<p>My son is interested in becoming a fighter pilot. He was told he is too broad to sit in the cockpit of a fighter. He is 5’11" 205 pounds of pretty much muscle. Is it true that you can be to broad to be a fighter pilot?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>There are multiple measurements that could deem a person ineligble to fly fighters. There is not much room in the cockpit, and while I don’t know what the exact cutoff is, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that yes, a person can be too broad (among other things) to safely operate the aircraft (and/or for safe operation of the ejection seat).</p>
<p>I don’t see how the people at Summer Seminar would have concluded this, though…</p>
<p>As stated above, there are different measures (seated height, thigh/calf length, etc) that are used. There are different requirements for different jets though - do research to find out about the capacities of each.</p>
<p>When I visited the Air Force Museum in Dayton, there was a fighter cockpit that was open for visitors to sit in. I’m 6’4", and it was a very tight squeeze to get in it. I would love to be a fighter pilot, but if I had to be crammed in such a small cockpit for long periods of time, I would want a different type of aircraft.</p>
<p>Also, as I mentioned, it’s not just a matter of “fitting,” but there is safe operation of the ejection seat that must be considered.</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - F-16 Viper Cockpit Tour, Test Pilot, Edwards AFB](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfb2L-blz4Y]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfb2L-blz4Y) Here’s a tour of an F-16 cockpit.</p>
<p>The thing that can also get people in this respect is not fitting into any one of the training aircraft in the pipeline for whichever aircraft you are dreaming for.</p>
<p>In the Navy if you want to fly fighters not only do you need to fit in the F-18 cockpit you also need to be able to fit in the T-34 or T-6 as well as the T-45. If you don’t fit in the trainers, you can’t go into that pipeline.</p>
<p>Now, would those cadets know if your son was “too wide.” They would probably have an idea, but it would be impossible to tell from just looking at someone unless they are way off the charts.</p>
<p>Hm - guess we’ll see what they tell my son next week. He’s definitely not too wide, but is 6’3 now (and about 150 pounds) and still growing according to the doctor. He’d also love to fly fighter planes, but is concerned about how much more he will grow and if he’s even too tall now!</p>
<p>There was one guy in my element at Summer Seminar A who was 6’8". He couldn’t even fit into the glider (for the soaring program).</p>
<p>Tell him to stop growing! 
Greater than 77" will likely make him inelgible for any pilot slots and greater than 78" will likely make him inelgible for any aviation position.</p>
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<p>Plenty of the guys I flew with fit into pretty much the same size as your son’s description above, myself included (5’ 11", 195 pounds). Some guys were even bigger (some as tall as 6’ 4", some as heavy as 225). Plenty of ex-Academy football players made it into fighters before, Chad Henning of the Dallas Cowboys (flew A-10s in Desert Storm) being the most famous example.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, there ARE size and weight restrictions for ejection-seat aircraft due to the safety limits of the seat. The seat can perform beyond those limits, it’s just that during testing the risks of injury increased to beyond acceptable levels. </p>
<p>Bottom Line: unless that “someone” at your son’s summer Seminar was a flight Doc, or a fighter pilot / WSO, then I would take their word on the subject with a grain of salt. From THIS WSO’s experience, and based on the very limited description you gave, it sounds like your son will be fine.</p>
<p>Theres alot of really broad pilots ive seen, and my dad is one of them. My dad is 6’ 6" and broad and flew many types of fighter aircraft. Although he needed a waiver for his height he still made it through fine. I’m not too sure your son is too big to fly fighters…let the doc tell him that not the cadre or whoever it may be.</p>
<p>I’d think that they’d want the burly guys in the fighter seats… easier to keep the blood in the head… that is, if they aren’t very tall.</p>
<p>smaller dudes should fair better, but a lot of the F-15 pilots I’ve seen here are actually close to my build, long and lanky! While the F-15D seats are really reclined, I here the F-16 seats have a 30degree recline to help decrease the distance from the head to the heart (was that in the video posted here earlier?). Really though, even pulling 7+ Gs, while painful, I did not gray out at all using the G-strain techniques they taught me. I’m 5’11" and 160 pounds! Wiry you could say. So, I wouldn’t worry too much about that.</p>
<p>HOOOOOOK!!!</p>
<p>Right?</p>
<p>Heavier people are generally able to tolerate G’s better than lighter people. And they’ve actually changed it from “Hook” to “Hick” for the AGSM.</p>
<p>I learned hook with our flight doc last week. hum. kp, is it heavier that really matters or stockiness?</p>
<p>i was told it’s more about height than build. shorter people have less of a distance to worry about which makes it easier. i was just taught pronouncing the “k” sound like you’re learning to speak, and that worked.</p>
<p>hornet, i guess you finally got a ride too. congrats. pretty awesome, right? that’s one of the coolest things i’ve ever done.</p>
<p>uh huh. crossing my fingers for another later this week!</p>
<p>Congrats (again!) on the ride, Hornet! 7+ Gs! Impressive. I’m assuming that was instantaneous. It’s the continuous 6 G turn that will get most of the folks into Na-Na land and onto the funky chicken dance 30 seconds later when they wake up.</p>
<p>As to the great debate about the perfect body shape for the high G environment. Well, I remember when I first started out, EVERY fighter squadron in the AF got their own stock of hydraulic resistance weight machines. Felt like you were working out with shock absorbers! The thought was anarobic exercise and muscle mass were better for pulling Gs than aerobic exercise and stamina. Even told us to limit our running to under 8 miles per week. It kept changing back and forth for the next 15 years of my career. (Run more, lift less! Lift more, run less! Tastes Great! Less Filling!)</p>
<p>What I’ve learned (and this is what worked for me, and not any “official” endorsement of any kind by anyone in the AF with any background in medicine, physiology, or “school nurse in an elementary school for a sememster” level of knowledge): You need both. Muscle strength, especially in the core, for the instantaneous Gs, and endurance for pulling a LOT of Gs in one sortie, so you don’t feel like a wet noodle after the sortie. Short stocky guys (think “No Neck Jones”) usually handle the Gs the best, but lanky guys (like Hornet) and gals can and do just as fine. What really helps the best is just getting used to the feeling and doing it often. Take a break for a few weeks (as in vacation for leave where you just relax your lazy butt), and that first break turn on your first ride back is a Beeeaaaaaatchhhh!</p>
<p>And BTW Hornet. Hope you get that second sortie, but you’re making me jealous man! And let me know if it’s a 2 vs. 2, 4 vs. 4, or just a plain 'ol BFM sortie when you get back. I’ll get you in a vault and we’ll talk TACTICS!</p>