Performance and Physiological Effects of Acceleration-Induced (+Gz) Loss of Consciousness

摘要

Flight profiles flown in today's aircraft routinely introduce the pilot to G levels above individual tolerances, especially with the acceleration stresses imposed by air combat maneuvering. This place the pilot in a situation where loss of consciousness (LOC) could occur with little or no warning and of which he may not be aware did occur, even after he regains consciousness and recovers the aircraft. The objective of this study is to determine how well and soon a pilot can regain control of an aircraft if he accidentally loses consciousness while in a high-G maneuver. A secondary objective is to determine how much warning time a pilot has from peripheral light loss (PLL) until he experiences LOC. Eight volunteers were repeatedly taken to deliberate LOC on the NAVAIRDEVCEN human centrifuge under these different G -onset conditions simulating a TACAIR environment. Twenty LOC episodes occurred during the study. The period of complete incapacitation for all LOCs was a mean 12.6 seconds which, when combined with the period of confusion and disorientation immediately following recovery, results in a total mean time of 25 seconds during which the pilot is unable to adequately perform. This is more than enough time for a disaster to occur, especially in an unstable aircraft. A pilot may, during the period of partial incapacitation, misinterpret his aircraft's situation and induce a departure from controlled flight, overstress his aircraft, or unnecessarily activate the ejection mechanism. This study calls attention to the importance of training pilots for increasing their G tolerance and of making them aware of the dangers of accidental LOC.