What is fear of flying and how common is it?

Fear of flying (aerophobia) affects approximately 25-30% of the population to some degree. About 6.5% experience clinical aerophobia that significantly limits their lives. It is one of the most treatable anxiety conditions, with 90%+ success rates using evidence-based approaches.

Can fear of flying be cured?

Yes. Fear of flying responds very well to modern therapy approaches including EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, and Polyvagal-informed therapy. Most people see significant improvement within 6-12 sessions. Over 16,000 people have overcome their fear with Alex Gervash methods.

Is turbulence dangerous?

Turbulence has never caused a modern commercial aircraft to crash. Aircraft are engineered to withstand forces far beyond anything encountered in normal or even severe turbulence. It is uncomfortable, but not dangerous for the plane.

What is the SkyGuru app?

SkyGuru is a real-time flight companion app with 200,000+ users that explains what is happening during a flight in plain language. It also offers 50+ anxiety exercises developed by pilot-therapist Alex Gervash. Free for iOS.

How does a pilot become a fear of flying therapist?

Alex Gervash spent 31 years as a commercial pilot and simultaneously earned a psychology degree and trained in EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, and ACT. This dual expertise means he can explain exactly what happens in the cockpit while also working with the nervous system.

Editorial Standards & Review Process

phobia.aero exists to help anxious flyers with information that is accurate, clinically grounded, and aviation-true. This page explains who writes our content, who reviews it, where our facts come from, and how to flag anything you believe is wrong.

1. Who writes our content

Every article on phobia.aero is authored or reviewed by Capt. Alex Gervash, a commercial airline pilot with 31 years of flight-deck experience and 18 years working with people who fear flying. Alex holds a BA in Psychology and is trained in EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, Polyvagal-informed practice, and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). He has worked with 16,000+ fearful flyers.

Where a guest contributor or staff editor drafts an article, Alex still signs off on the final version before publication. The author of record on each article is the person responsible for its medical and aviation accuracy.

2. Who reviews our content

Articles that touch on the nervous system, anxiety, panic, or trauma are reviewed by Capt. Alex Gervash, in his role as pilot and Fear of Flying Coach. Aviation-safety content (turbulence, go-arounds, hard landings, maintenance, weather) is verified against primary sources from civil-aviation authorities (FAA, EASA, ICAO) and industry data publishers (IATA, NTSB, Eurocontrol).

Each article carries a visible Reviewed by stamp with the reviewer's name, role, and the date of last review. We aim to re-review every flagship article at least once every 12 months, and any article that cites time-sensitive statistics at least once per quarter.

3. What sources we trust

We prioritise sources in this order:

Primary regulatory and safety data. FAA, EASA, ICAO, NTSB, AAIB, EUROCONTROL, NASA ASRS.
Peer-reviewed clinical research. Journals indexed in PubMed, PsycINFO, or Cochrane reviews, with a preference for randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses for treatment claims.
Industry statistics from named bodies. IATA, Boeing Statistical Summary, Airbus Family Safety Statistics, Allianz aviation reports.
Direct clinical experience from Alex Gervash's 16,000+ case practice, clearly labelled as such ("In our practice…", "Based on our clinical case load…").
Mainstream media only where it acts as a pointer to a primary source we then verify ourselves.

Numbers and statistics on phobia.aero carry an inline citation to a named, dated source. If a statistic has no traceable origin, we either remove it or label it explicitly as our own clinical observation rather than a public statistic.

4. How we handle treatment claims

phobia.aero is an educational resource and a private clinical practice. We do not present any treatment, app, or technique as a cure, and we do not promise specific outcomes. Where we describe efficacy, we cite the underlying study or our own practice data and we name the population it applies to. Nothing on this site replaces a personal consultation with a qualified mental-health professional or physician.

5. How we update articles

Articles are updated on three triggers: (a) a new safety event or regulatory change relevant to a claim we make, (b) new peer-reviewed evidence that supersedes a source we cite, or (c) a reader's correction request that we verify and confirm. Each article shows its last reviewed date in plain view. The full history of substantive changes for any article is available on request.

6. How to request a correction

If you believe a fact, source, or recommendation on phobia.aero is wrong or outdated, please email Alex@phobia.aero with the article URL, the passage in question, and (where possible) a link to the source you believe is correct. We acknowledge correction requests within 7 days and publish any resulting fix with a visible note on the article.

7. Independence and conflicts of interest

phobia.aero sells its own programmes (video course, in-flight support via SkyBuddy, VIP intensive, SkyGuru app). We disclose those when relevant and we do not present them as the only option for any reader. We do not accept paid placements, affiliate commissions, or sponsored content in our articles. Where we mention competing programmes (for example in our course-comparison guide), we link directly to the provider's own pricing page so readers can verify our claims.

8. AI and content generation

We use AI tools to help draft and structure content. Every draft is then reviewed and revised by a human editor. For clinical or aviation-safety content, by Alex Gervash personally, before publication. AI-generated content is never published on phobia.aero without human verification of every named fact, statistic, and source.

9. Languages

phobia.aero is published in English (primary), with Russian, French, and Spanish localised versions on dedicated subdomains. Localised pages follow the same editorial standards. Where a clinical or regulatory term has a specific local meaning, the translated version uses the term that the local professional community recognises.

10. Contact

Editor & Reviewer of record: Capt. Alex Gervash, Commercial Pilot & Fear of Flying Coach.

Email: Alex@phobia.aero
Phone: +1 (585) 438-0093