Dad jokes
Pilot Pulls Zero-gravity 'prank' On Sleeping Pals Midflight: 'People Getting Floated'
What a couple of airheads.
A pilot is facing backlash online after pulling a controversial "zero gravity" prank on several female passengers, as seen in an Instagram video with 45 million views.
"Zero gravity is safe and a fun type of thing to do with friends when done correctly," pilot and flying instructor John Robert Nelson wrote in the clip's caption.
The flyboy regularly posts clips detailing his time in the friendly skies for his over 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Pilot John Robert Nelson is facing backlash online after pulling a controversial "zero gravity" prank on several female passengers, as seen in an Instagram video with 45 million views.For his latest stunt, Nelson decided to seemingly punk two female passengers by making them float in flight.
In the footage, the two headset-sporting gal pals are seen seemingly sleeping without seatbelts in the back of a small aircraft.
All of a sudden, the jokester maneuvers the plane such that the pair rise upwards out of their seats, and hit the jet's ceiling a la the floating scene in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
The clip concludes with the two women floating back down to their seats while laughing uproariously over their ridiculous predicament.
For the uninitiated, Zero-G environments are created when pilots fly a plane in a parabolic arc, in which they point the nose of the plane upward and then downward after reaching a certain altitude.
When the plane hits the central peak of the parabola, passengers experience weightlessness for around 20 seconds, similar to an astronaut in space.
Nelson insisted in the clip's caption that the levitation trick was "fun" and "safe" and urged people to follow him if they wanted to see "more people getting floated."
Needless to say, the Instagram-verse felt like he didn't appreciate the gravity of subjecting passengers to a Zero-G environment.
The Zero-G prank mimicked the weightlessness experienced by astronauts in space. Instagram/its.Pilotjohn"No seatbelts in a plane is actually insane," said one commenter.
Another listed potential mishaps that could occur due to the prank, which they claimed included everything from head injuries to inadvertently interfering with the flight controls should the passengers fly to the front.
"Stuff pilots do for attention that can make the rest of us look stupid if something bad happens," the critic fumed.
John Robert Nelson (pictured) frequently posts videos detailing his life in the friendly skies. Instagram/its.PilotjohnHowever, many viewers felt that the stunt was clearly fake and that so-called victims were in on it.
"So many Karen 'pilots' in here," scoffed one. "Not dangerous and staged. They knew it was coming. Just having a little fun. Get a life."
"The fact that they immediately started smiling … clickbait lol," declared another.
Others accused Nelson of violating Federal Aviation Regulations, which he addressed in a follow-up video on Instagram.
In it, the pilot claimed that the allegations of "careless or reckless operation" of an aircraft — one of many several violations of which he was accused — were erroneous given that he wasn't "endangering" the women's lives or jeopardizing the airplane.
"They're simply floating up, floating down, I'm not overstressing the aircraft," Nelson declared.
He also argued that their lack of seatbelts was fine, citing the fact that belts are only required for taxi, takeoff, and landing.
Lastly, Nelson refuted the notion that he liked to break FAA rules just to "create content," claiming: "The reason they're able to have fun in the back is because they know I'm being safe about it. I'm making sure we have plenty of altitude and that there's no traffic around us."
"I like to be safe and have fun and I hope you guys can see that in the video," he said.
A Boyfriend's Prank On His Girlfriend Exposes What People Still Find Funny
News Corp Australia uses software that manages crawler bot traffic on our websites. If you receive this message and are not a crawler bot (and are just a reader or subscriber), please try these steps first:If you still need to be unlocked as a reader, subscriber or crawler bot, please e-mail us at accessissues@news.Com.Au and provide the IP address and reference number shown here along with why you require access.
Your IP address is: 167.71.87.121Your reference number is: 0.6c24c317.1708986139.Cf5077de
News Corp Australia.
Pilot's 'Zero Gravity' Prank On Friends Sparks Debate
A video of passengers floating out of their seats during a moment of "zero gravity," a state of weightlessness, on a flight has gone viral on Instagram.
The clip was posted by John Robert Nelson (@its.Pilotjohn), who is a pilot and flying instructor. The video has had 45.3 million views since it was shared on February 7.
The footage shows two people apparently asleep while seated in the back of what appears to be a four-seat aircraft.
The two women in the back don't appear to be wearing seat belts. The pilot is seen smiling as the two passengers, as well as their phones and some objects in a space just behind them, are later seen floating up from the seats. Their heads touch the ceiling of the aircraft as they are shown laughing before they drop back down into their seats.
A caption shared with the post reads: "Follow me if you want to see more people getting floated. Zero gravity is safe and a fun type of thing to do with friends when done correctly :)."
What Is Zero Gravity and How Is It Created?Zero gravity, also known as microgravity, refers to objects in a state of free fall.
This weightlessness is experienced by astronauts and many mistakenly think gravity, the force that holds us to the ground, doesn't exist in space. However, if an astronaut were to drop an apple in a space station, it would actually fall at the same rate as the astronaut as well as the space station.
"Because they're all falling at the same rate, objects inside of the station appear to float in a state we call 'zero gravity'…or more accurately microgravity," the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) says.
An object in free fall drops "faster and faster, accelerating with exactly the acceleration due to gravity," NASA explains.
Zero gravity conditions in a plane can be created by flying the aircraft in a parabolic arc, pointing the nose of the plane upward and later pointing it downward after reaching a certain altitude.
Passengers experience zero gravity for around 20 seconds when the plane is in the central peak portion of the parabola formed by the aircraft's path.
'So Cool' vs. 'Not a Funny Way To Be Woken Up'Some users on Instagram expressed concerns about the latest viral clip, claiming the pilot may have been breaking government air safety regulations.
In another video, Nelson addressed these concerns.
Regarding regulations around "careless or reckless operation" of aircraft, Nelson said: "I don't think you can watch this video and think that I'm endangering somebody's life. They're simply floating up, floating down, I'm not overstressing the aircraft," noting that the passengers they would be "slamming the ceiling," if he were overstressing the plane.
Addressing rules around seat belts, Nelson said "the seat belts are only required for taxiing, take-off and landing," noting that he is wearing his seat belt to be sure he stays in control while maneuvering the plane.
"The reason they're able to have fun in the back is because they know I'm being safe about it...Making sure we have plenty of altitude and that there's no traffic around us..." he said.
An illustration shows a woman appearing to float in a horizontal position against the backdrop of an aerial view over land. A video of passengers floating inside a plane after a pilot's "zero gravity" prank... An illustration shows a woman appearing to float in a horizontal position against the backdrop of an aerial view over land. A video of passengers floating inside a plane after a pilot's "zero gravity" prank has gone viral on Instagram. More Photo-illustration by NewsweekThe latest clip has sparked debate among users on Instagram, with several amused by the footage.
"So cool!" user bassman363 wrote, while malakspoparazzi said: "Omg thats soooo FUN."
User zuluyankee_ noted: "Reverse G force wake up feature."
Another user, aubie_lyn, said: "I LOVE THIS so wholesome."
Others didn't find it as funny, such fred_cooks_with_wood who said: "I've never experienced a stall especially not in the back seat but I feel like it's not a funny way to be woken up. Although I'm not sure I could fall asleep in a plane."
User grant22ryan said it was: "So dangerous."
"Incredibly stupid thing to do," szablyajanos noted.
User thereflex70 asked: "Why was I nervous that glass panel wasn't secured?"
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via Instagram. This video has not been independently verified.
Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.Com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Comments
Post a Comment