Terrified by that sinking feeling on a plane during take-off? Well, understanding what's actually happening at take-off and why may help calm your fears.
In a viral post on TikTok, airline pilot Jimmy Nicholson (@jimmy_nicholson), who is based in Sydney, Australia, explained why it might feel like a plane is "falling out of the sky" at take-off, giving passengers that stomach-dropping sensation. The clip has had 1.8 million views since it was first shared on November 15, 2023.
Nicholson has been an airline pilot for 10 years and was featured as the bachelor in The Bachelor Australia in 2021 while he "was still down from flying due to COVID," he told Newsweek. He's been sharing aviation-related videos on his TikTok and Instagram (@jimmynicholson) accounts to "help people understand what is happening and why it's happening" and ultimately "help ease their nerves."
If you have a fear of flying, you're not alone. In a June 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology, a fear of flying was found to be prevalent among around 10 to 40 percent of people in the industrialized world
An April 2019 study in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance said that the "fear of flying is one of the most common phobias" and "even though flight traffic has increased, there are new fears."
The study, which looked at flight anxiety reported from 1986 to 2015, found that "turbulence, unknown sounds, and fear of terror attacks caused the most anxiety."
More women reported being afraid of both flying and other situations compared to men, according to the study.
Why Does It Feel Like We're 'Falling out of the Sky' at Take-Off?
Typically, there are two points during a take-off where "people freak out," which include the below, as outlined by Nicholson.
Thrust Reduction Altitude
The first part of the take-off is the "take-off thrust" stage, during which the plane barrels down the runway at a speed called V1. "This is the speed with which we will continue with the take-off no matter what happens," Nicholson noted in the TikTok video.
Once the plane reaches a safe altitude, meaning the thrust reduction altitude, the pilot then reduces the thrust (engine power) from "take-off thrust" to "climb thrust." This is done to help reduce wear and tear on the engines, fuel burn and noise, Nicholson told Newsweek.
The thrust reduction altitude is typically at around 1,000 feet but can vary and the minimum allowed is 400 feet. The plane has reached a safe height at this level and "if we were to lose an engine, the aircraft would still have sufficient performance to continue climbing safely to a height that would allow us to safely return to the aerodrome above any terrain," the pilot explained.
When we reach the thrust reduction altitude, the pilot reduces the thrust levers to the lower climb thrust setting. "Passengers may hear a reduction in engine noise [when the thrust is reduced] and think something bad is happening, which is not the case."
The plane then continues to climb out until it reaches the "acceleration altitude," the point when the aircraft transitions from the take-off speed to the climb speed, which is often 250 KTS [knots].
"At this point we drop the nose down a little and speed up. This nose drop may lead to a feeling that the aircraft is falling, which isn't the case. We are still climbing, just at a higher speed," Nicholson noted.
'Cleaning' the Aircraft Up
After the plane reaches its acceleration altitude, "we then clean the aircraft up," Nicholson said, which entails retracting "the flaps and slats" on the wings of the plane, which you can see happening if you're in a seat with a rear view of the wings.
The pilot explained that "flaps and slats allow us to fly at lower speeds and give us more lift, which is advantageous for getting the aircraft airborne (off the runway) at the correct point. When we bring in the flaps and slats, passengers may feel another sensation that the aircraft is falling."
Wondering where to sit on a plane to help reduce that sinking feeling? Nicholson noted that "sitting in a seat near the wings will lessen that dropping feeling but it will only be a marginal reduction," whereas for turbulence, "sitting at the front will feel like a smoother ride."
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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