Vest concept tested for its safety benefits

Dryden Research Pilot Mark Stucky shows the APECS vest, which is being tested for its ability to cool air crews. NASA photos EC98 44484-2 and EC98 44484-3

By Robin McMacken
X-Press Editor

Dryden Research Pilot Mark Stucky tested a new vest last month that at first glance looks like the latest fashion from the J. Crew catalog.

Fashion-forward as the vest may appear, it is actually an incredible garment that can cool pilots - or warm them - during flights. The vest is one part of a system called the Aircrew Personal Environmental Control System (APECS).

The vest, which looks like a long-sleeved white T-shirt with a zippered front, features 180 feet of plastic tubing, which is basically sewn inside in the garment. The tubing carries a mixture of 70 percent water, 30 percent denatured alcohol and a slight amount of sodium nitrate, which prevents corrosion and lubricates the pump.

The United States Air Force contracted Foster-Miller, Waltham, Mass., to design and build the APECS system, initially for use in F-15s and F-16s. The majority of the equipment installed on the aircraft was provided by Foster-Miller, but the garment was actually manufactured by Carleton Technologies of Tampa, Fla.

Airplane Crew Chief Bob Garcia and Mark Stucky, right, pose before the F-16XL flight. NASA photo EC98 44484-4 by Brent Wood

"Currently this is strictly between NASA Dryden, Foster-Miller and the Air Force Research Lab, Flight Stress Protection Division, at Brooks Air Force Base," said Nick Kiriokos, aerospace engineering technician with Dryden's Life Support Group. "We are attempting to form a coalition with the U.S. Navy as well since there is an interest in installing this into a few of our F-18s as well as the F-15B testbed."

The vest is worn under the flight suit. Once the pilot enters the cockpit, the garment is hooked up to the machinery aboard the aircraft, which, in Dryden's case, was the F-16XL, ship No. 1. A pump circulates 300 milliliters of fluid through the garment at any time to either cool or warm the air crew member.

The vest impressed Stucky during his flight aboard the F-16XL last month, and other pilots too have been pleased.

"It was great," said Research Pilot Dana Purifoy, who added that the vest was the most comfortable style he had ever tested.

Study began on the vest concept after USAF pilots served in the hot climes of Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. APECS carries great possibility for Dryden pilots too, who are no strangers to the staggering heat of the Mojave Desert. "We experience the same problems here in the summer months," Kiriokos said.

Dryden Life Support Group Leader Rick Borsch said on hot days, temperatures can soar in the cockpit due to the greenhouse effect. The plastic canopy can create a potentially dangerous environment for the air crew.

It is imperative that the pilot's body temperature stay within a healthy range, as heat exhaustion or heat stroke poses an imminent danger for the pilot and ultimately the aircraft.

In the meantime, "We are still in the initial flight test mode, and I hope to fly this system for some time due to our climate and the interest generated in the system locally," Kiriokos said.

"We will continue to fly the vest as often as we can, with as many different types (body size, metabolic rates) of pilots as we can, and we will try to generate interest from other agencies," Kiriokos said.

"As I said before, Dryden, the Air Force and Foster-Miller are moving ahead with procurement of hardware to install the system into the F-15, based on Brooks AFB requirements, following our flights and the positive comments of our aircrew."

The APECS system is being developed by Brooks Air Force Base and NASA Dryden. It could be useful for Dryden air crew members. NASA photo EC 98 44416-1

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