"Ready to Fly": your new mini audio series!

Whether you panic at the idea of boarding an airplane like our hero Alex, or you're an aerospace buff like his sidekick Inès, this is the perfect podcast for you!

From in-flight comfort to evacuation slide deploy, from the role of landing gear to that truly terrifying turbulence, "Ain't scared of flying!" reveals what goes on behind the scenes of commercial flights in a fun amusing fashion as it follows Alex and Inès on their flight to Helsinki. During each stage of the flight, Andrea, a Safran engineer, will try to reassure her friend Alex, who is terrified of the journey…

Our story begins a few days before the badminton world championships in Helsinki, Finland. Inès and Alexis are taking a plane to attend the event. For Alexis, the journey will not be a relaxing one. He has been scared of flying since he was a little boy and even begins to question how robust the aircraft really is. Inès, an engineer at Safran, tries to reassure her friend, who is already terrified as they start to board the plane…

The captain has just announced the aircraft's imminent takeoff. The engines begin to thrum and Alexis' torture is about to begin. He asks Inès how such a heavy machine can possibly achieve what is, to him, the impossible feat of taking off and not dropping out of the sky. This is Inès' cue to explain the role of the engines, nacelles and landing gear, as the plane takes off.

The first couple hours of the flight are calm. Alex is surprised not to have felt any turbulence. Over twenty years since his last flight, he is surprised to see that comfort and technology are now an integral part of the cabin. Now Andrea can explain the latest developments in onboard comfort...

Despite the promising start, Alex' experience turns into a nightmare. The plane hits an area of turbulence. Alex thinks it's the beginning of the end! Andrea tries to reassure her friend by explaining the causes of turbulence, which is a frequent occurrence during flights.

The plane is just out of the area of turbulence when the captain makes a liberating announcement: the plane is beginning its descent towards Helsinki airport. But Alex is a nervous wreck and the descent is hard-going. Andrea takes his hand and explains the landing process, and the responsibility of the captain and his crew to land the aircraft within a tight schedule.