Pilot Reveals How to Tell When Plane Has Cleared 'High-Threat Environment'

Get nervous when you hear those pinging sounds on a plane? These are nothing to worry about, but some do have "a little bit of an impact" on passengers, according to Kyle Koukol, a 29-year-old airline pilot based in San Francisco. In a viral video posted on September 28 from @dial_a_pilot—the TikTok account of Dial A Pilot, a company founded by Koukol—the pilot told Newsweek what the chimes you hear on a plane actually mean. Koukol said: "There are many sounds that occur throughout the flight, almost all are simple ways of communicating from the flight deck to the cabin crew that we are in a different phase of flight. Think climb out and descent." Koukol serves as a pilot on a Boeing 737 aircraft for a commercial airline. Dial A Pilot allows nervous flyers to book 15-minute calls with a pilot who can provide information to help ease their nerves about flying, according to the company website.

If you struggle with a fear of flying, due to unexplained sounds on planes or other reasons, you are certainly not alone. A June 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that the fear of flying is prevalent among around 10 to 40 percent of the industrialized world. Research published in April 2019 in the Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance journal noted that the "fear of flying is one of the most common phobias" and "even though flight traffic has increased, there are new fears." The study, which looked at flight anxiety reported from 1986 to 2015, found that turbulence, unknown sounds, and fear of terror attacks caused the most anxiety. More women reported being afraid of both flying and other situations compared to men, the study showed.

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What Do the Pinging Sounds on a Plane Mean?

Koukol says in the latest viral video: "Have you ever heard the chimes on board the airplane while you're flying and thought what the heck was that? Well, there's a lot of different reasons that we actually make chimes while we're flying." He told Newsweek: "The chimes are actually the same as a 'passenger call' light, and the flight attendants are able to discern what they mean based on a panel that they have at the front of the airplane. More often than not, a call from the flight deck to the cabin crew is for something as simple as asking for a cup of coffee." Dan Bubb is an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a historian and former airline pilot. He told Newsweek in January that, when the plane is on the ground, the "one ding" sound means the plane is cleared for takeoff. But when the plane is in the air, one ding means a passenger is paging a flight attendant.

Plane Has Cleared 'High Threat Environment'

One of the chimes that you hear on a plane that is very common does have a little bit of an impact on passengers, as it indicates the plane is climbing through 10,000 feet, the pilot said in the clip. Pointing to what appears to be an image of a control board inside a cockpit in the backdrop behind him, Koukol said in the clip: "We'll actually hit this switch right here. It'll make two chimes and that tells the flight attendant two things." One being that "we're above 10,000 feet, which means the Wi-Fi has been turned on," Koukol added. "Additionally, it means that the cockpit is now out of what we call a sterile cockpit." When the plane is below 10,000 feet, "we consider that to be what we call a high-threat environment." Koukol added: "Not to say that it's unsafe by any means. But we don't want undue distractions while we're operating down low. So, the flight attendants know not to call us, unless there is some safety of flight issue that's going on." Koukol noted: "Above 10,000 feet, they can call us for any reason. That's the reason why we make two chimes." Former pilot Bubb told Newsweek that "two dings" mean the plane is climbing through 10,000 feet and/or the pilots are asking flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing. A "whoosh" sound means "the landing gear is extending in preparation for landing," Bubb added. Several TikTok users were grateful to know what the chimes mean on plane in the latest viral clip. Deborah wrote, "I always wondered what this meant thank you sir...," while Loz posted: "Thanks very interesting." User hoovermill70 commented: "Appreciate knowing this. My ears somewhat tells me this!" IrishBrothaX2 wrote: "The chimes...or other any sounds....freak me out! This helps me, thank you." 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.