Pilot praised for revealing simple trick to cope with severe turbulence
A pilot has shared his simple "water bottle trick" for anxious passengers to cope with turbulence in the air.
Sydney-sider Jimmy Nicholson and his wife Holly recently shared a video of their bumpy flight with "horrible" turbulence that went viral on TikTok, after Jimmy shared his tips on how to cope with the anxiety.
In the video, his wife was filmed hyperventilating, and at one point even pulled out a sick bag. The couple held hands as other passengers were heard screaming during the wild turbulence.
“So we’re at the back of the plane so it’s worse here," Jimmy, who looked more calm than most passengers, said in the clip.
“It’s not comfortable, probably some of the worst I’ve been in. Could be widespread storms so pilots just have to pick their path of least resistance and go through it so nothing to worry about.
“Planes are built to withstand way worse. Not fun evidently, but completely fine.
“I’m a pilot and actually fly this aircraft type (Airbus). Here’s why you have nothing to worry about.”
For those terrified of turbulence, Jimmy suggested looking at the water inside an upside down water bottle.
“Water bottle trick: The water isn’t moving much, is it?” he said.
He added that if the water appears to be moving gently in the water bottle, then the turbulence feels worse than it actually is.
“Remind yourself it’s completely normal. The plane isn’t going to fall out of the sky,” he said.
The pilot suggested turning on the air conditioning and looking out the window to calm your nerves.
The video ended with passengers clapping after they rode out the turbulence, and the TikTok has been viewed over 2.4 million times, with many thanking Jimmy for his tips.
“This 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,” one wrote.
“Thank you for explaining this. I’m an anxious flyer and seeing you talk about it has helped," commented another.
“Thank you for this video. I saved it and going to watch it in my flights when I am frightened," wrote a third.
Images: TikTok/ Instagram