Physical fitness

[glorygal]

Curious to hear people's views as to whether having a high level of physical fitness leads to better flying, not just for general flying, but also for aerobatics.

[Biggles78]

Short answer....YES!!

[Torque Tonight]

Without a doubt yes. Especially for aerobatics which is physically demanding. Improving your fitness will directly improve your G-tolerance and your general performance under physical stress. Simples.

[24Carrot]

Opening my 'Human Factors' book for the first time in years, I read that fitness reduces the effects of hypoxia. So, good for night vision too.

[Pilot DAR]

24's comments also came to my mind first, and I can bear out what he/she has posted. I don't imagine that the "G" resistance differences mentioned are really applicable to general aviation, or basic aerobatic flight. I belive that any healthy pilot still had G capacity beyond that of most GA aircraft!

It's also nice to be fit enough to be able to climb up to check fuel, and push the aircraft around on the ramp without getting winded!

[Torque Tonight]

Well part of her question was about aerobatics. Even basic aerobatic aircraft, such as in my experience Chipmunks and Bulldogs, can a pull a good 4G. 4G is easily enough to grey-out or even black-out someone with lowish fitness levels. If you are fit you could probably sustain 4G all day - but it is still physically strenuous. You don't have to be in an unlimited-class Extra or similar for fitness to make a difference.

Good fitness will also help with oxygen levels, night-vision (as 24C said), alertness, fatigue etc, etc.

[IO540]

I think the more basic point to make is that an awful lot of pilots are quite evidently less than healthy. Only a few do any exercise. Many have blood pressure issues bad enough to require permanent medication, for example.

One needs to stay reasonably healthy just to pass the medical, and good health pays dividends all the way down the line.

Things don't get any easier as one gets older; the joints get increasingly creaky, and the longer one can stay fit the better.

I haven't had a chocolate cake at the airport for many months (takes a lot of willpower) :)

[BackPacker]

Improving your fitness will directly improve your G-tolerance and your general performance under physical stress.

Actually there's more to that.

With the Dutch aerobatics club I went to the centrifuge / g-awareness training at Soesterberg Airbase which is normally given to military pilots, and one of the messages there was that people with an unhealthy lifestyle resulting in high blood pressure, are actually naturally more g-tolerant than healthy people with low blood pressure.

G-LOC (G-induced Loss Of Consciousness) is caused by fresh, oxygen carrying blood not reaching your brain. Which is simply because your heart is not able to fight the G-forces sufficiently.

A normal, healthy base (diastolic) blood pressure is along the lines of 70 or so mmHg. If you translate that into water pressure you get a blood pressure of about 1 mH2O - the equivalent pressure of a column of water 1 meter high. But under 4G, this blood pressure is only able to lift about 25 cm of water. Which is more or less the vertical distance from your heart to your brain. And thus the reason that normal, healthy people have a normal base G-tolerance of about 4G. Meaning that they can deal with 4G without any training and without any ill effects.

In order to become tolerant to higher G levels you either need to reduce the distance from your heart to your brain or increase blood pressure.

For some people this happens naturally. People with short necks or people with naturally high blood pressure (usually the result of an unhealthy lifestyle) are naturally more G tolerant. For the rest of us, it's a combination of:
- A reclined position (think F-16) - this adds about 1G to your tolerance
- G-suits, which can add about 2G to your tolerance
- Contracting strategic muscles and a special breathing technique to temporarily increase blood pressure in/to your brain. This can actually, if applied properly, consistently and continuously, add at least 3G to your tolerance.

Needless to say, if you're healthy and properly trained it's easier to apply the straining/breathing technique over a longer period of time. So don't read this as an excuse to live an unhealty lifestyle!

[glorygal]

Yeah I heard that short people with high blood pressure are likely to do better than tall people with low blood pressure. However I also know that the military require their pilots to be extremely fit. Seems like a contradiction! I of roughly average height for a woman (good), fitter than average (good), but with low blood pressure (bad). Not sure where I fit on the scale. :}

To clarify, when I asked the original question I used the term "high level of fitness". By this I didn't just mean the absence of disease, and being a non-smoker/light drinker etc (and avoiding chocolate cakes ;):=), I was meaning for example someone who can go running for a hour non-stop. I can appreciate that military flying is very high intensity and requires good endurance, strength, level of alertness etc but was wondering how far this translates into a noticeable effect in civilian private flying (especially of the non-aerobatic variety).

[IO540]

I don't think you need any real level of fitness to do long GA flights.

I have done flights over 7hrs without any problems.

One is just sitting there, on autopilot, taking pictures, chatting, talking to ATC, etc.

But I can imagine that someone who doesn't do any exercise would end up getting awfully stiff if they did that, and perhaps get circulation problems in their legs (like airline passengers).

You also need to be pretty damn flexible to get into the LH side of a PA28 :) Well, if you want to do it without stepping on the RH seat(s) - which is why most old PA28s have broken/damaged seats. A lot of people do have real problems with this (I used to rent PA28s and when I bought a plane, a single door option was completely off the list).

[FlyingStone]

One of many things in aviation that remain a mistery to me is why Piper didn't put another door on PA28? Getting to the LH seat doesn't require as much effort (at least for me), but I wonder how would one evacuate aircraft in reasonable time if person on the RH seat cannot move due to, for ex. broken leg? Not to mention fuel selector, which seems almost deliberately located so that pilot could forget to switch the tank :confused:

Perhaps Cessna held a patent for two-door four-seat aircraft at the time :}

[IO540]

The standard explanation is that it is structurally a better solution, which is true (marginally). Another one is that it saves a bit of money, which is even more marginal.

I think it simply dates back to the post-WW2 days when people were a) smaller and thinner and b) much less fussy about creature comforts.

Nobody would buy a 1-door plane today when they could have a 2-door one. The difference in "people-friendliness" is vast. No suprise that Cirrus and Lancair (Cessna) have gone for 2 doors.

[Justiciar]

I don't think you need any real level of fitness to do long GA flights.

Of course fitness and exercise enhances brain function, which goes to improved decision making; fitness also contributes to an increase in stamina, again useful for long distance flying.

The business of the PA28 only having one door is really a non issue to me. I happen to have flown a PA 28 180 this weekend and was reminded that there really is no problem. Yes, it could make a difference in a serious accident, but I am not sure it is a significant criteria in choosing an aircraft.