Auto-GCAS Saves Unconscious F-16 Pilot—Declassified USAF Footage

Aviation Week ^ | 9/13/2016 | staff

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

This newly declassified video footage from the head-up-display of a U.S. Air Force Arizona Air National Guard F-16 records the dramatic moment when its unconscious pilot is saved from certain death by the aircraft’s Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System.

HUD Video

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The story came out a couple weeks ago. Here's the video.

[rey]

I assume it was a g induced loss of consciousness.

[yarddog]

German Stukas had something a little similar in WWII.

[Hulka]

GLOC at about 8.0 Gs according to the HUD.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yes. The jet pulled 9.1g to get away from the ground.

[USNBandit]

So the issue with aircraft like the F-16 is the rapid onset of G Forces. You can snatch on the G’s and go from being totally awake to immdediately nap time with no greying out. The oxygen in your braincells buys you that first six to eight seconds. Lower performance aircraft allow for a greying period as a warning.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I think the rapid onset of G is the biggest thing. A co-worker who is a former F-16 pilot told me that the highest number of G-LOC incidents happened in the T-37. T-37? It’s because it can rack up the G forces very fast even though it doesn’t pull high Gs.

[USNBandit]

The Navy/Marine Corps has had the same experience in its primary training aircraft, despite a lower maximum G load. The training GLOC rate is normally attributed to low experience levels.

Every pilot that flies high performance aircraft experiences "greying" in their vision under G from time to time. The hazard in front line fighters is that they can normally pull well in excess of 7.5 G's so quickly that the grey out warning never happens.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The training GLOC rate is normally attributed to low experience levels.

That's right. The thing with jets like the T-37 is that it doesn't pull high Gs, so guys don't take it seriously and do anything to prepare for it. Lack of experience, rapid onset of G, and doing nothing to mitigate it causes problems with trainees. The instructors take control after the student goes to sleep. After they wake up, he says to them, "If this was a single-seat jet, you'd be a pink puddle at the bottom of a smoking hole."

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The hazard in front line fighters is that they can normally pull well in excess of 7.5 G's so quickly that the grey out warning never happens.

That's what happened on this one, there's an article about it. He didn't experience the usual seeing stars at the edge of his vision or things going gray, he just suddenly went out. He woke up with his nose over the horizon and hearing the flight lead saying, "Knock it off..."