Operation
If blood is allowed to pool in the lower areas of the body, the brain will be deprived of blood, leading to temporary hypoxia. Hypoxia first causes a greyout (a dimming of the vision), also called brownout, followed by tunnel vision and ultimately complete loss of vision 'blackout' followed by g-induced Loss Of Consciousness or 'g-LOC'. The danger of g-LOC to aircraft pilots is magnified because on relaxation of g there is a period of disorientation before full sensation is re-gained. A g-suit does not so much increase the g-threshold, but makes it possible to sustain high g longer without excessive physical fatigue. The resting g-tolerance of a typical person is anywhere from 3-5 g depending on the person. A g-suit will typically add 1 g of tolerance to that limit. Pilots still need to practice the 'g-straining maneuver' that consists of tensing the abdominal muscles in order to tighten blood vessels so as to reduce blood pooling in the lower body. High g is not comfortable, even with a g-suit. In older fighter aircraft, 6 g was considered a high level, but with modern fighters nine or more g can be sustained structurally making the pilot the critical factor in maintaining high maneuverability in close aerial combat.
Read more about this topic: G-suit
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