FEMALE EXPOSURE TO HIGH-G - PERFORMANCE OF SIMULATED FLIGHT AFTER 24 HOURS OF SLEEP-DEPRIVATION

Background: Ground-based research has investigated the loss of cogniti ve function in the extreme conditions of C-induced loss of consciousne ss, however, little is known about pilots' abilities to maintain cogni tive performance throughout prolonged conscious exposure in the high-G environment. The effects of fatigue and G layoff on performance durin g exposure to high G are mostly unknown for the female population. Met hods: This research was conducted on the centrifuge Dynamic Environmen t 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. Result s: Neither male nor female overall performance was affected significan tly by sleep status, although individual tasks showed sensitivity; cal l-sign reaction time was longer by 33%, and missile survival was less likely. Also, when sleep deprived, perceived effort and physical deman d 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 p erform the tracking task quite as well. Conclusions: Sleep deprivation (24 h) produced sensations of fatigue and frustration, but overall pe rformance was not reduced. The ability of personnel to complete a comp lex defensive maneuver was reduced when they were sleep deprived. The women that we tested apparently could not optimize the tracking task a s well as their male counterparts when Gz was in the simulation. None of these results were sufficient to suggest that women should not be a llowed to compete for flying assignments in high-performance aircraft.