1st Edition
Flying Fast Jets Human Factors and Performance Limitations
This book provides a detailed general overview of the human factors and performance limitations associated with flying fast jets, integrating all the latest available research literature on the demanding operational tasks faced by such pilots and aircrews. As such, it has a strong military focus, dealing with pilots of fighter aircraft, attack aircraft and lead-in fighter trainer aircraft that are traditionally only single or dual pilot operations. The book deals not only with the issue of G force, but discusses ejection and escape/survival, disorientation, high altitude physiology, pilot training and selection, helmet-mounted equipment, situational awareness, data fusion and multi-sensor integration, human machine interface issues and advanced cockpit design. It examines the human performance issues associated with the technological advances made in fast jets, such as increased manoeuvrability, increased use of the pilot’s head as a mounting platform for sensor and weapons systems, and the complexities involved in the human-machine interface within these aircraft.
Biography
Associate Professor David G. Newman is Head of the Aviation Medicine Unit in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is also the Head of Research in the Department of Aviation, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. His 13 years as an aviation medicine specialist in the Royal Australian Air Force, in both Australia and on exchange in the UK, include 2 years as Chief Instructor at the RAAF Institute of Aviation Medicine, where he was responsible for the training of all Australian Defence Force aircrew and medical officers. He holds a medical degree from Monash University, a Diploma in Aviation Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians of London and a PhD from the University of Newcastle. He has won several awards for his aviation medicine efforts over the years, including the 2000 Buchanon-Barbour Award from the Royal Aeronautical Society and the 2012 A. Howard Hasbrook Award from the Aerospace Medical Association.
’The big plus of the book is that it is written for everyone, independently of their field of expertise.’ Newsletter of the Europe Chapter of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, no. 2, 2014 ’Flying Fast Jets will be a valuable contribution to the knowledge of aviation medicine, and it will provide much of the foundational knowledge that will be useful in the clinical practice of aviation medicine as it relates to fast-jet aircrew.’ Journal of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine, no. 9, November 2014 ’David Newman is deservedly well known in aeromedical circles, and this book will enhance his stature ... sufficient basic explanation for the novice, and detailed aeromedical psycho-physiology for an aeromedical specialist ... This book is the most useful small volume in years, concisely presenting the stresses of the most demanding aviation environment. It will be of great interest to novice and expert alike, and David is to be congratulated for his worthy effort.’ Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, Vol. 86, No. 2, February 2015 ’As well as giving the general reader an insight into the world of high performance military aircraft, this book will be a useful handbook for those more actively involved in whatever capacity on a fast jet squadron.’ Aerospace, June 2015
