Private Plane Rides Help You Escape Your Fear of Flying

If the thought of going up in anything higher than a child’s swing set sends chills up your spine, Attitude Aviation can help. Their private rides in vintage biplanes can ease your wildest fears.

Of course, if fear is a four-letter word, they can accommodate you, too. “If somebody really wants to give a gift of a wild and crazy, rollercoaster ride, we can do it,” says Richard Perkins, the owner of Attitude Aviation. “We can roll, dip, soar, and do the kind of things you’d see at an air show.”

The airplane ride, in fact, can be tailored to the specific desires of the recipient and/or the giver. “Some people don’t want to do all the wild and crazy stuff the entire time, but they would like to roll the airplane, or see what it’s like to fly upside down,” Perkins adds.

If this sounds a little too risky and hot-dogging, relax. Perkins and all of his pilots are FAA-certified instructors. “Not all places can say that,” he says, “Everyone here who takes up a customer is a certified flight instructor.”

Of course, if your sweetheart looks for a sedative at just the thought of flying, Attitude Aviation can help with that, too. “We have people who come here to overcome their fear of flying on a regular basis,” Perkins adds.

Perkins tells the story of one man who couldn’t even stand in the doorway of the company’s office the first time he came. Over the coming months, Perkins and his staff worked with the man, first to keep him calm, then to get him closer to the plane, and eventually, to get him in the plane and up in the air.

Today, a fear of flying is not a problem for him. “He went from having an anxiety attack at the thought of flying to going out and flying planes on a regular basis. He has his private pilot’s license now.”

Perkins explains that the story shows how each flight, flight lesson, and tour are carefully tailored to the individual. “We didn’t even look at an airplane that first day.”

His own sister-in-law is also among those whose lives have changed at Attitude Aviation. “She was afraid of flying, and my brother works for an airline. She was terrified of flying. But now, she flies with no problem.”

Perkins recalls another fearful flyer who was given a gift certificate by her family. “I think they did it as more of a joke,” he adds. Taking his cue from the woman, as they got into the plane, the possibility of rolling the plane in the air came up. ” ‘Let’s not and say we did,’ she said. I said, ‘OK’. A few minutes later, when we were in the air, she said, ‘Well, let’s try one roll.’ After we did that once, she said, ‘Hey, that wasn’t so bad.'”

The woman ended the flight a changed person. “By the time we finished, I had done all the stunts I knew how to do, and she was so excited, she was wanting more.” After the event, she wrote to Perkins, telling him she, “never dreamed she could do anything like that,” he says.

On another ride, one of Perkins’ pilots took up a World War II veteran who had been a fighter pilot. The man died a short time later. “His son wrote the pilot a letter, saying you wouldn’t believe how much it meant to him. Instead of being a couch potato, he was so energized by that flight.”

Often, Perkins notes, the pilot will fly over or near the person’s home, so they can see their own house and surrounding neighborhood while up in the air, too. “We tailor every ride to every person,” Perkins notes.

Rides vary in price, depending on the airplane used and the length of the ride. Perkins says he does not allow any “very, very young people, for example, no five year olds,” while older youth are considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more information, visit www.attitudeaviation.com, or call 925-456-2276. The business is open seven days a week during daylight hours.