying, but I go. My solution...upgrade to F or BE and have a drink before take off.

Weird as it sounds I was really scared of flying back in my Skydiving days... I'd shut my eyes and do breathing exercises until the a/c was at - say - 1000ft... (an altitude where "getting out" becomes a rational response to a problem...)

With all the normal flying I've done in the last 10 years the fear has almost completely faded...

I have a theory about fear of flying however... that goes on from what joan24 said...

Such fear varies depending on which cabin one is in... and the quality (in world terms) of said cabin..

So... In Y on most airlines... High fear levels

In Y on some (opinions vary as to which.. NZ and SQ for me) Low fear levels

In old style C .... Very low fear levels

In "world class" C (SQ/new NH/new OZ etc) No fear

In (world class ) F "What, we HAVE taken off?"

My fear now is that I will be in Y! In fact my teenager asks me "are we in Y or C?" Why am I the last to get upgraded?

+1
and anything built in France

Short of a formal program, my 100% serious suggestion is to point your friend at the "Ask a Delta Pilot" thread in this forum that W0X0F_2p2, a Delta pilot, very generously maintains in his spare time as an unofficial resource.

On one hand, W0X0F has been kind enough to answer basically every question you could imagine about how aviation works - weather, avionics, safety, air traffic, and the business side of flying have all been covered at some point. By the time your friend finishes that material, he or she will have a much better understanding of how flight works from a mechanical perspective, and demystifying that is the first piece of the puzzle.

More importantly, though, they'll have a much better appreciation for who's behind the controls of the aircraft. I think, at least for myself, my biggest concern is instinctively whether I should trust the folks in charge of the plane... let's face it, the safest strategy when driving on the road is to assume all the other drivers around you are idiots, and that is proven to be the case in unfortunately far too many situations - so it's natural to be concerned about the same thing when flying.

In aviation, it's completely different, though - pilots flying commercially for a major airline like Delta have years of practical experience and undergo frequent requalification training. Perhaps even more reassuringly, they come to the airline with extensive experience as hotshot military pilots of high performance aircraft as well. These guys and gals really are the most qualified out there for the job, the best of the best in their field.

Putting a face on that generic pilot persona, it's impossible to come away from reading W0X0F's well thought out, articulate posts without forming an impression of him as competent, thorough and trustworthy - exactly the qualities that reassure me as a frequent passenger.

Your friend may even want to consider registering an account and posting a question of their own - that thread is a golden opportunity to clear the air of any lingering concerns or reservations they may still have about air travel, too.

Forgot to mention, there's also an online course put together by - I think an AA pilot? It's free and available at http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com/ .

I'd give the content a C+ - I read through it a while back and found it comprehensive in covering the issues, but perhaps a bit more condescending in tone than I would have written if I was making something similar. But if your friend has already self identified themselves as a fearful flyer and is actively seeking assistance, it might be valuable for them.

I forgot to mention that my wife is now a pilot.

I just had a flashback to my CPO initiation.