AFRL Helps Evaluate Safety of Cold-Weather Flight Ensemble Published July 22, 2014 By Holly Jordan Aerospace Systems WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Air Force Research Laboratory joined in a safety evaluation of a new cold-weather flight ensemble designed for use in case of ejection over frigid terrain. This quick-turn effort was conducted at the request of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Air Crew Performance Branch in support of Pacific Air Forces. For the evaluation, AFRL's Large Amplitude Multi-mode Aerospace Research Simulator (LAMARS) was used to represent the cockpit of fielded fighter aircraft. Cold-weather flight gear is needed to protect crews from frigid weather conditions, but cold-weather protection is only necessary in rare cases of emergency bailout. Therefore, a cold-weather suit must be comfortable and thin enough to use in normal flight conditions and must not create added heat stress for the wearer. To evaluate the cold-weather ensemble, pilots performed cockpit maneuvers in the LAMARS, focusing on stick control issues and the suit's effects on mobility. Pilots provided feedback on the suit's performance as they performed normal flight activities in F-15 and A-10 cockpits. AFRL engineers then evaluated the data, and AFLCMC combined the results with feedback from F-16 and F-22 crews already using the suit. By compiling the data, AFLCMC was able to conclude that the new ensemble was safe to fly in the additional aircraft and actually provided a better range of movement than the legacy system. The data generated from the test was provided to the Pacific Air Forces and gave them the assurance that the ensemble is safe for future use.