Fitness Levels ?
I have seen so many "celebrity in an F/A-18" type videos where a few high G maneuvers cause the recipient to literally collapse on landing, even some sports stars who were in good shape. Of course disorientation and nausea all play a part, but flying FJs has always required high levels of physical stamina, an old family friend who flew display Meteors confessed to me once that he rolled inverted and then lacked the strength to roll right-side-up for what seemd like an eternity as he roared down the display line. These days fighter pilots are expected to put in some serious gym time to maintain fitness and also keep the weight off with a reasonably healthy diet, but was it always this way - or were young pilots simply that much fitter back in the 1950s ?