AC

Scott McKain has given a speech to a crowd of 25,000 people, a task that would set many a person's knees to knocking. But for McKain, public speaking isn't the scary part. "My biggest fear is getting on the plane going to the speech," says McKain, a business consultant and author, who, despite his jangly nerves, has to fly for a living. He says he's even switched flights at the last minute to avoid flying through bad weather. "I'd rather be in the middle seat in good weather than in first class in a thunderstorm," he says. McKain's not alone. According to the Valk Foundation, a Dutch institute focused on treating the fear of flying, 26 million Americans get the jitters at the thought of taking to the air. But many have no choice, especially when their job depends on it. "Most people think that those of us that fly for business have no issues getting into a jet," says Ron Goltsch, an electrical engineer in Parsippany, N.J., who has to fly all over the world despite his discomfort....