A Pilot’s Done A Huge QA About Flights Including How To Spot When Mad Turbulence Is Coming

A pilot has hopped on Twitter to answer a heap of burning questions folks have about flying and the miraculous yet horrifying nature of those big metal birds we rely on to take us places. The highlight of this little Q&A however is a bit of tea on how to spot if your flight is going to be hit with some wild turbulence. Dave Wallsworth

on Twitter

Bad to me is when we have to get passengers to sit down and fasten their belts. Really bad is when we have to get the crew to do the same. We will always do our best to minimise time in bad turbulence and yes, we get reports from other aircraft around us.

— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) January 24, 2023

Not scared but I’ve had turbulence/wind shear which has meant we have had to do something immediately to correct/deal with the situation. I’m always more concerned about the well-being of the passengers and crew rather than being worried about the aircraft. It will be fine.

— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) January 24, 2023

The more passengers that do this the less likely they are to interfere with aircraft systems. Imagine 500 mobile phones all searching for a signal at the same time! That’s a lot of activity on the airwaves. We know we will never get everyone to comply, but the more the better.

— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) January 24, 2023

Lots of pixie dust is required when taking off at higher altitude airfields as the engines produce less thrust. Not unusual to have to do a full power takeoff out of places such as Johannesburg and São Paulo, for instance.

— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) January 24, 2023

It won’t drop out of the sky! Regulate your breathing. That’s the biggest tip I can give. Distraction always works well. And remember the pilots want to go wherever they are landing too! Either to go home or go out for a meal/drink. We all have a great sense of self-preservation!

— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) January 24, 2023

Yes. For longer flights we carry one or two extra pilots, depending on length of flight. We have rest ‘bunks’ where we can get some sleep. There are always 2 pilots flying at any time.

— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) January 24, 2023

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(known as Captain Dave ) has been a pilot for British Airways for more than 30 years now. According to him, he’s been commandeering planes up in the sky for over 21,000 hours. That’s almost two and a half years spent in the sky, and here I am frightened by my 55min flight to Canberra (is it the flying or the destination — I can never tell). Captain Dave decided to share some of his wisdom with the rest of us in a Q&A and if you’re anxious about flying, his words will actually give you a sense of calm. Strap in folks and please open your windows — every question you’ve ever had about planes is probably about to be answered. First up, some tea about turbulence. According to Captain Dave, if you see the cabin crew putting their seatbelts on, that’s when you know things are about to get CHOPPY. Although wild turbulence isn’t common, Dave says the pilot’s main worry is for the safety of the passengers, not the aircraft. Well, that’s a relief! Other questions he answered included why TF passengers are required to switch their phones to “airplane mode”. As a hot and sexy model citizen who would never disobey a command, I’m always too afraid that if my phone isn’t on airplane mode the whole plane is going to take a direct flight straight to Hell. According to Captain Dave however, airplane mode really helps the pilot! A+ for my flying etiquette I guess. “He was a pleasure to have in the plane,” the pilots will say. Captain Dave also answered a query about “full power takeoff”, which is what my boyfriend has to do when I demand a piggyback ride to the kitchen for a snack. And then there was a question about looooong descensions and whether the pilot sleeps. My brain is positively teeming with flight facts now. Next time I hit the skies I reckon I’ll be calm as a rock. A rock that’s flying across the oceans. So basically a meteor. I’ll be calm as a meteor…