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“Welcome back, Steve,” the pilot says through the intercom, but “Steve” isn’t quite ready to come back to the land of the conscious just yet. The video in question is courtesy of the United States Navy, and the plane at play is a two-seater F/A-18F Hornet. This is the very ship that the narrator of the show flies from, and it’s often utilized to offer press rides as well. We’re guessing “Steve” here is likely a local reporter.
What transpired was that Steve fainted right as the pilot was pulling on those intense G-forces. Observe how the blood seemingly drains from Steve’s face, and his head snaps forward with a resounding thud as he’s completely out of it. One question that might spring to mind is, why didn’t it have the same effect on the pilot in the same way? Well, there are two possible scenarios, and either one or both could potentially be true. Firstly, it’s quite likely that he was wearing a G-suit, which serves the purpose of preventing blood from rushing down from the head, thereby helping the wearer to maintain their consciousness. The second possibility, and this one is definitely a fact, is that he’s a seasoned pro when it comes to performing high-G maneuvers and has the skill and training to control the way the body reacts to such situations by staying in excellent flying shape and undergoing centrifuge sessions. It takes a certain amount of technique and training, and it works, or at least that’s what they tell me, although G-suits are definitely the norm for flying jets that endure a significant amount of G-forces.
The downside of experiencing G-LOC is that if the pilot is flying solo when it occurs, the chances of perishing in an airplane that goes completely out of control are rather high. And by the time the pilot regains consciousness, the plane might already be traveling at such a breakneck speed that the recovery process could induce a second round of G-LOC. In this case, however, the situation is tightly controlled. The back seat passenger apparently is on a flight experience ride, and the pilot knows precisely what he’s doing. And his bedside manner is nothing short of impeccable.
In any event, this is not only incredibly fascinating to watch unfold but also a great reminder that high G-forces can knock you out in a matter of mere seconds. That’s exactly what happened to our back seat passenger. And with that said, “Welcome back, Steve.”
