People can’t believe ‘crazy’ reality of how fast planes fly after seeing video of two crossing
People have been left baffled over just how fast planes fly after seeing two passing one another.
You never know how fast you're travelling in a plane until you see something like this, and many have been left wishing they hadn't after seeing a viral clip on social media.
If you didn't know, planes are quick - seriously quick.
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You can't really tell when you're on one, because - as any physics whizz will tell you - motion is relative.
The cruising speed of a Boeing 737 - the world's most common commercial aircraft - is approximately 490-525 mph, which is more than seven times the legal motorway speed limit in the UK.
To many, these are just numbers on a screen that might look impressive, but seeing it in person is completely different.
This is why a clip posted on TikTok by user @colemayo2 of two planes flying past each other has gone viral.
Cole Mayo states that he is a 'Real Estate Realtor' and a 'USAF Boom Operator' in his account bio.
The latter is what got enabled him to get the video, because as a US Air Force Boom Operator, he is responsible for refuelling other military aircraft safely and effectively, mid-flight, stationed at the back of the plane.
It sounds daunting, but the view he gets on the job according to the video is something to behold.
In the clip, he films what looks to be a C-130 military plane zoom past just 1,000ft (304m) below the plane he is in, which - according to his hashtags - is a KC-137, a larger military plane that is primarily used to refuel other planes.
With over 9.5 million views on the social media app, it's fair to say it caught many people's eyes.
If you thought the C-130 was quick, it has a cruising speed of *just* 410 mph, which means it's almost 100mph slower than the average commercial plane.
It's shocking to think, but I guess you would rarely ever see another commercial airplane fly in the opposite direction to you at such a close proximity, unless you were in the military.
People were in disbelief after seeing the clip online, leaving their thoughts in the comments.
One said: "It’s crazy because when you’re actually inside a plane it feels so slow."
Another commented: "It's crazy how there are 100,000 flights everyday around the globe, we think sky [sic] is clear but it's actually like a road"
A third put: "I like how this video puts their speed into perspective."
A different user explained: "That’s relative velocity for you. If both planes are moving at 500 mph, you experience the other plane moving at 1000 mph."
The more you know, eh?
Joshua Nair