The course includes a deep dive into the mechanics and operation of an airplane. The day ends when the attendees — or at least those who didn’t leave early — board an actual plane for a real-life flight. As many as 40 percent of all airline passengers have at least mild apprehension about flying, experts say, and people with serious aviophobia fall roughly into two groups. About 20 percent have “an underlying anxiety that manifests as fear of flying,” said Douglas Boyd, an aviation researcher who runs a fear-of-flying course in Houston. Another 70 to 75 percent, he said, “think that something bad will happen to the plane — there will be a fire, the engine will fall off, the pilot is drunk, it’s going to crash.” (The rest have a hybrid of worries.)

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Persons: didn’t, ”, Douglas Boyd, “ Locations: Houston