what is “pulling g’s”?

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For example in Top Gun Maverick when they have to do the high climb, or in Interstellar in the docking scene what’s happening to their bodies. Also what is the difference between postive and negative g’s?

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G = the force of gravity. Two positive G’s means that everything in the plane is feeling twice the normal effect of gravity. Negative G’s is the opposite, it means that everything is feeling an upward force instead of downward.

Positive G’s are easier for the body and airframes to handle, though special care has to be taken to ensure the pilot doesn’t pass out from lack of oxygen to the brain. Pilots are trained to clench muscles in the lower body during high G maneuvers to keep blood from draining to their legs. There are also suits that they can wear that do this automatically.

You can feel the effects of both positive and negative G’s by going over a hump in the road at a high rate of speed. When you hit the hump, you will feel positive G force as the car is lifted up from underneath you. Then you will feel negative G as the car falls back down and pulls you with it. Lastly, you’ll feel positive G’s again at the moment the car settles back down. These will only be very minor changes from what your body is used to feeling (1G). A fighter pilot will regularly be flying maneuvers that reach 8 G’s or even more. That means a 180lb pilot will feel like he weighs over 1400lbs. You can also multiply the weight of the airplane by 8 and see what kind of forces the airframe must be built to handle.

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