Featured Image Credit: flyman_simon/TikTok
Topics: TikTok, Travel, Social Media
Ella Scott
A pilot has taken to social media to put anxious flyers at ease by explaining exactly what happens if a plane’s landing gear ever fails.
According to Better Health, roughly one in six people have a significant fear of flying.
Interestingly though, only around five percent of Americans suffer from aviophobia and completely avoid the mode of transport altogether.
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However, one long-haul pilot is trying to totally stamp out this fear by handing out tips and tricks of the trade.
Simon, who goes by his TikTok username @Flyman.Simon, is a Fear of Flying coach and regularly explains what would happen in dire scenarios.
In one of his latest videos, the aviation influencer discussed exactly what pilots would do if a plane’s landing gear failed to deploy.
Opening his video, the social media star said: “Well, first things first, they would stay calm.
“They’d put the power on, they cancel the approach, they fly away and they tell Air Traffic that there is an issue with the landing gear.
“They’d have to take up a hold - which is a racetrack in the sky - that buys us time to sit and fault find.”
He continued that the aviator would proceed to follow a checklist so that they could successfully rectify the fault.
Simon also revealed that all aircraft are actually prepared for this particular scenario, as they have excess fuel stored. This is so that they can be diverted to another airfield.
The TikToker, who has over 100,000 followers, went on to say that a switch from the first to the second landing gear computer usually fixes the problem ‘999 times out of 1,000’.
But if neither switch works, then pilots will use something called an ‘emergency gravity gear extension’. This is used to open the undercarriage beneath the plane.
However, if the doors fail to ‘lock and latch’, Simon revealed that all aircraft are actually just certified to land ‘without the gear down’.
“It can land safely - a bit nosier than normal admittedly, but that’s it.”
Following the TikToker’s video, fans have come out in their droves to thank Simon for his encouraging message.
One platform user wrote: “Thank you. Hearing you explain things is reassuring.”
“Your videos are (sic) really helping me book longer flights and being calmer on a plane. My first long haul is in the planning. Thank you for posting,” replied another.
A third commented: “Brilliant, keep this content coming it’s very interesting and helpful for us bad flyers.”