Acceleration and the Human Body – What is g-force and how does it

affect pilots in supersonic aircraft? (focus on the pilot and how g-

G force, also called gravity force, calculates the acceleration of an entity in comparison
to an environment with no gravity. It gauges the force encountered by an object when it
speeds up or slows down concerning gravity. In the course of airplane journeys, both
pilots and passengers undergo considerable g forces whenever their airplanes speed
up or slow down. Having knowledge of the workings of g force can aid pilots to ensure
safety and have a more pleasant flight experience. Any aircraft's performance can be
dramatically impacted by G force. Pilots must be aware of their surroundings and
comprehend how g forces affect their aircraft in order to make the necessary changes
for takeoff and landing. An unstable airplane can result in loss of control or turbulence
when experiencing high g forces. Pilots should be aware of the recommended
maximum g-load rate for their aircraft and be prepared to mitigate the consequences of
excessive g forces before they happen in order to lessen this risk while in flight. There
are two types of G forces in an aircraft: positive and negative. Pulling back on the
controls causes the aircraft to tilt upward and forward, creating positive G forces. The
converse, negative G forces, occur when you defy the laws and your plane descends
and moves away from you. Due to increased pressure on the body brought on by the
acceleration or deceleration of gravity, passengers may feel uncomfortable sensations
or symptoms when either force is applied to the aircraft. To reduce these uncomfortable
situations for passengers, it is crucial for pilots to be aware of both types of g force.
Positive g-forces, on the other hand, are those that are produced during spins or steep
ascents, which cause blood to collect in the lower regions of the body.
Negative g-forces, in contrast to positive g-forces, are created when we apply forward
force to the controls or during steep descents, and they cause blood to flow towards the
head. The negative g-forces are the most uncomfortable and challenging to handle
because we are not accustomed to them in our daily lives. The human body has
evolved to fit into a terrestrial lifestyle where we are constantly subject to Earth's
gravitational field (g), much like the rest of life on the planet. Let's refer to this average
gravitational pull of the earth (9.82 m/s2) as 1G for convenience. It is conceivable to
experience both more and less than this 1G constant during powered flight, though.
Since magnitudes of this value are expressed numerically, "pulling 3 G's" is equivalent
to being subjected to three times the gravitational force normally experienced. At 3 Gs,
a person who weighs 150 lbs at 1 G will actually weigh 450 lbs. As you can anticipate,
this unexpected unpredictability in G forces will have an impact on our body's
physiology and cause it to react in certain ways. An airplane is accelerating at that rate
+ 1G (9.82 m/s2) while it is moving towards the earth and applying thrust in that
direction. The total of the acceleration forces will equal the difference between the thrust
and 1G as the same aircraft accelerates away from the Earth's surface. Because of
variations in direction and acceleration forces during flight, the occupant of the aircraft
will try to maintain motion at a consistent direction and speed. This behavior is
explained by Newton's First Law of Motion. The seat belts, however, will keep them
from doing so. According to Newton's Third Law of Motion, these safety restraints will
apply an equal (nearly) opposite force to the occupant's body. You can read more about
the physics underlying G-forces and the gas laws of aeronautical physiology elsewhere.
However, it's crucial to remember that while in flight, vertical accelerations can either
increase or decrease this force, which is constant at 1G on Earth.

G-forces act on the human body in different axes (or directions). These are usually
described as the x, y, z axes. Each has a positive (+) or negative (-) direction. When
standing upright, the force of gravity acts along the longitudinal or Gz axis parallel to the
spinal cord. +Gz acts downward in the same direction as Earth’s gravity. Negative Gz‘s
act in a direction opposite to gravity. Common notation identifies the axis acting through
the front and back of the body as Gx and the axis acting laterally as Gy. These different
axes correspond to yaw (Gz), roll (Gx), and pitch (Gy) of the aircraft. Gz is the most
important axis to take into consideration. This is because this axis transmits G's during
flying often and because it has far bigger physiological impacts. Astronauts more
frequently feel acceleration in the Gx axis during shuttle launches. Gy accelerations are
less significant but are receiving greater attention as a result of more recent fighter jets
like the F-22 and F-35 that have multi-directional thrust engines. 'G' is frequently solely
used to refer to forces in the Gz axis for simplicity's sake.
 Work Cited

“A Beginner's Guide to G Force During Aircraft Flight.” Defensebridge, 24

January 2023, https://defensebridge.com/article/a-beginners-guide-to-g-force-

during-aircraft-flight.html. Accessed 3 May 2023.

“What is g force? How does it affect pilots?” Grupo One Air,

https://www.grupooneair.com/what-is-g-force/#positive_g-

forces_and_negative_g-forces. Accessed 3 May 2023.

3 May 2023.