Jacqueline Cochran Breaking the Sound Barrier, 
 Breaking the Barriers of Her Generation

O2/04/20

When was the first time you passed the speed of sound?

"The first time was when I was first learning to fly the F-18 in 1999. There are only a few places in the country where military pilots can fly supersonic over the land. (Otherwise you have to be over the ocean). I was a training flight learning how to intercept and shoot down enemy aircraft. I was really focused on the intercept, and had entered a dive to get below the altitude of the "bad guy." I knew I was going fast, but wasn't really focused on the speed. My instructor pointed out that we were supersonic, and I looked at the Mach Meter which said M 1.09. I thought that was pretty cool."

How do you cope with G-force?

"There are no additional G-forces associated with Subsonic or Supersonic flight.  G-Forces come from turning an aircraft.  I've pulled 7 to 9 Gs above and below the speed of sound.  But when you're pulling hard on the stick and the jet is really carving through the sky, you bet there will be Gs at any speed.   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.  It takes practice but after a while you get good at it, and sometimes barely even notice high Gs.  I'd often get done with a dogfight, and be surprised to see I had been at 8 or 9 Gs during the fight because all that muscle tightening and breathing was just happening automatically while I concentrated on how to win the dogfight. "

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02/05/20

"(...)Anna,

(...)By the way, I’ve had the privilege to fly with a lot of women who are great Naval Aviators and fighter pilots in the fleet and at TOPGUN. If you’re interested in flying, know that women can do everything in the most challenging aviation environments equally well -or better- than the guys out there. The best pilots are simply the ones who work the hardest, have the best attitudes, continuously learn from their mistakes, and put their teammates first.

Go get ‘em Anna!

~Boss Bernacchi

CAPT Ryan Bernacchi, USN"