Neck strain due to high G's

[WhaleDriver]

I'm looking for information or personal experiences concerning neck strain due to high sustained G forces experienced in high performance aircraft. I'm searching for this information for a thesis project for university.

I recall a thread from a while back, where some Viper drivers mentioned that such injuries are common for them, which makes sense given that the Viper is the king of sustained G's (though like landing on a carrier, that has yet to win a war!). Unfortunately a search didnt turn up any threads.

Any info would be great.

thanks

 

[H82BL8T]

Checking Six

Having flown both the F-15 & F-16 for the majority of my AF career, I have noted neck strain to be more prevalent in the F-16 community. I believe this is mainly due the difference in checking-six under high G in each fighter. The F-16 with a reclined seat and narrow canopy, limits a pilot’s mobility to mostly neck turns in order to check-six. The F-15 with a vertical seat and lots of lateral cockpit room makes checking-six more of an upper body lean forward and twist requiring a lot less neck movement to see between the tails. With over 3,500 hours combined in these two fighters, I’ve only injured my neck once – it was in the F-16.

 

[JHook]

I have only injured my neck once. I was in a 7 to 8 G right turn looking at a bandit and my neck popped. I immediately rolled out and went to 1G and called a KIO. At 1 G, I could look as far left as I wanted to but I could only look about 30 degrees to the right. When I g'd up the airplane, I could only look straight ahead.

I RTB'd and went to the flight doc who happenned to be a DO. He did his magic and I was instantly back to normal. I was flying the next day. The only bad part was that it happenned at the beginning of the first sortie of a hotpit ACM.

 

[BobbyB]

I didn't have near the neck pain in the F-18 that I have had in the T-45. The T-45 is notorious for providing a lot of neck pain. Of course, the pilots flying ACM/BFM type flights do just about nothing else, which means that 35+ sorties per month has to take a toll on the body. The experience that JHook described has happened to me numerous times. As described by my flight surgeons over the years, it is a tearing (micro scale) of the trapesius muscle. (as if that is going to make you feel better). I have heard that the Brits have a syndrome called "hawk neck" which is the neck problem experienced by Hawk pilots (The T-45 is a modified British Hawk). My advice: don't let 'em get behind you.

 

[WhaleDriver]

Thanks for the responses guys, they've definately helped.