Eli5, how fighter jet pilots do not crash when they become unconscious due to high g force?

Question

Eli5, how fighter jet pilots do not crash when they become unconscious due to high g force?

In: Other

Answer 1

Tons of prevention and safety measures.

First, specific training for knowing a pilot’s limit until LOS. There are many ways of applying high g forces in a pilot without needing to risk the pilot’s safety and the plane. Use a machine that mimicks the g forces applied and periodically make the pilot use it so that both the pilot and its superiors know the limit. And the pilot will actively avoid entering such g force zone.

Second, neck training, just like professional driving pilots, is mandatory. This is necessary to handle lower g that make most humans unable to hold their neck still ; being unable to hold the neck is one of the ways of getting loss of consciousness (LOS), as misposition of the neck constrics some structures.

Third, brain circulation physiology. People that get LOS when they get a neck hold (for example, MMA fighters) usually regain consciousness in seconds after the neck hold is stopped. So when a fighter pilot gets LOS due to high g force, being unable to continue to execute the maneuver reduces the g forces being applied and the pilot will regain consciousness in seconds as well.

Fourth, body type is actively chosen by the military and the pilot is subject to intense cardio routine training. Return of consciousness is faster the lower the muscle mass and the better shape the heart is. The 6’6 240 lbs guy that likely uses steroids and hates cardio training? Awful for being a fighter pilot. The average pilot is likely to be of average height and weight (if not lower than average as this allows for a smaller aircraft) and gets a ton of cardio training. The average pilot is likely a guy that is so physically unremarkable that the general public would never suspect that the guy is a military officer. Yuri Gagarin, for example, was 1.57m tall.

Fifth, automode. Fighter jets have auto recover mode that detects when the pilot has gone through LOS and maneuvers itself in a way that prevents a crash.