A British Airways and Royal Air Force pilot has answered the most common questions from nervous flyers, including turbulence, flight safety and engine failure. Simon Tranter, with 18,000 flying hours across a 17-year RAF career and 25 years as a commercial pilot at British Airways, shared his insights. He is currently head of training at EmPower Flight.
Flying fills many with dread, and fear of flying, known as aviophobia, is widespread. It likely stems from the mind attempting to process an environment where it feels utterly powerless. Common concerns include whether turbulence can bring down a plane, if someone can open the cabin door mid-flight, what happens if the plane gets hit by lightning, and if budget airlines are less safe.
Are Budget Airlines Less Safe?
Simon explained: "In the aviation world, the price for your ticket dictates your legroom and whether you get a free sandwich – it has zero bearing on safety. Every single airline must adhere to the exact same stringent regulatory laws and safety standards. Budget airlines actually tend to fly younger fleets, equipped with the newest safety technology. They save money on business models, not on maintenance or pilot training."
Dan Bubb, a former commercial pilot who now delivers aviation courses at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, added: "Budget airlines are just as safe as more expensive airlines. All airline pilots are trained and held to the same rigorous standard, whether they fly a 15-passenger Beech 99 or a 400-passenger Boeing 747."
Can Turbulence Bring Down a Plane?
Simon said: "Aircraft are engineered to withstand forces far greater than anything nature can throw at them. Higher levels of turbulence can be uncomfortable, but generally, the most turbulence will affect a flight is intermittent, like driving slowly over cobblestones. If you don't have your seatbelt fastened, a sudden bump can cause you to spill your drink – that's one of the main reasons we ask you to buckle up."
Can a Passenger Open the Plane Door?
Simon explained: "It is physically impossible for a passenger to open the plane door because aircraft doors are designed as 'plug doors'. Due to the air pressure inside the cabin being much higher than the thin air outside at 35,000 feet, the cabin pressure effectively seals the door shut with thousands of pounds of force. You could get the strongest person on Earth, give them a crowbar, and they still couldn't open that door while we are in flight."
Dan continued: "In the past, we have seen passengers try to open the door, but they were unsuccessful."
Are Cabin Crew Trained to Hide Concern?
Dan explained: "Cabin crew are trained to handle emergencies with calm and discretion to avoid alarming passengers. Even though the situation might be stressful, pilots and flight attendants are trained to remain calm and keep passengers calm."
Simon added: "Cabin crew are primarily safety professionals and undergo rigorous, regular emergency training. If you look at a crew member and they look calm, it's because they are in control of the situation."
What Happens if Landing Gear Fails?
Simon noted: "This is something we practice to perfection in flight simulators. Aircraft have multiple backup systems to get the wheels down. If the main hydraulic system fails, we can use an alternate system, or even let gravity 'free-fall' the gear into place where it locks automatically. In the extremely rare event that the gear completely jams, planes are designed to land safely on their bellies. Fire crews might foam the runway, and the aircraft slides to a halt. It makes for a dramatic news headline, but it is entirely survivable."
What Happens if an Engine Fails?
Simon said: "Modern airliners are built with massive amounts of redundancy. If one engine fails, the aircraft is completely capable of climbing, cruising and landing safely on the remaining engine. Even if both engines were to fail, a plane does not suddenly drop but becomes a very large glider. From a normal cruising altitude, an airliner can glide for about 80 to 100 miles, giving us plenty of time to head for a safe runway and to re-start the engines."
Dan revealed he has personally witnessed an engine failure mid-flight during take-off while transporting passengers to the Grand Canyon: "We shut down the failed engine, declared an emergency and landed on the single, good engine without any problem."
How Likely is a Plane to Crash?
Simon stated: "Statistically, you are far safer in a commercial airliner than walking down the pavement or driving to the supermarket. The International Air Transport Association says there is one fatal accident for every 5.6 million flights. You'd have to fly every single day for thousands of years to statistically encounter an accident."
Dan added: "Given the rigorous training pilots undergo, the chance of a commercial passenger plane crashing is slim. You have much higher chances of getting into a car accident on your way to the airport."
Why Must Phones Be Switched Off During Take-off and Landing?
Simon explained: "The technical reason is that older phones used to occasionally cause a harmless but annoying 'click-click-buzz' sound in the pilots' headsets, similar to putting a mobile phone next to an old audio speaker. The real-world reason is that take-off and landing are the most dynamic parts of the flight. We need you alert and not looking at a screen, in case we need to give you important instructions."
Dan supported this: "Take-off and landing are the most critical phases of flight, which is why flight attendants are adamant about enforcing this regulation."
Can a Passenger Smash a Plane Window?
