Latest news with #Cappio
Newsweek
23-06-2025
- Newsweek
Pilot Reveals What Those 'Dings' You Hear After Takeoff Really Mean
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A pilot on TikTok has explained what all the "dings" mean when your plane is taking off and landing in a viral video. Peter Cappio, a New York City-based pilot with the handle @ drew more than 2.1 million views of his video within five days, in which he said that the dings are, "nothing to be scared of," and are, "very, very normal procedures on most every airline." 'Sterile cockpit' According to Cappio, the dings happen when pilots are climbing through or descending through 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). For pilots, the 10,000-foot marker is an important one. Stock image: Airline pilot gives a thumbs up gesture. Stock image: Airline pilot gives a thumbs up gesture. Photo by Svitlana Hulko / Getty Images "10,000 feet is a significant altitude in the aviation world and signifies when you're in and out of sterile cockpit," Cappio said. "Sterile cockpit is when the pilots are only supposed to concentrate on the particular flight and only conversations that are required for the flight, meaning no small talk, no looking out the window, no doing anything, but focusing on the task at hand." The dings are for flight attendants, letting them know when they need to handle things on their own for a bit. Cappio continued: "If there's something that happens in the cabin that they need to alert the pilots on, for example, if someone takes out a vape or something like that, is it critical for them to know at that time?" 'Critical phase of the flight' According to Cappio, pilots are "super busy" with air traffic control procedures at the time. "It's a critical phase of flight," he said, "So they double-ding the flight attendants, let them know, 'Hey, we're no longer in sterile. "If you need to call us to just say hi, or check up on us, see if we want coffee or snacks, or let us know that the person in 15B smells, whatever it may be, that's the time to do it. "But not before those double chimes and not after those double chimes when we're coming into landing." 'Fear of the unknown' In an email to Newsweek, Cappio said people generally keep their concerns about flying to themselves but, "media coverage, social media [and] fear of the unknown," all play a role. "People don't know/understand flying, planes [and] pilots, so that scares them," he added. Cappio said he has started a counseling service where passengers can book time with him and talk about their concerns about an upcoming flight. "Flying is safe and if they want a more behind the scenes look to see what it's like so it's less scary, follow me," he said. 'We chill' TikTok users generally appreciated the insights, amid more than 1,200 comments. "I always thought it was a notification that snacks are coming soon," one person quipped, to which Cappio responded: "That too!" "My anxiety is maxed out until I hear those first two dings and then I immediately relax," an individual shared. "I like knowing the flight attendants are moving around and you turned on the WiFi—it gives 'we chill' vibes." Other users, however, had some advice for pilots. An air traveler wondered: "Do pilots know that when they speak to us, their mic is often turned down too low and we can't hear them?"
New York Post
23-05-2025
- New York Post
I'm a pilot — here's the disastrous truth about flying out of Newark Airport
It's just a plane pain. Delays, cancellations and air-traffic trauma. The plagues have all contributed to the ongoing chaos of flying out of Newark Liberty International Airport. And, unfortunately, this dreamy wingman says the nightmare is far from over. 5 Pilot Pete Cappio shared his first-hand experience with the long lines, wait times, flight delays and cancellations that have recently plagued New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport. Getty Images 'Holy cow, is that a disaster,' griped pilot Pete Cappio, a Big Apple-based aviator and 'Bachelorette' alum, of his recent departure from the NYC-area air station. Offering his 183,000 TikTok viewers a sneak peek at the plane pandemonium, Cappio, 35, shared visuals featuring a cluster of aircraft waiting to take off from Newark's tarmac. But smooth sailing out of the airport — deemed a 'travel hellhole' by frustrated frequent flyers over the past few weeks — has become virtually impossible. The disarray is largely due to a string of air-traffic control outages, construction issues and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee walk-offs. The ongoing tumult forced the FAA to announce a dramatic cut to the number of flights permitted to come in and out Newark for the next several months. 5 Cappio warned jetsetters traveling into or out of Newark to expect delays and cancellations. REUTERS 5 Newark Airport has been in turmoil since a 90-second power outage in late April. REUTERS 5 Cappio says his plane was 27th in line to depart from Newark Airport due to a closed runway. Getty Images Luckily for Cappio, endearingly known as 'Pilot Pete' online, he made it out by the hairs of his chiseled chin. 'Here's a live look at how many airplanes I had to wait behind prior to takeoff,' the millennial moaned in his viral vid. 'We were No. 27 for takeoff, and that's for multiple reasons,' he continued, adding that the 'biggest' blockage was a closed runway undergoing reconstruction. 5 Cappio gave social media fans a glimpse at the 'disastrous' traffic on Newark Airport's runways. TikTok / @ 'Every airline has to take off and land on a parallel runway, and it causes a backup bigger than I've ever seen before at Newark,' complained Cappio. 'Unbelievable,' he said. 'It took us 57 minutes, from push back to takeoff, behind all these airplanes.' Still, the airman applauded Newark's few remaining air traffic controllers for doing their best under some of the worst conditions. 'Excellent job,' he raved. 'Super, super skilled getting airplanes airborne as quickly as possible while dealing with airplanes coming in to land.' Cappio went on to assure trippers that catching a flight to or from the beleaguered hub is 'super safe,' but advised folks to 'expect delays' and 'possible cancellations.' 'Crazy, crazy happenings at Newark Airport.'
