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G-LOC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The correct title of this article is g-LOC. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
- For other uses, see G-LOC (disambiguation).
g-induced Loss Of Consciousness (abbreviated g-LOC) is a condition where a person loses consciousness because g-forces move the blood away from the brain (black out) or move excess blood towards the brain (red out). The condition is most often linked to astronauts and pilots of fighter planes.
Incidents of acceleration-induced loss of consciousness were reported to have caused some deadly aircraft accidents in the 1970s. In the 1980s, in an attempt to reduce the risk of g-LOC related incidents, air force training facilities in many countries began to see centrifugation as a regular part of pilot training.
Aerobatic and fighter pilots may sometimes experience a brownout or grey out between 6 to 8g.[citation needed] This is not a total loss of consciousness but is characterised by temporary loss of coloured vision and/or tunnel vision, or even complete loss of vision temporarily, while consciousness remains. They may also be unable to interpret verbal commands. It is possible for vision to go totally black while remaining fully conscious. This condition is termed "blackout". Loss of blood flow to the eyes occurs prior to loss of blood flow to the brain because the pressure within the eye (intraocular pressure) counters the blood pressure.
