Aircraft control forces and EMG activity: Comparison of novice and experienced pilots during simulated rolls, loops and turns

Background: Flying an aircraft requires a considerable degree of coordinati on, particularly during aerobatic activities such as rolls, loops and turns . Only one previous study has examined the magnitude of muscle activity req uired to fly an aircraft, and that was restricted to takeoff and landing ma neuvers. The aim of this study was to examine the phasing of muscle activat ion and control forces of novice and experienced pilots during more complex simulated flight maneuvers. Methods There were 12 experienced and 9 novice pilots who were tested on an Aermacchi flight simulator while performing a randomized set of rolling, looping, and turning maneuvers. Four different runaway trim settings were used to increase the difficulty of the turns (el evator-up, elevator-down, aileron-left, and aileron-right). Variables recor ded included aircraft attitude, pilot applied forces, and electromyographic (EMC) activity. Discriminant function analysis was used to distinguish bet ween novice and experienced pilots. Results: Over all maneuvers, 70% of pil ots were correctly classified as novice or experienced. Better levels of cl assification were achieved when maneuvers were analyzed individually (67-91 %), although the maneuvers that required the greatest force application, el evator-up turns, were unable to discriminate between novice and experienced pilots. There were no differences in the phasing of muscle activity betwee n experienced and novice pilots. The only consistent difference in EMC acti vity between novice and experienced pilots was the reduced EMC activity in the wrist extensors of experienced pilots (p < 0.05). The increased wrist e xtensor activity of the novice pilots is indicative of a distal control str ategy, whereby distal muscles with smaller motor units are used to perform a task that requires precise control. Muscle activity sensors could be used to detect the onset of high G maneuvers prior to any change in aircraft at titude and control G-suit inflation accordingly.