MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Less than two decades after the Wright brothers pioneered flight, pilots began to experience "grayouts" and blackouts while operating military and specialized aircraft.

The problem of blackouts, caused by over-exposure to force greater than gravity, or G's, didn't become significant until the 1930s with the creation of higher performance planes. 
This brought about the creation of the G-suit in 1931, designed to counteract the physiological affects of aircraft acceleration on an aviator.

"The G-Suit is a piece of flight gear that are physically bladders wrapped up in cloth that wrap around your legs and abdomen," said 1st Lt. Zack Anthony, pilot, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. "The bladders plug into the aircraft and bleed air off of the engine and pumps it into the suit, which fills up the bladders. This tightens the suit, which slows the blood from going down into your legs or other parts of your body when you are pulling G's."

According to Capt. Jake L. Purdon, mission planning officer, Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, MAG-11, 3rd MAW, the greater amount of G-force you are under, the greater a pilot's chances are of losing consciousness.

"If you are in an engagement and under a lot of G-force, you will lose consciousness over time because the flow of blood is going out of your head and into your legs and lower body," said Purdon. "You have the G-suit that puts pressure on you and will keep the blood from falling out and going down into your legs. It gives you an extra tolerance against those G's."

"Without it someone may 'grayout' or blackout at around five or six G's-in other words, five or six times the force of gravity-but with it, you can hopefully get someone up to where they can stand six and a half or seven and a half G's for an extended amount of time," he added.

The whole reason for the G-Suit is to keep you from blacking out when you are pulling G's, said Anthony. However, it isn't the only protection pilots have.

"They also teach pilots a few techniques that help when you are pulling G's," said Anthony. "They teach you to flex the muscles in your lower body and chest to slow the flow of blood to them."

"You can fly the same without the G-Suit, it just gives you the ability to pull a couple extra G's," he added. "Without it, you have to work a lot harder to pull the same amount of G's and you fatigue earlier, which could be the difference between winning and losing in a combat engagement."

Although the G-Suit helps out immensely with blacking out for pilots, not all pilots have to use it.

"Only aircrew that are in fighter attack jets use the G-Suit," concluded Purdon.  "For example, they don't wear G-Suits in the (EA-6 Prowler), but they do wear them in the F-15, F-16 and F-18.  Any type of fighter aircraft you have to have the G-Suit because you will be under a lot of G's."