Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports

FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute


Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-73/23

Title and Subtitle: Study of control force limits for female pilots

Report Date: December 1973

Authors: Leeper RC, Hasbrook AH, Purswell JL

Abstract: The study described in this paper was the second phase in a ground- based control force testing program conducted by the University of Oklahoma and the Civil Aeromedical Institute of the Federal Aviation Administration located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

A Convair-340 simulator, modified to conform to a typical civil aviation aircraft, was used for the study. Female pilots were used as subjects. The data show that the current FAR 23.143 control force limits for general aviation aircraft are too high for a majority of U.S. female pilots. Data on strength capabilities of women for operating aircraft controls are presented in the form of prediction equations for level of control force versus time.

Key Words: Control Forces, Female Pilots, Aviation Safety, Human factors engineering, Test methods, Flight simulator

No. of Pages: 30

Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012