Have you heard the term “pucker factor”?

I’ve been hearing it more and more as I read aviation books and listen to aviation podcasts.

I finally googled it,

“Pucker factor” is a military term used to describe the level of fear or stress someone experiences during a dangerous situation. It’s often measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level of anxiety. 

to see if it meant what I thought it did. It did:

The term refers to the tightening of the sphincter muscles in response to fear

I just don’t see myself embracing this term! As much as I love butt jokes…

Pilots often use the term to describe how tightly they grip the seat during stressful situations 

I’ll have to come up with something else to use.

TMYK!