One of the world’s most experienced pilots has shed some light on the real reason behind the brace position used on planes.
We’ve all sat through a flight attendant’s rundown of the safety procedures while taxiing towards the runway, and a flip through of an airline’s safety card will give you a step-by-step guide of how to brace in an emergency.
It involves bending forward and placing your hands over your head, which has led many to wonder just how effective it would be in protecting you from something as major as a plane crash.
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So, the reason why we need to brace has always seemed like a mystery.
A particularly chilling and long-running rumor has circulated for years that the position is actually used in order to immediately kill passengers in the event of something catastrophic like a crash.
But finally, one pilot has put our questions to bed after explaining the meaning behind the position, confirming that the theory is false.
Nick Eades, who is the world's most experienced Boeing 747 pilot, spoke to LADbible, saying: “What you're trying to do is to stop people breaking their necks in a big impact.
“You're just trying to get the body into a position that's going to suffer the least damage.
“It's like whiplash - you're trying to avoid that sudden movement of the head, which can result in serious injury, if not death.”
However, real-life emergency situations have led to miscommunication about the position so Eades explained that cabin crew are no longer being trained to tell passengers to 'brace'.
He added: “I've had a couple where we had problems with the landing gear, and the cabin crew shouted to all the passengers 'brace, brace!'.
“Now, if you think about it, I would say at least half - probably three-quarters - of passengers on the aeroplane don't speak English as a first language.
“It took a long time for the aviation world to realise if you're suddenly thrown into an emergency situation and people start shouting 'brace' at you, you might think, 'what the hell do they mean?'”
According to the seasoned pilot, the term is becoming redundant, and cabin crew will replace it with a simpler phrase.
Eades explained: “They'll replace it with 'heads down, hands over your head.
“At least that gives somebody in probably the most stressful position they'll ever be in in their lives something to do.”
He’s got a point - and with the vital position protecting our necks during an emergency, it’s important everyone knows what it means.