High G Flight

This book provides a unique authoritative and detailed examination of the physiological and clinical consequences of human exposure to high G forces. Pilots of military fast jets civilian aerobatic pilots and astronauts during the launch and re-entry phases of spaceflight are frequently and repetitively exposed to high G forces for which the human body is not fundamentally designed. The book examines not only the nature of the high G environment but the physiological effects of exposure to high G on the various systems of the human body. In particular the susceptibility of the human cardiovascular system to high G is considered in detail since G-Induced Loss of Consciousness (G-LOC) is a serious hazard for high G pilots. Additionally the factors that influence tolerance to G and the emerging scientific evidence of physiological adaptation to high G are examined as are the various countermeasures and techniques that have been developed over the years to protect pilots from the potentially adverse consequences of high G flight such as the G-suit and positive pressure breathing. The accumulated knowledge of human exposure to high G is drawn together within High G Flight resulting in a definitive volume on the physiological effects of high G and their countermeasures.