By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-31 20:45:59 | Updated at 2024-11-07 00:38:58
6 days ago
A pilot has revealed a few tips about how you can overcome your fear of flying - and how you should be thinking of turbulence.
Steve, an American Airlines pilot who goes by the username @aapilotsteve on social media, shared some guidance in a recent video posted to his TikTok account.
He began the video by explaining that there are tons of people who have a fear of flying, and that you're not alone in your discomfort.
In fact, according to a 2023 story by The Hill, about 40 percent of the U.S. population has a fear of flying.
'A lot of people have a fear of flying, and it's usually due to turbulence,' Captain Steve said in the beginning of the clip.
Steve, an American Airlines pilot who goes by the username @aapilotsteve on social media, shared how to deal with fears of flying in a recent video posted to his TikTok account
Steve began the video by explaining that there are tons of people who have a fear of flying, and that you're not alone in your discomfort
However, he assured viewers that going through turbulence is 'no big deal.'
'I want you to think of turbulence like a river,' he explained.
'A river has currents, sometime it's real smooth, like a lake, sometimes it's a little more rapid where the water picks up speed, sometimes it's really rapid, like whitewater rafting,' he continued.
Well, according to the pilot, the same thing occurs in the air's currents.
'They pick up speed, and sometimes they get a little bumpy, and that's when you feel that unease in the back of the airplane, when the airplane starts to bump,' he explained.
Captain Steve then offered a solution that can help your unease, and that is talking to the pilot before you take off.
'Next time, before you take off, and you're boarding the airplane, do this - ask the flight attendant if you can go up and visit the pilot,' the American Airlines captain suggested.
'Ask them about the route of flight, tell them that you're a nervous flyer, they'll put you at ease, they'll explain the route of flight, they'll explain any bumps,' he continued.
Pilot Steve then offered a solution that can help your unease, and that is talking to the pilot before you take off
He assured viewers that going through turbulence is 'no big deal,' saying, 'I want you to think of turbulence like a river'
'That reassurance will make all the difference next time you fly a jet airliner.'
In the comments section of his video, many voiced their fears and what they do to calm that voice down.
'Someone told me once it was like the plane is sitting in a bowl of jello and sometimes it wiggles, but it isn’t going to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Haven’t been scared since,' one person wrote.
Another agreed, 'I was able to talk to the pilot before leaving South Korea for Detroit. When we had turbulence and I heard her voice on the intercom I felt so much better. I still hate turbulence though.'
'I used to be scared. My friend's husband is a pilot and said "He wants to get home too". I haven't had an issue since,' someone else typed.
