10 August 2023 , 16:56
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Whether you're a nervous flyer or not, turbulence is an annoying fact of flying. For many, the only thing that bothers them about turbulence is that it may lead to them spilling their drink, but for others, it can be a real fear. However, a pilot has now shared a 'pothole' trick which can help travellers cope when turbulence hit.
Turbulence is just change in the air around the plane, but it can cause the aircraft to shake around, which can be very uncomfortable or scary for passengers. According to Australian plane pilot Jimmy Nicholson, one of the most common questions he gets asked is about turbulence.
In a recent TikTok video, the Sydney-born pilot explained: "Without fail, the most popular question I get asked is about turbulence. What is turbulence? Is it going to kill me? I'm scared of turbulence. Don't worry about it." He then explained how the 'pothole' trick can help people overcome fear of turbulence when flying.
Jimmy explained: "Let's give you an easy explanation. When we drive a car on a road, on a freeway, it's smooth, there's no bumps. There's a smooth ride. When you go off the freeway onto a road, maybe a dirt road, there's potholes. What happens? It gets bumpy. It's not comfortable for you or me. That's essentially what turbulence is, you're driving over potholes. The car will not fall through the pothole. You're going to slow the car down and you’re gonna go over the bumps."
If you want to experience less turbulence, for example because it's making you feel sick, Jimmy recommends sitting near the front of the plane. He added: "If you're at the back, it's gonna be a little bit more bumpy. Picture this. The rear of the aircraft will swing more, the front will swing less. So if you are scared of flying or feel sick when you experience turbulence, sit up the front of the aircraft - that would be my hot tip."
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Turbulence is nothing to worry about, explained Jimmy (jimmynicholson/Instagram)He also reassured travellers that the plane will never "fall out of the sky", and when it hits turbulence, the plane pilots will instead climb, descend, or wait it out until it stops. Jimmy explained: "You're all good. Turbulence is just an annoying thing that hopefully will only last for a matter of minutes. If you do feel sick when you're flying, look for a visual reference. So look outside the window and stare at the horizon and hopefully it will help you as well.
"Remember, you won’t be in turbulence for long. We will either climb, descend, or try and get you out of the turbulence. So if anything, it’ll be a couple of minutes and it’s annoying. But don’t worry, we’re not stressed about it."