Airport worker stuns TikTok with video showing how airplanes navigate the runway

An airport ground crew worker is going viral after sharing the secrets behind how planes navigate the runway.

The clip, which shows the meaning behind the signals that ground crew members give to the pilots, is just the latest in an ongoing TikTok trend. Over the past several months, countless users have drawn praise for revealing details about their uncommon or fascinating jobs.

TikTokers have shared all kinds of experiences — including how tollbooth workers get to their posts, what it’s like to manage a hotel and how one user “accidentally” got a job at NASA.

This latest entry comes from user Cory Kleidosty (@corykleidosty). The TikToker’s page is full of wild facts about his life working on and around airplanes, but one video struck a particularly strong chord.

The clip, which now has more than 17 million views, shows a grounds crew worker signaling to an airplane on the runway. Meanwhile, Kleidosty’s captions reveal what those signals mean.

First, the worker spreads his orange wands out wide, an action Kleidosty says translates to “face me.” Then, they wave the wands back and forth, telling the airplane to go straight ahead.

Next, the worker slowly brings the wands together, telling the pilot they’re approaching the “stop line.” Finally, they cross the wands and then wave one horizontally, meaning “stop” and “cut the brakes.”

“This is how we do it,” Kleidosty captioned his post.

TikTok users seemed largely fascinated by the clip — and by Kleidosty’s job in general.

“The amount of power you have…” one user wrote.

“This is what TikTok is for,” another wrote.

“How do you not get scared?” another asked.

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