Mindy undergoing 7.3 Gs during the sneak to vertical rolls maneuver
G-LOC, or G-induced loss of consciousness, is a very interesting experience. It happens when the body is under G-forces and loses consciousness because the blood pulls away from the brain down to the feet and is unable to supply oxygenated blood to the nervous system. Once the G-force is removed, the period of unconsciousness is short, but the whole encounter (for a likely unwilling participant) can feel like a lifetime.
I have experienced the initial symptoms of G-LOC on a few occasions during flights in various Extra Aircraft, which are high-performance aircraft designed for aerobatics. I accomplished my aircraft checkout in the Extra 300 with some aerobatic training that was very mild, but I also flew with a friend who happens to be Red Bull Air Force and top airshow pilot, Kevin Coleman. This was my first introduction to high G-load maneuvers in an aircraft, and luckily, Kevin was a great coach who walked me through how to combat Gs and get through his aerobatic flight successfully.
Fast-forward a few years, and I find myself sitting in the U.S. Navy Blue Angels’ home base in Pensacola, Florida, briefing with a crew chief before my ride in the F/A-18 Super Hornet. This briefing included a heavy emphasis on how to combat the Gs I was about to encounter on my aerobatic ride over the Gulf of Mexico. You may be thinking, “Well, that is great, but luckily, you have a G-suit to do most of the work.” Wrong!
U.S. Navy aviators do wear G-suits. However, the Blue Angels and their riders do not. In short, G-suits help prevent the blood from pulling from your brain to your feet by detecting G-forces and automatically inflating with air pressure against your legs and abdomen. Now imagine flying in formation with six multimillion-dollar jets, precisely flying just inches away from each other. A sudden inflation of a G-suit could turn inches into millimeters…or worse. So, this elite group of pilots have decided to forego the G-suits in the interest of safety and have turned back to the old-fashioned way of doing things.
How to Combat G-Force
Without the help of a G-suit, you must learn to combat Gs “manually” through a series of muscle and breathing exercises. If you are in the privacy of your own home or not easily embarrassed by looking like a strange fool in public, go ahead and try it now! Hold your core tight while flexing your glutes, thighs, hamstrings, calves, and entire lower half of your body as hard as you can until your muscles are literally shaking. And as Blue Angels explained it, now imagine a volleyball between your legs that you are trying to pop with your knees. Congrats, you have accomplished step one.
Step two may draw even more attention to you sitting in the corner of the FBO reading this, but it is also something you can try practicing yourself. While under G-forces, it is inevitably hard to breathe, but you must keep oxygen flowing. Most call the breathing technique the Hook Maneuver, which basically results in you breathing in short spurts. Breathe in, say the word “hook,” and try to emphasize the “K” sound on your strong exhale. It’s tougher to explain without a demonstration, so perhaps this is a good video to look up when you can’t sleep at 2 A.M.
The tightening of the muscles and the breathing technique only gets you so far, though, as you must build a tolerance to G-force over time, build endurance, and really practice these techniques until they become second nature. When watching The Blue Angels documentary film, you will see that some of the newly selected Blue Angel pilots who are used to flying with G-suits pass out unconscious during their initial centrifuge G-force training – it is a challenging skill to learn for any level of aviator!
Flying With The Blue Angels
Just a short time after learning and practicing these techniques on the ground, I am now sitting behind the #7 pilot, Lieutenant Connor “Buddy” O’Donnell. After about 35 minutes flight time of being strapped into the backseat of the Super Hornet and undergoing several high G-maneuvers, we enter the highest G maneuver for the day: the sneak to vertical rolls.
We were 500 feet above the ocean and approaching the speed of sound. I saw the airspeed reach 600 knots as Buddy asked, “Mindy, are you ready to go?” I answered with a nervous but excited “Yes.” I didn’t technically lie, as I did think I was ready, but I turned out to be very unprepared for what was to come.
By the time we pull into this straight vertical climb, I am already totally exhausted from the flight that brought us to this point. Flexing your muscles so tightly over and 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 that something terrible had happened – perhaps I had been in a crash, and my body wasn’t working?
I kept fighting and eventually got the strength to move my fingers and then my hand, and then I gained the ability to use my other arm to pull my head back upright. Looking back, I can see that my body was thankfully working just fine, but I was just fighting against Gs. We were still on a joyous flight, and everything was perfectly fine. Without the video, I would have bet money that those seven seconds were actually seven minutes. The long internal conversation I had with myself in those seconds just didn’t add up, but after viewing my flight and laughing along with the millions of others who saw my viral G-LOC video on social media, it really was just seven seconds. You can find the footage and details of this entire flight experience on my YouTube Channel, @schmiiindy.
After G-LOC
It seemed like Buddy’s biggest concern after I regained consciousness was the status of my neck and stomach. He quickly checked if my neck was hurting from my head swinging down under Gs, and I was happy to report that I felt no pain during or after my flight. His next set of questions revolved around my stomach and whether it felt like my Starbucks breakfast would stay put or if it would join us in the cockpit. I was also happy to report that I wasn’t feeling ill in that way and that the white, plastic barf bag slipped under the leg strap of my parachute didn’t need to make an appearance.
It was coincidentally the end of the flight, so we did a few more rolls and headed back into Sherman Field (KNPA) for an iconic carrier break to landing. On the taxi back into the ramp, Buddy explained that even the Blue Angels pilots could lose their tolerance and experience the high fatigue I felt if they took too much time off of flying.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Unsurprisingly, I left the best flying experience I have ever had with a feeling of utmost respect for this team of aviators who just exude excellence in everything they do. It was an incredible honor and privilege to see them in action, to fly with them, and to learn more about what it takes to be a Blue Angel pilot. And for that, I choose to wear my G-LOC moment as a badge of honor. Go big or go home, right?
