World's most experienced pilot reveals truth about why we use brace position on planes

Everyone's heard of having to use the 'emergency brace' position on planes but luckily, very few of us have ever had to do it.

The manoeuvre involves leaning forward and putting your hands over your head during a potential plane crash, but over the years, there've been a lot of conspiracies and rumours about its purpose.

One of the most popular claims is that it's designed to give passengers a swift death in the event of an emergency landing - which I think we can all agree is pretty bleak.

Luckily, very few of us have had to endure the 'brace' position when flying (Getty Stock Images)

So, LADbible previously spoke to Nick Eades, one of the world's most skilled pilots, to find out the truth once and for all.

Busting the myth, Eades - the world's most experienced Boeing 747 pilot - told LADbible: "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.”

Well, that's how it was meant to be used.

These days, the emergency commands have changed, as Eades told us cabin crew are no longer telling confused passengers to 'brace' should it all go wrong mid-flight.

He's one of the world's most skilled pilots (Nick Eades)

Now, the term is being demoted into simpler terminology, due to problems experienced in the past, says Eades.

"I've had a couple where we had problems with the landing gear, and the cabin crew shouted to all the passengers, 'Brace, brace!'" he recalled.

The word is even confusing for native English speakers, as Nick says: "At least half - probably three-quarters - of passengers on the aeroplane don't speak English as a first language."

However, with all the other plates they're spinning, it took the aviation world a while to realise 'brace' probably wasn't the best word to use in the situation.

The brace position is designed to save lives (Getty Stock Photo)

"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?'"

Gone are the days of the confused puppy dog eyes, as Eades explains the term will be replaced with, 'Heads down, hands over your head'.

Eades explains the decision had been made to ease the stress of passengers who are probably already 'the most stressful position they'll ever be in in their lives'.

So, should you ever (hopefully not) find yourself in an emergency situation onboard, there's now one less thing to worry about.