Watch: Unconscious USAF F-16 Pilot is Saved by Automatic Ground Avoidance System

In newly declassified USAF footage, watch as an F-16 pilot practicing a roll fell
into a G induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC). Flying with his instructor as it
happened, at 17K you can see the F-16 lose altitude, in a matter of seconds
dropping to 8.5 k.


www.youtube.com...

Then the auto recovery kicks in and with seconds before crash pulls an abrupt
roll-to-upright and a nominal 5-G pull until terrain clearance was assured!

This newly declassified video footage from the head-up-display of a U.S. Air Force Arizona Air National Guard F-16 records the dramatic moment when its unconscious pilot is saved from certain death by the aircraft’s Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System.
aviationweek.com...

And the pilot just flew in to talk about it...

I started to roll and started to pull and I’m following [the instructor pilot] with my eyes,” Ocho said. “The next thing I remember is just waking up and hearing ‘recover.’ It happened so fast. Usually, everyone who has been pulling G’s for a long time; most people get tunnel vision that gradually comes in, that’s what I always get, but that day I didn’t get anything.”

Ocho said the first thing coming out of unconsciousness was hearing his instructor pilot, Maj. Luke O’Sullivan, saying “recover” several times. Once he opened his eyes, Ocho said he was confused for “one second” and then saw the ground coming very fast.

“I was already at the controls, but it had seemed I had not moved at all. When I woke up, I thought, ‘what just happened? What’s going to happen?’ Everything just came to me at the same time. I immediately started to pull up.”

www.hilltoptimes.com...

There are dozens of cases in the past where Auto GCAS would have saved
lives, some of the crashes well known. Amazing technology, and it is really
nice to see tech saving lives and used in a good way, 4 so far in training and combat.

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