Heat Stress Effects of a Navy/USMC vs. Army Aviator Ensemble in a UH-6O Helicopter Simulator

Abstract

Abstract : This aviator heat stress study used a between test subjects design with one environmental condition (hot) and two current (U.S. Navy/U.S. Marine Corps vs. U.S. Army) rotary wing MOPP4 ensembles encumbered with additional ballistic protective and overwater survival components. Four U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) aviators (2 UH-60 crews) were tested in the hot condition and their physiological, subjective, and flight performance responses compared to those of 14 Army aviators (9 crews) who tested in the same condition in a previous related study. The environmental condition consisted of 100 deg F (dry bulb) and 20 percent relative humidity (RH) in an environmental chamber where test subjects walked on a treadmill for 20 minutes to simulate preflight outdoor activities, and 100 deg F and 50 percent RH (90 deg F wet bulb globe temperature WBGT) in the UH-60 simulator. Every 30 minutes the right seat pilot encountered instrument meteorological conditions and ascended to 2000 feet to perform a 10 minute set of standard maneuvers. These maneuvers included straight and level (SL), right standard rate turn (RSRT), left climbing turn (LCT), and left descending turn (LDT). After each iteration of the set of standard maneuvers, the pilot returned to nap of the earth (NOE) and contour flight between control points. The right seat pilot also performed up to four 1 minute hovers (HOVs) and hover turns (HOVTs) in the 2 hour sortie and three in the second 2 hour sortie.