Human & Animal Experiments Archive
From the Wright Brothers to the supersonic age, the advances in aircraft design have been well documented. But the more
sophisticated the aircraft become, they are still limited by one thing, the Human Factor. While the aircraft have changed
almost beyond recognition, the men and women who fly them have not. Trying to match the often delicate tolerances of
the human mind and body to the power and capability of these great inventions led to a new science known as aviation
medicine, which deals with the effects of flight on the human body. This footage features the extraordinary work of the
experts from the former RAF Institute of Aviaiton Medicine in Farnborough and their colleagues from the USA. Their often
brave and daring work was carried out long before the introduction of the health & safety restrictions we know today, and was captured on film for scientific analysis.
00:05:56 00:06:09 Vestibular research, men spinning. Investigating methods for pilots to avoid dizziness when plane goes into a spin. Very amusing.
00:05:13 00:05:36 Vestibular research, man spinning in chair. Investigation as above.
00:04:00 00:05:07 `Heath Robinson` style rotating rig used to de-sensitise pilots who suffered from motion sickness.
00:02:35 00:05:09 Biodynamic research - testing effectiveness of body restraints during descleration & impact.
00:05:20 00:08:15 Biodynamic research - crash dummies & human trials, testing body restraints, rapid descleration. Slo-motion
00:08:28 00:09:00 Biodynamic research - rocket sledge rapid desceleration & impact trials, exterior (more examples available)
00:12:12 00:13:20 Escape from open cockpit trials in front of wind machine to simulate high speed flight (more available)
00:18:36 00:19:35 Underwater drag trials in Navy `donut` tank, simulating pilot in cockpit of aircraft that has ditched into sea (more available)
00:27:33 00:27:40 Drop trials testing effectiveness of parachute harness.
00:28:03 00:29:08 Parachute drag trials on the ground
00:29:12 00:29:33 Parachute drag trials in the water using water tank test facility
00:02:30 00:03:29 Extreme close-up of human eye movements (more footage available)
00:04:20 00:05:20 Vibration trials, effect on human body of significant & sustained vibration (in aircraft). Quite amusing. (more available)
00:07:57 00:08:45 Harness testing under simulated crash conditions with dummy then live subject, slo-mo, commentary.
00:06:08 00:06:47 Underwater escape trials, live subject tries to exit cockpit of crashed aircraft (simulation in water tank, more footage available)
00:06:48 00:07:51 Trials with use of undersea research station. Commentary explains more.
00:07:54 00:08:29 Testing self-righting properties of life jacket fitted to anaethestised unconscious live subject, commentary (more available)
00:09:21 00:09:48 Ergonomics. In-cockpit studies of pilot hand & eye movements, commentary
00:02:20 00:02:54 `g` force trials testing pilot for blackout when subjected to varying degrees of `g`. Amusing when snot falls out of his nose! (more available)
00:04:40 00:05:02 Testing self-righting properties of life jacket fitted to anaethestised unconscious live subject, commentary (more available)
00:12:02 00:12:50 Trials on vertical ejection seat rig (more available)
00:13:04 00:14:02 1st live human ejection while aircraft still on runway 19** Captions give further info.
00:02:41 00:03:27 Trials in the human centrifuge, effects of `g` force when trying to escape from aircraft (more available)
00:02:09 00:03:15 Trials in the human centrifuge, dramatic footage showing difficulty trying to move when subjected to `g` force
00:03:16 00:05:12 Escape trials, human subjected to increasing wind speeds. Use of live subject & crash dummies, commentary
00:09:32 00:11:27 Testing early theories / methods of artifical respiration using live anaethestised & unconscious subject
00:03:29 00:04:00 Testing effects on human body (head/neck) of rapid desceleration, slo-mo.
00:06:20 00:07:20 Demonstrating affects of anoxia, subject`s oxygen supply cut-off, body reacts with jerky movements then recovers when O2 restored. (more available)
10:02:22 10:03:47 Lab mice subjected to zero gravity inside rotating chamber
10:02:24 10:03:04 Baboon in sealed chamber subjected to rapid decompression, fights for breath
10:01:50 10:04:56 Cat strapped into test rig, subjected to high speed impact to see effect on body and internal organs. Commentary
FULL SYNOPSIS
00:05:13 00:05:36 Vestibular research, man spinning in chair. Investigation as above.
00:04:00 00:05:07 `Heath Robinson` style rotating rig used to de-sensitise pilots who suffered from motion sickness.
00:02:35 00:05:09 Biodynamic research - testing effectiveness of body restraints during descleration & impact.
00:05:20 00:08:15 Biodynamic research - crash dummies & human trials, testing body restraints, rapid descleration. Slo-motion
00:08:28 00:09:00 Biodynamic research - rocket sledge rapid desceleration & impact trials, exterior (more examples available)
00:12:12 00:13:20 Escape from open cockpit trials in front of wind machine to simulate high speed flight (more available)
00:18:36 00:19:35 Underwater drag trials in Navy `donut` tank, simulating pilot in cockpit of aircraft that has ditched into sea (more available)
00:27:33 00:27:40 Drop trials testing effectiveness of parachute harness.
00:28:03 00:29:08 Parachute drag trials on the ground
00:29:12 00:29:33 Parachute drag trials in the water using water tank test facility
00:02:30 00:03:29 Extreme close-up of human eye movements (more footage available)
00:04:20 00:05:20 Vibration trials, effect on human body of significant & sustained vibration (in aircraft). Quite amusing. (more available)
00:07:57 00:08:45 Harness testing under simulated crash conditions with dummy then live subject, slo-mo, commentary.
00:06:08 00:06:47 Underwater escape trials, live subject tries to exit cockpit of crashed aircraft (simulation in water tank, more footage available)
00:06:48 00:07:51 Trials with use of undersea research station. Commentary explains more.
00:07:54 00:08:29 Testing self-righting properties of life jacket fitted to anaethestised unconscious live subject, commentary (more available)
00:09:21 00:09:48 Ergonomics. In-cockpit studies of pilot hand & eye movements, commentary
00:02:20 00:02:54 `g` force trials testing pilot for blackout when subjected to varying degrees of `g`. Amusing when snot falls out of his nose! (more available)
00:04:40 00:05:02 Testing self-righting properties of life jacket fitted to anaethestised unconscious live subject, commentary (more available)
00:12:02 00:12:50 Trials on vertical ejection seat rig (more available)
00:13:04 00:14:02 1st live human ejection while aircraft still on runway 19** Captions give further info.
00:02:41 00:03:27 Trials in the human centrifuge, effects of `g` force when trying to escape from aircraft (more available)
00:02:09 00:03:15 Trials in the human centrifuge, dramatic footage showing difficulty trying to move when subjected to `g` force
00:03:16 00:05:12 Escape trials, human subjected to increasing wind speeds. Use of live subject & crash dummies, commentary
00:09:32 00:11:27 Testing early theories / methods of artifical respiration using live anaethestised & unconscious subject
00:03:29 00:04:00 Testing effects on human body (head/neck) of rapid desceleration, slo-mo.
00:06:20 00:07:20 Demonstrating affects of anoxia, subject`s oxygen supply cut-off, body reacts with jerky movements then recovers when O2 restored. (more available)
10:02:22 10:03:47 Lab mice subjected to zero gravity inside rotating chamber
10:02:24 10:03:04 Baboon in sealed chamber subjected to rapid decompression, fights for breath
10:01:50 10:04:56 Cat strapped into test rig, subjected to high speed impact to see effect on body and internal organs. Commentary