How much g do the Team pull during a display?
Gravity is measured in terms of the amount of acceleration that the force gives to an object on the earth. The Red Arrows’ main section uses up to 5 times the force of gravity (5g) in their manoeuvres but up to 7g in the Vixen Break. The Synchro Pair use 7g quite frequently and can go up to 8g, the aircraft limit, if needed. At 8g everything weighs 8 times its normal weight, arms, legs, bags under the eyes, and so on. Cameramen have to remember that the weight of their equipment increases with increasing g and it can be difficult to keep the camera up to eye level. The heart sinks and blood tends to pool towards the legs and away from the brain. If insufficient blood reaches the eyes then the pilots gradually lose vision and this is known as ‘blacking out’.
