Most of you know, Comedian, Mark Malkoff spent thirty days living on an airplane…as a FA this intrigued me from the moment I heard about it! I followed his journey through his videos and on twitter. Mark was kind enough to answer a few questions for me:

FP: You decided to fly/live on an airplane for a month to get over you fear of flying…seems extreme…but I read on your blog that it worked?

Mark: Yes, after about a week and a half of flying twelve to fourteen hour days my fear started going away. What helped the most was talking one on one with pilots. They really eased my fears, specifically turbulence. “All turbulence is, is like being in the ocean and going over a wave. It’s like driving over gravel or a speed bump.” The pilots more or less became my unpaid therapists. Also, the repetition of forcing myself to fly helped tremendously. A big reason I slept alone on the plane and not in a hotel was because if I stayed in a hotel in the morning there was a good chance I wouldn’t go back to the plane.

FP: That’s pretty funny because the reason I work a two day trip verses two turns (one days) in a row is because if I go home I don’t want to go back to the airport the next day! I’m very likely to advertise the trip and not go! You may not have a huge fear anymore but I hope you haven’t caused a new issue? Burnout, maybe?

Mark: My body was in pain for a few days. The only issue I still have is I’m still a bit tired, I slept on the average four hours a night. Some people can do that and be fine, but not me.

FP: As a FA, I know what you mean, fatigue is a way of life for us! I wish I was one of those people that got by on a few hours a sleep! How did you get Air Tran to agree to this, and what did you need to do to get clearance? Did you have to go through the government background check check that airline employees are subject to?

Mark: I had the idea for a year and a half to get over my fear of flying that I’d stay on a commercial airplane for a month and film videos. AirTran were fans of my work and when we sat down to talk in became clear they were the ones to do this with. First off, AirTran has an incredible sense of humor. They gave me free creative license to do whatever I wanted which was essential. Without being specific there was a lot of preparation that went into the project to make it possible for me to stay on the plane for a month.

FP:That is very cool that AirTran gave you so much freedom! Did you have a chance to be in the Flight Deck during flight? How about for take off and landing?

Mark: Unfortunately, not. The pilots all told me that wanted it to happen, but the FAA is very strict and with good reason.

FP: I saw your video where you had a bath in Fresca!Very funny…but you must have been ready for your shower at home! I know after working a trip…I come home with that “airplane” smell…..do you know what I am talking about?

Mark: Yes! Cleaning myself in the airplane bathroom with baby wipes was tough. Everyone said I smelled fine, but I couldn’t tell if they were just being nice. The good thing by the way about Fresca is there’s no sugar, so it wasn’t sticky. Plus it’s incredibly refreshing.

FP: You even slept on the airplanes! How is your back? and you mentioned that your wife was able be with you on the weekends…are you members of the mile high club?: )

Mark: My back hurt for a few days. I’ll probably get some acupuncture which will be a first. Yes, my wife flew with me on the weekends and we celebrated our anniversary on the wing of a plane. AirTran through us a catered dinner which was incredible. In regards to your last question, lets just say it was a lonely month.

FP: Oh, I hope you got a picture of the two of you on the wing…so cute!! I love the TP experiment…as I mentioned we use to do that too. What other fun things did you find to entertain yourself? Have you aisle surfed?

Mark: TP was the best. I just had no idea that so many others would share my enthusiasm. For fun during flights I played Bingo and Twister with passengers. I passed out ugly ties to dad’s on one flight for Father’s Day. Most of the dad’s wore them believe it or not.