Schoolboy stranded in Abu Dhabi to be driven back to UK
A father and son are set to travel from the UAE to the UK by land after the boy suddenly developed an acute fear of flying.
The Mail on Sunday reported that Joe Thompson, 11, has tried to take four flights in the past four months but every time he becomes too distressed to board the plane – even though he has flown long-haul all his life.
His condition is now so bad that his father, Tony Thompson, is going to bring Joe back to Britain via road, sea and rail.
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A father and son are set to travel from the UAE to the UK by land after the boy suddenly developed an acute fear of flying
Thompson, 63, was quoted as saying: “There was no event that prompted it. It just happened out of the blue. And the fear is quite acute. He’s fine until he gets to check-in and then he falls apart.
“He gets stomach pains, he collapses and sits on the floor sobbing. It’s awful. He never talks about the plane crashing. He says it’s the height.” The Mail reported that Thompson and his wife Pauline, 48, moved to Abu Dhabi in 2009 when he landed a job at a private hospital.
He said: “In March, my wife took Joe back to England for half-term. He was fine on the way out but on the way back he suddenly got this terrible fear. He couldn’t get on the plane.
“Pauline took him home and we rebooked the flight for a week later. He said the flight was too long so we organised a stopover in Turkey to break it up. He was fine and we thought that was the end of it.”
However, Thompson told the paper that shortly afterwards he and Joe were due to fly from Abu Dhabi to Sri Lanka to take part in a rugby tournament, when the youngster “became so traumatised, the crew said he had to get off”.
The paper added that a fear of flying that appears without warning and for no apparent reason is a recognised phenomenon, although it normally affects adults rather than children.
Thompson told The Mail on Sunday: “We’ve tried four times now to get Joe on a plane but he just can’t do it.”
He added that the family had sought professional help but it has not helped. Thompson is now planning an alternative journey home by land.
Comments
by realnorthern
Wednesday, July 25 2012, 4:12PM
“#NewCrunch.. From a practicality point of view the only concerns I would have would be as per the film 'The Fly'..
What if when the boy is being beamed up and a fly just happens to get in the port with him, imagine the horror to his parents when he lands in the UK Half Boy Half Fly..... they would be distraught!!
on the upside, he would never get bullied at school, as all he would need to do would be to throw up in school chums and melt their legs off!!!”
by NewCrunch
Wednesday, July 25 2012, 1:20PM
“@RealNorthern: I will admit that Mr. T is more manly than scotty and the A-Team is cooler than Star Trek, but you are missing the whole point here. We are trying to help the boy here, and the best option in terms of practicality, security, and financially is beaming him up.
There is another option: get Charlie's Angels. I'ms ure he will fly with them anywhere. I know I would ;)”
by realnorthern
Wednesday, July 25 2012, 11:04AM
“#NewCrunch......I did think that would have been a suitable option, however I felt it a considerable greater danger to the interests of the child...
how bad would it be for the child's reputation to be back in school only for everyone to find out that his transportation was down to the influence of 'StarTrek'......we all know that Startrek was a geeky show, and to have input from Captain Kirk, Spok and the unconvincing accent of Scotty, it would be catastrophic to the child's swagger....
You can't ever go wrong with the A-Team, purely because they never put up with anyones 'Gibber Gabber',
I hope you can see the logic here, sucker!”
by NewCrunch
Tuesday, July 24 2012, 2:19PM
“@realnorthern: or they could simply beam him up ;)”
by realnorthern
Monday, July 23 2012, 1:15PM
“as much as I sympathize with the parent here, I don believe there is a more cost effective and easier solution......
Having been a big fan of the A-Team for many years now, I believe that you could take a leaf out of Hannibal's book.
Mr T always had a fear of flying, and at some time would get rather cross that they all had to go to various out of reach destinations to save the town from the local villain, yet a simple 'glass of milk' or a good old fashioned 'sandwich' usually did the trick, he would eat this and wake up at the final destination....
Now as much as I don't condone what Hannibal, Face Man or Mad Murdoch did to their counterpart, I do believe in the bigger scheme of things, it actually became beneficial in making sure that Mr T was always there to assist in the 'removing of the local villain'
I therefore suggest that the steps taken to get the child back would be for him to eat A-Team style sandwich swilled down with some 'Pity the fool, sucker, Milk!'
The child will be back on home turf, will have been well rested, and more importantly, eaten well!!!
just a thought....
'I love it when a plan comes together'!”
by shadowpawn
Monday, July 23 2012, 11:29AM
“Drug him?”
by Dubai Blue
Monday, July 23 2012, 10:17AM
“Cant they just sedate him before the flight???”