I’ve watched passengers on local flights in Nigeria shout and pray when an aircraft encounters air turbulence. Many of the prayers are loud and come in deluge and staccato forms: “Blood of Jesus! I shall not die! My God, my God! Save me! I bind the forces of evil! It’s not my portion!” All manner of shouts and prayers. Some engage in emergency speaking in tongues, uttering whatever comes to their mouths, believing God will hear them and save them.
Once the plane lands safely, as it will always do, some passengers take it out on the particular airline, castigating them and making all sorts of wild and unfounded assumptions. While we may not blame those who get terrified by turbulence, it’s essential to educate ourselves that turbulence doesn’t lead to air crashes. Pilots will tell you this.
Here’s what an experienced pilot says:
1. Turbulence is uncomfortable, not dangerous.
2. The airplane isn’t losing control; it’s simply flying through moving air exactly as it was designed to do.
3. Even during strong turbulence, the airplane usually moves only a few feet, and the aircraft is crafted to handle forces far beyond anything you ever feel as a passenger.
4. When turbulence starts, don’t tense your body. Let your weight sink into your seat and gently press your feet into the floor.
5. Press your hand on something solid – the armrest, the seat, or your thigh.
6. Match your breathing to the movement, not against it. Slow, long exhales tell your body there’s no emergency.
7. Try not to monitor every bump.
8. Pilots expect turbulence. They brief it. They see it on the weather data, and the airplane is built for it.
9. So, when the shaking starts, remember this: nothing is wrong, nothing is breaking, and nothing needs fixing.
10. Stay calm and follow instructions from the crew. Always remember to fasten your seatbelts at all times, even when the seatbelt sign is off.
Finally, if you spend time shouting prayers during turbulence, you’re putting yourself into an uncomfortable position. Staying calm and following instructions from the crew are more efficacious than shouting “blood of Jesus” repeatedly.
(c) Fred Chukwuelobe
