It is estimated there are more than 12 million people in the UK who suffer from a fear of flying.

This can manifest itself in many different ways – some people will fly and it will be an unpleasant experience but for others it can mean that they will never board a plane.

With the holiday season upon us, I went on Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear course to see if I could conquer my fear.

I have not always had a fear of flying but something changed about three years ago and now every flight is ruined by sickness, tears and real fear.

When I arrived at Gatwick Airport for Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear course I was nervous – and faced with 170 people with similar fears.

But I soon settled down when Paul Tizzard and Richard Conway, the course directors, gave a light-hearted introduction.

Then in groups of about 11, we all discussed our fears with one another – some people’s fears were so bad they hadn’t flown for years and one guy had actually caused a plane to return to the airport just as it was about to take off.

There was a session with psychotherapist, David Landau, who talked through strategies to overcome fear and common aspects of it, such as claustrophobia and turbulence.

A presentation from two Virgin Atlantic pilots, 'Dave’ and 'JJ’ followed.

They spent hours talking through how a plane works, safety aspects, mechanics and everything else we could think of, including clearing up several myths.

We were relived to discover there’s about 10 backup plans for every disaster you could possibly imagine.

David Landau then gave a relaxation therapy session.

I am quite sceptical about this sort of thing and if I’m honest the mechanical explanations were much more helpful, but most people I spoke to felt they would use the relaxation techniques.

The day ended with an actual flight to put our new found information to the test.

As we made our way over to the main part of the airport, I felt more relaxed than I normally would and everyone in my group felt the same.

We aimed for the back of the plane to give ourselves the most turbulent and bumpy seats we could – we wanted to really see if our fears had been conquered.

The pilot talked through everything that is happening and what all the noises mean during the flight to put minds at ease.

We were also lucky enough to have Dave the pilot sitting next to us and he reassured me no end.

I don’t think I will enjoy flying again but I now have the knowledge to keep calm and understand what is happening.

I feel confident I will be able to take my next flight without being ill and ruining it for everyone else and I would certainly recommend the course to anyone who has a fear – no matter how small it is.

The support you receive from everyone involved is fantastic.

If you want to find out more about Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear course, visit their website at www.flyingwithoutfear.info or phone 01423 714900