Don’t panic when the pilot says ‘turbulence’: Just turn on your iPad and check out this app

These apps will help you conquer a fear of flying

As family, friends and that woman who sat next to me on my last flight all know, I’m a nervous flyer. My anxiety has gotten better over the years — I don’t weep openly anymore — but I still get sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat upon takeoff. When the engine noise changes, I go on high alert. On long-haul flights, I rarely sleep.

So I’m always on the lookout for anything that might ease my anxiety. I’ve downloaded guided meditations for my iPod, brought along fear of flying self-help books and tried to keep my self occupied with a GameBoy. Those have all worked, with varying success.

But now that I travel with an iPad, I’ve found a couple of apps that help.

One is called “Flying Without Fear,” produced by a company called Mental Workout in conjunction with Virgin Airlines. (Mental Workout has several well-designed lifestyle apps, many centered on meditation and well-being).

Formatted for the iPhone, this $4.99 app was easy to use on my iPad and even looked snazzy. It’s a condensed version of Virgin’s real-life “Fear of Flying” course. Using videos, audio meditations and even a Q-and-A with such queries as “What is turbulence?” and “What happens if both engines fail?” this app tries to allay a jittery flyer’s fear while in the air.

I tried it out on a recent flight once the plane reached 10,000 feet and I could turn on my iPad. There’s an interesting video narrated by a Virgin pilot which takes you on a “tour” of a typical flight; there are also various visualization, meditation and breathing exercises for specific scenarios, including links to tap if you are experiencing a panic attack at that moment.

I listened to the visualization exercise for the “turbulence” scenario when I was actually going through turbulence; the chirping bird-nature soundtrack and the narrator’s deep British accent were definitely soothing. Many of the meditations would be probably more effective if practiced several days, or even months, before the flight.

Mental Workout promises a free update to this app soon.

If soothing meditations don’t work, there’s another option for nervous flyers: total distraction.

The iPad app “Tap Tap Radiation” is a touch music game formatted for the iPad, and it’s completely absorbing and addictive. I once passed an entire hour on a flight and didn’t even noticed my anxiety because I was so absorbed in this game.

Here’s how it works: You tap bubbles in time with music. Yes, it sounds totally simple and stupid, but it’s really fun. And the best part: it’s free.

Mental Workout and Virgin have another iPhone app worth checking out as well. Called “Jet Lag Fighter” ($1.99), it uses clinically proven techniques — sleep adjustment or light therapy — to minimize the effects of jet lag.

Similar to the “Flying Without Fear” app, there is an educational component, with a short video explanation of jet lag and its effects on the body and mind.

To use the app, you input some basic information about your flight departure and arrival times. It will then calculate when you need to be out in bright light, when to exercise and when to sleep. The best part about the app is that if you happen to skip your scheduled time in bright light — or go to sleep later than expected — you input that into the app and it will adjust the schedules for you.

To be most effective, you need to input your trip details before going on the trip, not when you are already traveling. I plan to use it during an upcoming trip to Europe.