A select group of Air Force aircrew travelled to Malaysia for specialised training with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) to prepare for the high-G environment of flying advanced fighter aircraft. The Pulls-G centrifuge training course is run by the RAAF Institute of Aviation Medicine and uses the RMAF’s modern centrifuge facility in Kuala Lumpur. The training was designed to enhance understanding of high-G physiology for aircrew operating fast jets. The centrifuge allows them to practice and improve anti-G straining manoeuvres (AGSM) through exposure to high-G loads in a controlled and safe manner. After coursework and classroom training, the participants strap into the centrifuge which, spinning at great velocity, generates high G-force.
As the G-forces increase, the physiological changes that occur in the human body will eventually lead to G-induced loss of consciousness, and personnel must counter this by performing the AGSM techniques learnt during the course. Warrant Officer Brenden Reilly, Squadron Warrant Officer with the Institute of Aviation Medicine, was instrumental in overseeing the course. The role of the Institute of Aviation Medicine is to enhance the effectiveness and safety of ADF air operations by conducting research into aviation medicine, and training ADF aircrew to understand and manage the physiological effects of flight.
“While the students have flown the BAE Hawk to this point, they have not experienced the level of G nor the rate of G onset that they experience in the centrifuge. To move on to flying our latest fifth generation fast jets, crews need exposure to the correct AGSM technique to handle sustained high-G flight,” Warrant Officer Reilly said.
Colonel Doctor Mazdy Ismail, Head of Physiology at the RMAF Pulls-G facility, commented on the strong relationship developed between the RAAF and the RMAF though the training. “We are very proud and honoured to have been able to host acceleration centrifuge training for RAAF aircrew since 2008. “The friendship built during the training is an invaluable asset that has opened the pathway for more cooperation between RAAF and RMAF,” Colonel Ismail said.
Group Captain Simon Bird, Chief of Staff of the Air Warfare Centre, agreed. “We strongly value what we have with the RMAF and the mutual benefits that flow from training events such as Pulls-G,” Group Captain Bird said. “Malaysia has an excellent centrifuge training facility, and these events provide enduring lessons that our newest fast jet aviators will apply throughout their flying careers.”
