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Picture this: you\u2019re enjoying your pack of Walkers crisps and coffee as you cruise at 38,000 feet looking forward to stepping off the plane into a wave of heat.<\/p>\n
But then the plane hits some turbulence and your coffee and nerves go flying \u2013 that\u2019s what happened on the Mallorca flight which made headlines this week.<\/p>\n
Turbulence ,while a little terrifying, is not uncommon. In all, about 65,000 flights encounter moderate turbulence every year, and about 5,500 encounter severe turbulence,\u00a0according to the National Centre for Atmospheric Research.<\/p>\n
And for those of us nervous flyers out there, trying to remain calm while the aircraft is thrown about is pretty difficult.<\/p>\n
But one pilot revealed a clever hack, involving just a water bottle, to help steady the nerves during rough turbulence after he filmed himself on a flight which was encountering that exact problem.<\/p>\n
In a soothing voice Jimmy Nicholson, the off-duty pilot, said: \u2018This is some of the worst turbulence I\u2019ve ever felt. It\u2019s a short flight but it\u2019s not comfortable.\u2019<\/p>\n
Horrible turbulence on our flight today. Im a Pilot and actually fly this aircaft type (Airbus). Here\u2019s why you have nothing to worry about #pilot #turbulence <\/p>\n
Other passengers can be heard screaming in the background while Jimmy held his wife Holly\u2019s hand and talked viewers on TikTok through the reasons why there was nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n
He said: \u2018Remind yourself it\u2019s completely normal. The plane isn\u2019t going to fall out of the sky\u2019.<\/p>\n
The pilot then held up a half drunk water bottle to prove that, while the plane felt like it was being thrown about, in reality the water in the bottle wasn\u2019t moving that much.<\/p>\n
This means the plane is a lot steadier than you think it is and by looking at the water this can help to steady the nerves.<\/p>\n
His advice has garnered over 11.4 million views on the social media app and the tip is in a similar vein to the viral jelly hack a vlogger shared to demonstrate the impact of turbulence. <\/p>\n
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Essentially you imagine the plane is in jelly and it therefore can\u2019t fall out of the sky due to turbulence because there is pressure coming from all sides.<\/p>\n
Jimmy also said that fresh air and looking out the window can really help \u2013 although he didn\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n
He added: \u2018We\u2019re at the back of the plane, so it (the turbulence) is worse here. It\u2019s not comfortable. It\u2019s probably some of the worst I\u2019ve been in. <\/p>\n
\u2018It could be widespread storms, so they just have to pick the path of least resistance and go through it. But, also there\u2019s nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n
\u2018Planes are built to withstand way worse. It\u2019s not fun evidently, but completely fine.\u2019<\/p>\n
Best place to sit on a plane if you hate turbulence #pilot #piloto #pilotsoftiktok #turbulence <\/p>\n
TikTokers were grateful for the advice commenting \u2018this was actually very reassuring to be honest\u2019 and \u2018this helps so much! We need more pilots to post about the stuff the rest of us think will be the last minutes of our lives\u2019.<\/p>\n
The pilot was well placed to offer advice since he actually flies that particular type of aircraft \u2013 an Airbus \u2013 and he even suggested where passengers should sit on the plane so the turbulence is less severe.<\/p>\n
Jimmy said: \u2018If you sit at the front of the aircraft you are going to experience less turbulence. If you\u2019re at the back it\u2019s going to be a little bit more bumpy.<\/p>\n
\u2018If you do feel sick when flying, look for a visual reference, so look outside the window and stare at the horizon.\u2019<\/p>\n