The Common Travel Fear Aretha Franklin Suffered From

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, had an illustrious life that a performer can only dream of. The legendary singer made it big in the 1960s and did not retire until 2017. Throughout those decades, Franklin, who died in 2018 from pancreatic cancer, received award after award, churned out dozens of albums, and is said to have held 750 concerts in the U.S. However, despite being a global sensation, Franklin primarily traveled by bus and performed in the States. What you might not realize is that Franklin suffered from aviophobia (or aerophobia), more commonly known as the fear of flying.

The actual number of Americans who struggle with aviophobia is disputed. The Cleveland Clinic estimates it's a little over 25 million, while The Hill cites a research paper that suggests it may be up to 40% of the population. Aviophobia is a treatable anxiety disorder that causes physical symptoms (like heart palpitations and trembling). In severe circumstances, it leads individuals to forgo air travel altogether. Interestingly, one can develop aviophobia with or without experiencing a traumatic flight. Franklin had no problem with flying in the early years of her career, until the 1980s, when turbulence — a dangerous in-flight phenomenon that is now on the rise due to climate change — changed everything.

In a 1993 interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Franklin briefly explained what led to her aviophobia. She said, "I was leaving Atlanta in a very small plane." Franklin added, "A two-engine prop plane, I believe. And it was a very bad flight. I'm very much a ground person now." Despite this, Franklin took her fear of flying in stride.

In 1987, Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although she was the first woman to receive this honor, the singer was unable to make the ceremony in New York, possibly because of her aviophobia. Likewise, The Daily Beast states that Franklin was once interested in being a judge on "American Idol," but this did not pan out for the same reason. However, when Time Magazine asked Franklin in 2010 if being unable to fly had negatively impacted her career, she responded that it had not and explained that traveling by bus had its perks.

"When I was flying, I never saw the U.S. and what it really looked like. I saw the back of the concert hall, the hotel and the airport. Now I really see America," she said. Nevertheless, Franklin did publicly reveal in the years before her death that she intended to overcome her aviophobia, telling the Irish Independent that she had previously taken a Fearless Flyer class. This course was created to provide those who suffer from aviophobia with tools for anxiety management, as well as giving them a look into the inner workings of a flight.

If you, like Franklin, have a fear of flying, there are other methods (aside from a Fearless Flyer class) that can help you navigate this disorder, including exposure therapy. You can also, for instance, consider a one-on-one consultation with a veteran pilot to calm your nerves and learn about what an expert recommends to feel safe in the air.