Topics: Pilot, TikTok, Travel, World News
A pilot has finally answered the question we've all been dying to know - if we should be clapping when the plane lands.
Captain 'Steeeve' digs up all the dirt on what life is like as a high-flying pilot to his 311,000 TikTok followers, but one viral video has caused quite a stir amongst frequent travellers.
You might have experienced the phenomenon before - when a whole cabin of passengers appear to burst into applause, without discussing the event beforehand, the minute the wheels of the jet safely hit the runway.
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And while for some it's a celebratory way to kick-start your vacation and say a well-deserved thanks to the cabin crew, others may be nervous to get involved or just find it all a bit unnecessary.
But what do the staff onboard really think about it?
Captain Steve has finally revealed 'the truth' on whether the clapping is welcome among pilots, or if it's a distraction.
First of all, he reveals pilots can't really hear the commotion from the snug of the cockpit.
He said: "[T]here's a lot of variables that go into this.
"First of all, when we're touching down we're kind of focusing on the runway out ahead.
"There's also a door behind us that's kind of a bulletproof door, some of them are about two inches thick and they're completely soundproof.
"And then there's the pulling the engines into reverse and that makes a lot of noise up here in the flight deck as well."
However, that's not to say we should land in silence and pass up the opportunity to show our appreciation for the talented crew in getting us to our destination in one piece.
The famous pilot said while he can't 'really' hear it, he went on to say we should still 'absolutely' give a healthy round of applause - and suggested it's much like sending your compliments to the chef when dining in a restaurant.
"If you think it's a great landing, everybody should applaud. Why? Because I hear about it later," he said.
"The flight attendants will invariably tell me, 'Hey, guess what, Captain? They applauded you for your landing.'"
This apparently fills with him with joy, as Steve continued: "I can't tell you how much that thrills me, right. That's all I really live for these days is a compliment on my landing or some applause from the passengers.
"So if you think it's an old fashioned thing and you're afraid to do it, go ahead, let it rip.
"Everybody else will start clapping, too. They feel the same way, especially with a good landing."
As for a bad landing, he joked: "Ah, don't say a thing. I don't want to hear about it."
However, travellers in the comments appear to have a mixed opinion on the matter.
"Nobody claps when I do my job," wrote one disgruntled follower.
Another joked: "I applaud because I'm just so happy to be alive."
However, many more said they always like to clap to say thanks and show 'respect.'
Hitting back at a non-clapper, one comment read: "The pilot [gets us] there safe. Have some respect for people's hard work."
"I always yell 'thank you' into the cockpit when deplaning," said another. "Sometimes i get a 'you are welcome.'"
"When landing... you know you're gonna live another day, so big applause to the pilots," a third comment read.
Well, seen as keeping our pilots happy is most definitely a good idea, you know what to do.
