Chelette T L, Albery W B, Esken R L, Tripp L D
Crew Systems Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7008, USA.
Aviat Space Environ Med. 1998 Sep;69(9):862-8.
Ground-based research has investigated the loss of cognitive function in the extreme conditions of G-induced loss of consciousness, however, little is known about pilots' abilities to maintain cognitive performance throughout prolonged conscious exposure in the high-G environment. The effects of fatigue and G layoff on performance during exposure to high G are mostly unknown for the female population.
This research was conducted on the centrifuge Dynamic Environment Simulator. Active-duty personnel (8 male and 8 female) were trained to fly the F-16 simulation while 30 performance measures were recorded. Performance was re-evaluated after 24 h of sleep deprivation.
Neither male nor female overall performance was affected significantly by sleep status, although individual tasks showed sensitivity; call-sign reaction time was longer by 33%, and missile survival was less likely. Also, when sleep deprived, perceived effort and physical demand were higher while perceived performance was lower. No differences in performance were found in either gender due to lay-off, although some physiologic deconditioning was apparent. Women commanded and endured the same amount of G load as men, however, on average they could not perform the tracking task quite as well.
Sleep deprivation (24 h) produced sensations of fatigue and frustration, but overall performance was not reduced. The ability of personnel to complete a complex defensive maneuver was reduced when they were sleep deprived. The women that we tested apparently could not optimize the tracking task as well as their male counterparts when Gz was in the simulation. None of these results were sufficient to suggest that women should not be allowed to compete for flying assignments in high-performance aircraft.
地面研究已经对重力导致意识丧失这一极端情况下的认知功能丧失进行了调查，然而，对于飞行员在高重力环境下长时间保持清醒时维持认知表现的能力，我们却知之甚少。对于女性群体而言，疲劳和重力解除对高重力暴露期间表现的影响大多未知。
本研究在离心机动态环境模拟器上进行。现役人员（8名男性和8名女性）接受了F-16模拟飞行训练，同时记录了30项表现指标。在睡眠剥夺24小时后对表现进行重新评估。
睡眠状态对男性和女性的整体表现均无显著影响，尽管个别任务表现出敏感性；呼号反应时间延长了33%，导弹生存几率降低。此外，睡眠剥夺时，主观努力和身体需求更高，而主观表现更低。重力解除对男女的表现均未造成差异，尽管出现了一些生理机能失调的情况。女性承受的重力负荷与男性相同，然而，平均而言，她们的跟踪任务表现不如男性。
睡眠剥夺（24小时）会产生疲劳和挫败感，但整体表现并未下降。人员在睡眠剥夺时完成复杂防御机动的能力会降低。在模拟过程中，当垂直加速度（Gz）出现时，我们测试的女性显然无法像男性那样优化跟踪任务。这些结果均不足以表明不应允许女性竞争高性能飞机的飞行任务。
