Surface Navy researching aircraft PEs

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – The surface Navy is developing a solution for detecting symptoms associated with rapid pressure fluctuations in military aircraft, a phenomenon associated with physiological events (PEs) in E/A-18G, T-45C trainers, and F/A-18 weapon systems. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City’s (NSWCPC) Fluctuating Altitude Simulation Technology (FAST) team delivered an aircraft cabin simulator system to the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) for their use conducting human subject research. NSWCPC engineers designed and fabricated the FAST system to replicate the rapid cockpit pressure fluctuations observed in the Navy’s jet aircraft. The FAST system characterizes symptoms associated with rapid pressure fluctuation, and determines what symptoms may most closely be associated with PEs. The information will allow us to conduct future research targeted and focused on specific symptoms and adding in cockpit factors, according to Navy Research Psychologist, Lt. Jenna Jewell. Aircrews experience PEs when there is a suspected aircraft or aircrew systems’ malfunction, and a loss in performance related to insufficient oxygen, alterations in breathing, unexpected pressure or other human factors. Environmentally-controlled research “flights” were conducted at NEDU to simulate rapid cabin pressure fluctuations, which allowed medical researchers to investigate whether there are physiological or neuro-cognitive impacts due solely to the pressure fluctuations. “This study is the first-of-its-kind human subject research investigating PEs plaguing Naval Aviators by replicating the cabin pressure fluctuations observed in the Fleet. It is also the first-ever study to investigate and identify the physiological responses and symptomology associated with rapid cabin pressure fluctuations at altitude,” said NEDU Research Physiologist, Lt. Travis Doggett. (Source: Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City 03/25/19) Cmdr. Brad Hickey and the NEDU Aviation Physiological Events team presented their research into aviation PEs at the 2019 U.S. Naval Aeromedical Conference in Pensacola, Fla.