Stunt Pilot Under Extreme G-Force Performs Exceptional Tricks

5 years ago
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It's pretty amazing that anyone can fly an airplane in the first place. But for an exceptionally skilled and extremely nervy pilots, plain old straightforward flight isn't thrilling enough. Instead, these pilots are doing exotic midair maneuvers - loops, rolls, spins, abrupt changes of direction, and even flying straight up like a rocket. These tricks are so gravity-defying that even birds would be envious.

This type of flying is called aerobatics, and it's almost as old as the airplane itself. In fact, the very first aerobatic flyers were Orville and Wilbur Wright, the two men who invented the airplane itself. Aerobatics soon morphed into hair-raising, daredevil entertainment for spectators at county fairs and air shows. And it's now evolved into an established international sport, with rules and regulations and records.

Our bodies are surprisingly resilient in many situations, but rapid acceleration is not one of them. While the human body can withstand any constant speed - be it 20 miles per hour or 20 billion miles per hour - we can only change that rate of travel relatively slowly. Speed up or slow down too quickly and it's lights out for you, permanently. People getvG-LOC'd (Gravity Induced Loss of Consciousness) - a term generally used in aerospace physiology to describe a loss of consciousness occurring from excessive and sustained g-forces draining blood away from the brain causing cerebral hypoxia.

G-forces come into play when rapidly changing vertical direction, such as when a plane pulls out of a steep dive. The world's most talented performers almost always make impossible feats look effortless. This professional aerobatic pilot Amelie Windel performs an array of tricks in an Extra 330LS stunt plane owned by Red Baron Flight School in Sydney, Australia. Check out her unbelievable talent! Amazing! G- force oftentimes is tough to handle and it sends those on the plane to sleep. As the plane tumbles in the air, this female pilot is heartily enjoying the turning of the plane as her hair flies freely in the cabin. She has this satisfied smile on her face and she perfectly endures the strong influence of the G-force which is physically gruelling.

Pilots learn early in training to place their head in the desired position in advance of the prescribed action of the aircraft so that the head is already in the right place when G forces are in full effect after moving the stick. Flying like this is a full body experience – your senses are being assaulted, and often disoriented. You can feel the balance and accelerations of every manoeuvre through the seat of your pants. The whole performance becomes very physical. Withstanding the g is a physiological hassle – having to fight against losing consciousness is not good for your concentration! Executing the sequence as a whole whilst managing matters such as timings, positioning and radio is a little like playing a game of chess, whilst trying to focus on flying accurately, and simultaneously going a few rounds with Mike Tyson in the boxing ring!

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