One in five of us is scared of flying. It doesn't make life easy in a world increasingly reliant on air travel. But there are ways to conquer your fear, writes former aviophobe Nicole Buckler

In 1997, I was a passenger on a flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong, between two monsoons, that was so turbulent some baggage compartments flew open and spewed their contents across the passengers. The plane started a rocky descent into Hong Kong's old and now disused airport, but as the plane zoomed in the huge, creaky old aircraft hit a pocket of clear-air turbulence.

The plane lifted into the air as if it had been sucked into a black hole. Then it came to a complete stop, and the engines were silent. After about three seconds in suspended animation, the aircraft creaked and fell like a stone. All 300 people on board screamed in terror. After falling for another few seconds, the aircraft tipped to one side and everything that wasn't pegged down fell onto my side of the cabin.

I had the distinct misfortune of having a window seat and a clear view to the outside. I could see the ground coming closer. I remember bracing myself for the splat, as did everyone else. Suddenly, there was a huge thud as the aircraft stopped falling: a upwards surge of air appeared to have caught us before we really did go splat. Within another minute we were on the ground. The plane had (only just) landed in about 30 centimetres of water, and I am still not sure if it was a flooded part of the airport or the ocean that we waded through to get to the terminal in the still-raging monsoon.

I decided there and then never to fly again, but soon the practical limitations prompted me to seek help. I discovered that millions of others are terrified by flying. Global terrorism and increased air traffic mean fear of flying has become a serious phobia, capable of preventing large numbers of people from going about their lives.

If you are scared of flying, you're in good company. Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal's Dutch striker, is a well-known aviophobe. He is given a few extra days before European matches, to get to them by car or train. When the team are playing in the far reaches of the Continent, however, he has to bow out.

Some well-known people have been in plane crashes and survived, including Harrison Ford, Sandra Bullock and Patrick Swayze. The singers Aaliyah and John Denver were not so fortunate.

Agnetha Fältskog's profound fear of flying is said to have contributed to the break-up of ABBA. The actor Billy Bob Thornton is very fearful on flights, and Kim Jong-Il, the North Korean dictator and reputed former fighter pilot, is said to travel everywhere by train.

Of the estimated 1.5 billion of us who fly every year, 300 million are aviophobes, with women twice as likely as men to figure on the list. But you are more likely to be savaged by your dog than you are to be killed in a plane crash.

In fact, you're also more likely to die on the way to the airport, from being hit by lightning, by choking on a peanut or by fracturing your skull after falling out of bed.

That doesn't make fear of flying any less real, of course. Angela Eastwell, an Australian aviophobe, returned to Brisbane from Dublin without spending so much as a minute in the air. "I used just ferries and trains," she says. From Dublin, it was a ferry to Europe, then trains through Russia and on to Asia. "I ferry-hopped through the Indonesian islands and on to Darwin [in northern Australia\]. It was expensive and cost me a lot of time, but, like some people can't walk, I can't fly. I have accepted this."

One travel agent says she takes Rohypnol, a sedative, to knock herself out cold. This is a dubious solution: in an emergency, she'd sleep through any rescue attempt.

Of course, a burgeoning industry is cashing in on the apparently growing phenomenon of mid-air panic. There's no shortage of fear-of-flying courses, psychologists, hypnotists, online therapy, tape packs and cure-all remedies promising to banish the problem.

But a good starting point for reassuring aviophobes is to remind them of the statistics. A commercial aircraft cruising at 35,000 feet shouldn't be able to crash into anything, as it is six miles from the ground and at least 2,000 feet from other aircraft. Commercial aircraft crashes are rarely, if ever, due to turbulence.

So you can peel your fingers off the armrest when you start bouncing around the sky a bit. Flying has become a normal part of life. Giving in to your fear and avoiding planes altogether is no longer a realistic option. To lead normal lives, aviophobes need to face their fears head on. So get out there and get yourself cured, and I'll be seeing you in cattle class over stale peanuts.

Overcoming the fear of flying

Therapy "Mostly any fear, no matter whether it is about snakes or spiders or getting on an aeroplane, is about not being in control of the situation," says Dr Paul Kelly, a clinical psychologist. "It's like driving a car: as the driver you feel a lot more confident. If a passenger has no control over the situation, it can make them feel very anxious. One way to counteract this can be to continually overexpose them to the environment that makes them anxious. But flying every day is a very costly way to overexpose yourself to your fear. So there is no problem prescribing drugs, as long as they are not being prescribed regularly."

Drugs Serotonin specific re-uptake inhibitors, such as Xanax, stop the neural storm that comes with a panic attack. And once aviophobes have a few good flights using the medication, they can associate air travel with feeling calm.

Self-help The Internet is a good resource, although pop-up ads can try to sell you outrageously priced remedies. Try visiting www.fearofflyinghelp.com, a free online course written by a pilot with years of experience. Similar sites sell books and other materials. You can buy a pack for about €70 from www.fearlessflying.com.

Hypnosis Hypnosis is said to deal with many phobias and bad habits. A session costs about €60, and you may need two or three. They aren't guaranteed to work.

Courses Aer Lingus runs a course with Dr Maeve Byrne-Crangle. Held at Dublin Airport and costing €825, it consists of two appointments a week for several weeks, then a short "graduation flight". In the UK, Aviatours (00-44-1252-793250) runs a one-day course at Heathrow Airport for £215 (300) or for £189 (€265) at Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. The price includes a graduation flight.

Avoidance The worst "solution" is to avoid flying. Shipping networks will often take passengers. One that advertises passenger tickets is NSB Freighter Cruises (00-44-20-77232450). Its trip to Australia from Europe takes almost three months, but you get to stop in Singapore and elsewhere along the way. It will also take you from Europe to the US.