Simon responded: "No. The windows are made of incredibly tough, multi-layered aerospace acrylic, not household glass. They can easily withstand immense pressure and impact. If an outer pane were to crack, the inner layers are more than strong enough to hold the cabin pressure perfectly."
However, Dan noted it would be "difficult for a passenger to break a window" but referenced a 2018 incident where a window shattered due to an exploding engine, and a woman lost her life after being partially sucked out.
Is It Safe to Fly During a Storm? What About Lightning?
Simon said: "We don't fly through severe storms. Our onboard weather radar allows us to see them miles in advance and simply steer around them. If a plane gets struck by lightning, it's surprisingly uneventful. The skin of the aircraft acts like a protective shield. The electricity strikes the plane, flows harmlessly along the outside skin and through specific lightning conductors, and leaves through the tail. Passengers might hear a loud crack or bang, but the aircraft systems are built to handle it effortlessly."
In 2019, an aircraft arriving at Cardiff Airport from Ibiza was struck by lightning, and passengers described a "huge bang". The flight touched down safely with no injuries reported.
Are Bird Strikes Dangerous?
Simon said: "Most bird strikes happen at low altitudes when the aircraft is at slower speeds near airports, and the vast majority are entirely harmless. Aircraft engines and structures are specifically designed and tested to ingest birds without catastrophic failure. As a precaution, if we suspect a bird strike, we will always make an assessment of any possible damage and let our engineers give the plane a thorough inspection."
Nevertheless, Dan stated bird strikes "can be very dangerous", referencing the incident where Captain Chelsey Sullenberger landed his US Airways Airbus on the Hudson River after a flock of Canadian geese struck and disabled both engines.
What Happens if the Pilot is Tired?
Simon explained: "We have a very strict, no-blame safety culture called fatigue reporting. If a pilot hasn't slept well or feels unfit to fly for any reason, they simply log into the system and declare themselves unfit due to fatigue. The airline immediately calls in a standby pilot, no questions asked. There is absolutely no pressure to fly if you aren't at 100%."
How Much Does a Computer Fly the Plane?
Simon noted: "The autopilot is like a highly sophisticated cruise control on a modern car. It does the heavy lifting while the pilots manage the busy flight. However, the computer only does what we tell it to do. We manually fly the aircraft during take-off and generally during landing. The humans are always the ones making strategic decisions. Occasionally, the autopilot will land the aircraft, but only in situations of extreme fog when the aircraft is programmed for an automatic landing and the airport is specifically authorised."
What Prevents Pilots from Losing Concentration on Long Flights?
Simon said: "We have highly structured protocols to keep us engaged. We constantly monitor aircraft performance, the autopilot function, fuel logs, cross-check weather reports and communicate with air traffic control. On ultra-long-haul flights, we carry an augmented crew of three or four pilots. This allows us to take turns sleeping in dedicated pilot bunk beds, ensuring that the two pilots at the controls are always fresh and focused."
Is Flying at Night More Dangerous?
Simon said: "Not at all. In fact, at night the high-intensity lights of other aircraft and runways stand out perfectly against the dark background."
Have You Ever Spotted Another Plane Too Close?
Simon said: "Not in civil flying, but yes as an RAF fighter pilot! All commercial planes are fitted with a system called TCAS. It talks to other aircraft automatically, and if another plane ever wandered even slightly too close, our cockpits would warn us and tell us exactly what manoeuvre to fly to stay completely safe."
How Do You Become a Commercial Airline Pilot?
Simon explained: "It's a rigorous journey. It starts with strict medical clearance, followed by months of ground school training covering meteorology to aerodynamics. From there, you start in small, single-engine aircraft to master the basics, progress to twin-engine planes, and eventually step into full-flight simulators to learn the specific jet you will fly. After passing all simulator checks, you step into the real cockpit with real passengers, but you are already a fully qualified commercial pilot. You fly with a highly experienced training captain guiding you through real-world nuances until you are completely polished."
What is the Most Frightening Experience You've Had While Flying?
Simon said: "After many years flying fighter jets and as an airline captain, the thing that would raise my heart rate in commercial aviation is a very occasional turbulent and gusty crosswind landing towards the maximum crosswind component allowed. But after 44 years as a professional pilot, it's not overly difficult; it's simply a matter of following procedure. When something unexpected happens, fear doesn't enter the equation. Your brain instantly switches into 'training mode' and you calmly execute the checklist."
Dan revealed his scariest moment came when an engine failed during take-off while transporting passengers to the Grand Canyon. He said: "We shut down the failed engine, declared an emergency and landed on the single, good engine without any problem. Even though we appeared calm and collected, our adrenaline was pumping."
