Military pilots - G force?

Question

Hi I hope we are familiar with the term G (Force). I need to know the maximum G can a pilot withstand. Please quote the source too, I need to b sure onthis. Thanks guys

Answer 1

A pilot can withstand about 5G's sustained before the onset of unconsciousness. However, well trained pilots with the aid of G-protection suits can withstand up to 9G's momentarily.

If you really want to know more, you can read the USAF Flight Surgeon's guide:

http://wwwsam.brooks.af.mil/af/files/fsguide/HTML/Chapter_04.html

Answer 2

Depends!

Depends on the weight of the subject, depends on the g onset rate and the duration that one is under such force.

During normal combat manoeuvres you'd generally expect a pilot (kitted up with g-protection equipment and trained in breathing techniques) - to be able to withstand 9-10g for a relatively short duration during a dynamic manoeuvre.

For Joe Ordinary, without any protection - that will be about 5-6g. Do not forget about negative g force either - the human body can tolerate far more positive g than negative. Too much +ve g and the blood rushes from the head causing blackouts. It only takes just over -1g for blood to begin rushing TO the head - a term commonly known as "red-out".

I should also point out that in the event of ejection from an aeroplane, the pilot will initially be subjected to up to 20g!! Depending on the conditions during the egress, this can result in spinal injury.

Answer 3

I a midshipman training to be a pilot myself. My instructors (one a Lt. in the Navy the other a Capt. in the Marine Corps) told me that the Max for a regular person is 5. 3 G's will make a 180lbs person weigh 540lbs. Each body is different and there are techniques you can use to help counter the affects of G forces on the body. I have heard a rumor of a Blue Angels pilot pull 8!

Answer 4

While most people have heard of G-force, what most people don't realized is that there are two types of G-forces: Vertical G and Horizontal G.

As someone mentioned here, what an F-1 driver is experiencing is horizontal G. A human body can sustain, on an average ratio, 6G horizontally for every 1G vertically.

A combat fighter pilot can typically pull 4G to 7.5G vertically for about 11 seconds. A pilot can sustain a 9G pull for about 5 to 7 secs before going vertigo.

Answer 5

You are in for a lot of surprises. G Force endurance is not the monopoly of pilots.

OK, here are the records:
178 G (estimated) by David Purley, F1 driver.
46.2 G Col. John Stapp, Decelerating rocket sled.

How much you can withstand depends on your physical fitness and your approach to encounter the G force situation. The document pointed to in the second link (down) will give a good description of what you wanted to know.

Answer 6

I can't give you a definitive answer here, but I'm 200 lbs, and 2 g's would be like having a 200lb guy sitting on my lap, and 3g's would be like having another 200lb guy sitting on his lap sitting on my lap. On top of that, every part of your body weighs double at 2g's, triple at 3 g's and so on. Even your blood gets heavier and your heart has to work harder to pump it against the centrifugal force.

I'm thinking that at 9g's, feeling like I've got 8 200lb guys sitting on my lap, my heart struggling to pump blood to my brain, my arms weighing over 100lbs each, just sitting there would really suck, let alone doing all the tasks required to effectively fly a sophisticated combat aircraft.

There's also a time factor involved. A person probably could tolerate a few minutes at 3g's but only a few seconds at 9g's.

Answer 7

I have nothing to quote this on but I seem to remember something like 9 G's without a G suit, you loose consciousness. Try a search for human centrifuge G force.

Answer 8

Being in great shape and wearing G-suits specifically designed to aid in handling high G-forces.

Answer 9

Let me see, so if you weigh 200 pounds and you have 10 Gs then you would be withstanding 3000 pounds of weight. How much gs you can withstand depends on your weight.

Answer 10

9 G's is what I remember, from the History or Discovery Channel.
Some people it's more, others less.