Tuesday, April 15, 2014

"Is my hair still o.k." - 78 grandmother conquers her fear of flying by taking a roller coaster ride...

When it comes to trying something new, one grandmother proves you're never too old to start.
For Ria Van den Brand, a 78-year-old grandma from the Netherlands, knowing she was due to take her first ever flight, she was determined to conqeur her fear of flying by doing something a little closer to the ground.
She decided to head to a theme park and take her first-ever roller coaster ride, figuring if she could take the twists and turns that it had to offer, flying would smooth-sailing by comparison.

Starting out: An elderly grandmother from Holland took a ride on a high-speed roller coaster for the very first time to get over her fear of flying. Ria, 78, had a fear of heights but the coaster wiped those fears away
Starting out: An elderly grandmother from Holland took a ride on a high-speed roller coaster for the very first time to get over her fear of flying. Ria, 78, had a fear of heights but the coaster wiped those fears away
Upside down: The ride quickly gathers speed and flips 180 degrees
Upside down: The ride quickly gathers speed and flips 180 degrees
Laughing through life: Throughout the ride, the grandmother never stops smiling
Laughing through life: Throughout the ride, the grandmother never stops smiling

As part of phone company Vodafone's First ad campaign, Ria clambered aboard the white-knuckle ride with a spring in her step and a smile on her face.

She was accompanied by her granddaughter, Daisy, who was sitting off-camera, as they ride Formule X at Drievliet amusement park in The Hague, Netherlands.
Take it to the limit: A new ad campaign from European telecom provider Vodafone pushes people to experience something for the first time
Take it to the limit: A new ad campaign from European telecom provider Vodafone pushes people to experience something for the first time
Ria has the time of her life laughing and screaming her way through the thirty second thrill ride
Ria has the time of her life laughing and screaming her way through the thirty second thrill ride
Ria is from the Netherlands and has apparently found something new to love!
Ria is from the Netherlands and has apparently found something new to love!
The experience is over almost as soon as it starts, but throughout the ride, which took just 45-seconds, the smile didn't leave Ria's face once.
As the coaster twists and turns its way along, Ria laughed, smiled and screamed with what appears to be joy (though terror could easily have been mixed in!)
Her obvious enjoyment is wonderful to watch, particularly at the end of the ride, when she asks, 'How's my hair?'
The grandma closes the video by making sure she still looks good for the camera.
The Dutch grandma proves that there is no age limit on conquering your fears
The Dutch grandma proves that there is no age limit on conquering your fears
Incredible: As the ride draws to a close, the grandma asks if she still looks good for the camera
Incredible: As the ride draws to a close, the grandma asks if she still looks good for the camera
After the ride was all over, it was time for the big event with grandma Ria teaming up with another lady who had also never flown before.
An Bernaards, 71, also had a serious fear of flying and while Ria was riding her rollercoaster, Mrs Bernaards prepared to get airbourne by taking part in a flight simulator ride..
Grandmothers An Bernaards and Ria Van den Brand take to the skies for the first time in a private jet
Grandmothers An Bernaards and Ria Van den Brand take to the skies for the first time in a private jet
The two grandmothers, from the Netherlands, had never had the opportunity, or been too scared, to fly before
The two grandmothers, from the Netherlands, had never had the opportunity, or been too scared, to fly before
An, 71, had a fear of flying while Ria, 78, had never had the opportunity to fly because her husband had a fear of heights
An, 71, had a fear of flying while Ria, 78, had never had the opportunity to fly because her husband had a fear of heights
They have now taken their first plane trip in style however, travelling by private jet from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to Barcelona
They have now taken their first plane trip in style however, travelling by private jet from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to Barcelona
The women took their first plane trip in style, travelling by private jet from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to Barcelona.
Before the journey, An had revealed that she also had a deep-seated fear of flying.
She said: 'You wouldn't get me in one of those for any amount of money. I will just take the bus.'
Just before her 72nd birthday however she decided to take part in the trip.
She said: 'If I don’t do this now, I never will. Sometimes opportunities come by in life that you just have to take.'
Ria, on the other hand, had only travelled with her late husband who had a fear of heights.


Ria, 78, prepares for her first-ever flight by taking a rollercoaster ride
Ria, 78, prepares for her first-ever flight by taking a rollercoaster ride
An, 71, attempts to calm her nerves by taking a flight simulator ride
An, 71, attempts to calm her nerves by taking a flight simulator ride
An and Ria step onto the tarmac as they prepare to board their first-ever plane journey
An and Ria step onto the tarmac as they prepare to board their first-ever plane journey
Ria and An accepted Vodafone's challenge of taking their first-ever flight together, sharing an experience that left them close friends
Ria and An accepted Vodafone's challenge of taking their first-ever flight together, sharing an experience that left them close friends
She found a new travel companion when she was partnered with An through the programme, which helps people do remarkable things for the first time.
She said: 'I’ve now got this opportunity, but otherwise I don’t think I would have ever flown. This is so exciting.'
An and Ria's flight was captured on film as they marvelled at the beauty of the view from the jet's windows and enjoyed the Champagne on offer.
On an emotional videocall at the end of the flight, An tells her husband: 'It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it and the other lady’s so kind. It’s just like a dream.'

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