Us Official Photographs

1st Lt. Harry D

1st Lt. Harry D. Doherty, left, personal equipment officer for P-51 Mustang Fighter Group of U.S. Eighth Air Force, fits one of the new Berger G-suits to 1st Lt. George Rich, fighter pilot. The ingenious suit was designed to combat "black-outs" in mid-air (airmen's term for temporary loss of sight, caused by centrifugal force). Lined with five rubber bladders, the suit inflates in direct proportion to the amount of centrifugal force exerted on the pilot in violent combat maneuvers, preventing the natural rush of blood from the brain by its pressure. The bladders remain deflated under normal flying conditions. The G-suit, (now off U.S. secret lists) represents a remarkable development in combat flying.