G-force - The Main Challenge to Break the Sound Barrier
G-force=Acceleration/Gravity
"This is a force that acts on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity and is described in units of acceleration equal to one G. (...) For example, a 10-pound object undergoing a G-force of 5G experiences 50 pounds of force."
-Go Russia Speed and G-force Article
Jet acceleration Creating G-force, YouTube Barbara Sharp
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Impact of G-force on Humans
Diagram of the Impact of G-force on the human body | Credit to AvStop
G-force Effects
“G-forces will push the blood in your body towards your feet and block your heart's attempts to pump it back upwards.”
-Go Russia Speed and G-Force Article
"Humans can tolerate localized G forces in the range of 100 G for an instant. However, sustained G forces above 10 G can lead to permanent injury or even death. (...) You can experience both positive (during such maneuvers like banking sharply or pulling out of a dive) and negative
G-force diagram | Credit to National Museum of Health and Medicine
(during such maneuvers like pushing the nose of the plane down) G forces. When you experience negative G forces, your blood is pushed up into your head, just the opposite of positive G forces. ”
-Both Quotes from Go Russia Speed and G-Force Article
A Doctor's Experience with G-force
"Increased G-force is the hardest part of flying. A sharp turn or a climb can create somewhere between 2G to 5G. That means my 160-pound mass could feel near 800 pounds for a few seconds during these maneuvers! My body felt super heavy, my back pushing into the seat, and it was quite an effort to lift my arm! Blood is pushed down from the head, and one starts to feel dizzy; some people pass out."
-"How Flying in a Fighter Jet Affected My Mind and Body" article by Arash Javanbakht M.D
Pilot Experiencing Extreme G-force | Credit to GettyImages photograph
Jacqueline Cochran Standing on F-86 Sabre Jet, 1953 | Credit to WIRED Magazine
G-suits
"A G-suit is an anti-gravity garment worn by fighter pilots. When they are pulling positive G's, the suit inflates and prevents blood from pooling in their feet and legs which would cause them to lose consciousness. "
"The air bladder inflates in the front of the body and puts pressure on the abdomen (abdominal aorta) and legs. It then pulls the material tight around the sides and back of the legs. This pressure around the muscles helps prevent blood from pooling in the feet and legs. It also helps to push blood back up to the heart and brain."
-Both quotes from OI Resource Article about G-suits
Earliest G-force Training Machines
Unknown Test Subjects in Johnsville Centrifuge | Credit to Pennsylvania Center for the Book Article about the Johnsville Centrifuge
" The motion of the arm imposes Gs (multiples of gravitational force) on the human body. This is done in an effort to prepare the user to cope with the G-forces that may be experienced during high speed turns in jet planes. (...) At 40 Gs,(...) Built between 1947 and 1950, the 180-ton centrifuge holds the distinction of being the largest and most powerful ever built, even to this day. "
-Pennsylvania Center for the Book Article about the Johnsville Centrifuge
What it Feels Like
"Essentially, you are placed in a chamber that is on the end of a long arm that spins around the room — the faster it spins, the more G-forces you feel on your body."
-Jack Stewart active Pilot Business Insider
Modern Air Force G-force Centrifuge | Credit to Air Force Technology Article
"So much physical force involved, pushing down, straining, the breathing, it is not easy."
-George Kourounis Experience in G-force chamber J&K Connectors
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A Jet Pilot's Way to Cope with G-force
"The best way to cope with them is to really squeeze your gluts (your bottom) and your thighs, calves, and stomach. If you do that before the G's really build, the muscles form a dam by constricting all your blood vessels. That keeps your blood from running down into your legs and out of your brain. It also elevates the blood pressure in your lungs and heart which makes it easier for your heart to keep pushing blood up into your brain. If you're sitting on a wood chair, try lifting yourself a couple inches off the chair using just your glut muscles (in your bottom). You'll find your legs and core tighten up too, and you can squeeze harder to make all the muscles really tight. Then do a quick "Hick" sound to let air out of your lungs and suck it back in real fast, and that's how you keep oxygen flowing for long turns at high Gs."
-Personal Interview with Captain Ryan Bernacchi, USN 02/04/20
" The best way to handle G-forces is to keep yourself in good physical condition. Pulling G’s is physically demanding, so being in good shape and having a lot of stamina will help you tolerate the G-forces."
-Personal Interview with Major General Leavitt 02/21/20
Jacqueline with T-38 Jet | Credit to "Women Aviators"
by Lisa Yount p. 63
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Breaking the sound barrier requires strength because of G-force. It was assumed that only men have such strength. Cochran wanted to prove that women could withstand the necessary G-force.
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Sky background Personal Photograph