Physiological factors in glider aerobatics

FLIGHT, PILOT AND INSTRUMENTATION FLIGHT Place = “Alfina” AIRFIELD (Orvieto – Italia) Date = 30 / 04 / 2010 Glider = MDM FOX D-7309 Programme = “Artistic Free Programme” as in World Air Games 2009 PILOT Name = Pietro Filippini Age = 61 years old Hours of flight = 12.000 Italian and WAG Champion INSTRUMENTATION metabolimetro “Cosmed K4B2” Video camera “voice recorder”

Graphic representation of the “Artistic Free Programme” of the WAG winner Pietro Filippini

DATA CONCERNING THE COMPLET TEST (DURATION 24’ 38”) TEST PHASES 1 BEFORE TAKE OFF AFTER ON BOARD ARRANGEMENT 2 TAKE OFF 3 TOW FLIGHT 4 AEROBATIC PROGRAMME 5 LANDING

THREE CHARACTERISTIC FIGURES OF THE PROGRAMME the “ITALIAN EIGHT” the “SUNFLOWER” the “RAINBOW”

The “ITALIAN EIGHT” Entry speed = km/h 220 Exit speed = km/h 90 (inverted flight) DURATION = 26 sec. “g” MAX = 5,0 POS/1,0 NEG Exposure to over 3 pos. “g” = never more than 3 sec.

The “ITALIAN EIGHT”

The “ITALIAN EIGHT”

The “ITALIAN EIGHT”

The “SUNFLOWER” Entry speed = km/h 220 (vertical flight down) Exit speed= km/h 270 DURATION = 21 sec. “g” MAX = 5,0 POS/5,0 NEG Exposure to over 3 pos. “g” = never more than 3 sec. Exposure to over 3 neg. “g” = 4 sec.

The “SUNFLOWER”

The “SUNFLOWER”

The “SUNFLOWER”

The “RAINBOW” Entry speed = km/h 280 Exit speed = km/h 250 DURATION = 17 sec “g” MAX = 7,0 POS/0,0 NEG Exposure to over 5 pos. “g” = 4 second Ballistic flight = 12 second

The “RAINBOW”

The “RAINBOW”

The “RAINBOW”

It is possible to use the Cosmed K4B2 in “high level” glider aerobatic CONCLUSION   It is possible to use the Cosmed K4B2 in “high level” glider aerobatic

We got interesting information about every phase of the flight and especially about the aerobatic flight

It is very important to use together “K4B2” and video recording because of the unreliability of GPS due to “g” 

The research may be extended to different: pilots aerobatic programmes phases of training