Page 22 - Oct24T

Mindy in the backseat of the F/A-18 Super Hornet
over again for long periods is easier said than done because, actually, it is one of the hardest workouts I have ever been through. You start to lose the strength to keep them as tight as they need to be to prevent the blood from rushing to your feet. I fought as hard as possible, but when we hit 7.3 G, I grayed out so fast that I couldn’t save it.
Night, Night
As I hit G-LOC and went unconscious, we were still in the middle of the maneuver and still under high Gs, so my head fell into my lap. Seven seconds. Just seven seconds go by, and then I regain consciousness and shakily pull my own head back upright with my right hand as I couldn’t lift my head on its own under the Gs. I immediately told
Buddy that I had passed out and started to apologize as I thought I had been out for a long time when he informed me that he would have never noticed and that, in fact, we were still finishing the maneuver!
Those seven seconds were freaky. I lost all concepts of time and what was happening. I recall waking up when my head was down, and while not knowing what was going on, I could see my left hand on my left thigh. I tried to move it. It wouldn’t move. I tried to lift my head up. I couldn’t. I was quickly scared as I had the memory that I was on an F/A-18 flight, but I had no idea what I was currently experiencing, so my mind quickly jumped to the thought
Mindy and Lieutenant Connor “Buddy” O’Donnell after her Blue Angels flight
20 • TWIN & TURBINE / October 2024