A Picture & 100 Words: A Former Air Force Pilot Helped Me Conquer Aerophobia


Conquer the Fear of Flying

When I was six, my family went to San Diego to visit relatives. I had the aisle seat on the outbound flight, and my brother had the window. Seated between us was a fella who snored like a beached walrus. Naturally, we decided to mess with him. First, we removed his watch and put it on the opposite wrist. Then, we emptied the contents of a ketchup packet on his upper back.

Somehow, he didn't wake up. Had the guy been conscious, his in-flight experience would have been a bit worse.

I'd rather endure countless flights surrounded by Lucifer's offspring than relive my Vietjet Air experience. It ingrained a deep fear of flying—something I thought I would never overcome.

In my latest article, I explain how to conquer the fear of flying. Because it resonated with so many people, I figured I would share it with my newsletter audience.

Are you a fearful flyer? If so, here are a few solutions that can help, most of which I learned from former Air Force pilot Tom Bunn.

  • Request to meet the pilot
  • Learn flying facts and plane functions
  • Use the calming power of a friend
  • Avoid alcohol and caffeine
  • Use proven tools to regulate your CNS
  • Plan all in-flight activity


Photo Spotlight


Print Sale Ends 8-1

All good things must end, including Pan Am and Jolt Cola. But worry not—bullsh*t continues to happen somewhere, and my print sale runs through the 1st. Use code SAVE20 to get 20% off your order.



Unsubscribe · Preferences · Buy Me a Coffee

A Picture & 100 Words

Through words and images, my newsletter captures my dance with the universe as a creative professional. The goal is to enrich your life in some small way, whether by transporting you to a faraway place or embedding you in this moment. Sign up to gain early or exclusive access to photos, ebooks, prints, articles, and other creative leaps into the dark.

Read more from A Picture & 100 Words

He Wrote an Entire Book... With His Eyelid A Monarch butterfly outside of Spadina House in Toronto Jean-Dominique Bauby was 43 years old when he suffered a massive stroke. When he woke up, he was trapped inside his own body—completely paralyzed. Trapped in—and by—his mind. He could, however, move one thing: his left eyelid. Doctors called it “locked-in syndrome.” His mind was intact, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Most people would have given up. Bauby didn’t. Instead, he wrote a book,...

We Fear the One Thing That Makes Us Feel the Most Alive Two Yemeni girls play on a cliff's edge. Instinctively, one clutched the dress of the other. With fear and faith as allies, they leaped across the gap. A small misstep guaranteed death. Jack and I filed through the woods in our bathing suits, barefooted and wide-eyed. The banks of the Ohio vanished from sight as we moved up the hill and deeper into the shadows of the forest. We were 8-year-old summer fish out of water. There was no path....

Only Through Darkness Can We See the Stars A photo of Verona, taken in November 2014 Ten years ago, I visited Italy as part of what was coined "The Glitch Trip." One of my friends came across a tweet announcing that Priceline was issuing $180 around-the-world trip tickets (NYC > Milan > Prague > Amsterdam > Tokyo > LA). Three of us booked it before the company caught the glitch, and a fourth booked it after. Our first stop was Milan. From there, we visited Verona, which will forever be one of...