A video of a jet blast, which shows people getting knocked out of their feet due to sheer force, is creating waves on social media. As per Aviation File, a blog dedicated to all things aviation, a jet blast is the “effect created by the thrust force that comes out from the back of the engines of an aircraft”.
The video posted by the popular Twitter account ‘Breaking Aviation News & Videos’ (@aviationbrk) shows a group of people loitering near a runway boundary as a SAS Scandinavian airline plane gets ready to take off. When the plane takes off, the forceful gusts of air that come from the aircraft’s engines force a few people to fall down, as others try to maintain their footing.
Jet blast is real folks! 😯✈️
📹 avgeekcal pic.twitter.com/CAWg5Yi4Qi
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 23, 2023
A Twitter user wrote, “Must admit I was advised to move my car at Farnborough Air Show to another part of the car park. Helpful steward said that’s not a static display, when it starts up your car will melt….. Stay well away folks! Sound advice!” Another person wrote, “I’d still do it. Wear googles though. ”
People often visit places like Maho Beach in Sint Maarten Beach in the Netherlands which is very closely to the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport, to experience the force of jet blasts and to see an aeroplane fly very close to them.
Another such location is the Skiathos Airport in Greece where people gather near a public road that is close to the runway. In July 2022, The Greek Reporter reported that a 61-year-old woman sustained serious injuries after she was knocked out off of a ledge due to a jet blast.