In this newly declassified video, a pilot’s life is saved thanks to his F-16’s Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS), which takes the reins shortly after the pilot experiences G-LOC, or G-Induced Loss of Consciousness, occurring whenever blood drains too quickly from a pilot’s head.
In this video, captured via the head-up-display of a U.S. Air Force Arizona National Guard F-16, you can hear the pilot’s labored breathing just as he executes a sharp turn. As the jet nose drops to almost 50 degrees below the horizon, the instructor begins to call out to the pilot (“Sully 2”), who by this time has passed out.
Seconds later, the Auto-GCAS kicks in, implementing a recovery maneuver after the jet falls 4,370 feet. Shortly after, Sully 2 regains consciousness.
This event is considered the fourth confirmed “save” since the system was installed in F-16s beginning in late 2014. Developed by Lockheed Martin, NASA, and the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Auto-GCAS is designed to execute a ground-avoiding maneuver (a roll-to-upright and 5-G pull) if it senses a collision.
As one commenter on the video says: “I’m sure the engineers who made this feel really good right now…”
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense
