Assessment of the anti-G straining maneuver (AGSM) skill performance and reinforcement program

Initial high-G centrifuge training of USAF fast jet pilots was instituted in 1985. Also, since the mid-1980's, pilot awareness of G-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) has been enhanced by briefings, videotapes, and safety articles. Aircraft accidents caused by an improperly performed anti-G straining maneuver (AGSM), however, continue to occur. Deficiencies in the AGSM of pilots in flight have not been systematically studied. A test program to reinforce the proper performance of the AGSM in flight was initiated in the United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) in 1993. Head-up display videotapes (HUD tapes) were recorded during flight and critiqued during debrief by flight leads for AGSM technique and continuity. Questionnaires were completed by F-16, F-15C, and F-15E pilots assigned to USAFE: 78 surveys were completed out of 110 distributed (71%). There were 57 pilots (73%) who reported one or more problems with their AGSM: 33 noted that the timing of their breathing was too quick (< 2 s cycle), 11 that their breathing was too slow (> 4 s), 9 that inhalation was too long, 18 occasionally did not "get the jump on the Gs," and 34 frequently or occasionally talked during +Gz exposures. Of the 105 reported deficiencies, 67 (64%) were mostly or completely corrected: 30/33 (91%) if the timing of breathing was too quick, 8/11 (73%) if too slow, 5/9 (56%) if inhalation too long, 12/18 (67%) "jump on the Gs," and 12/34 (35%) if they talked. This program was most successful in remediating timing problems with the AGSM.