How fast is 10 Gs in a plane

Speed and G-force - supersonic flights on military fighters MiG in Russia

When preparing for MiG adventure your pilot will describe your flight envelope using various terms from physics, and some of them you will even see on the control devices in the cockpit. We would like to give you some basic explanations before your flight so it will be easier for you to understand:

SPEED
Air Forces generally use the term “Mach” to define the speed of the aircraft. Mach number (named after Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist) is the speed of an object divided by the speed of sound (with air temperature 20° C 343 m/s or 1235 km/h or 770 mph). The higher Mach number you see on the control device the higher is the speed of the aircraft.

Jet flights are normally classified in the following categories:

  • Subsonic: M < 1
  • Transonic: M = 1 (sound barrier)
  • Supersonic: 1 < M < 5
  • Hypersonic: M > 5

When an aircraft exceeds the so-called sound barrier a large pressure difference is created in front of the jet thus causing the sonic boom.

You can calculate your speed at different altitudes using Mach number and compare it to the speed of sound at NASA website,

To read more about Mach and speed of sound please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_number

G-FORCE
When you fly fighter jets you must consider G-forces, or G-load - a numerical ratio of any applied force to the gravitational force at the earth's surface. This is a force that acts on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity and is described in units of acceleration equal to one G. For example, a 10 pound object undergoing a G-force of 5 G experiences 50 pounds of force. The force of gravity on Earth is used as a baseline for measuring these forces of acceleration. As you pull more Gs, your weight increases accordingly.

The force of gravity when you are still (for example, when you sit, stand or lie down) is considered 1 G. Generally, during our normal activities we rarely experience anything other than 1 G. However sometimes in our everyday life we can experience G-forces stronger than 1 G. For example, a typical cough produces a G-force of 3.5 G, a sneeze results in about 3 G of acceleration. Humans can tolerate localised G forces in the range of 100 G for an instant. However, sustained G forces above 10 G can lead to permanent injury or even death.

When flying MiG aircraft you can experience G forces up to 9 G. Pulling high Gs without any preventive measures can be dangerous (as G forces will push the blood in your body towards your feet and block your heart's attempts to pump it back upwards). You can experience both positive (during such manoeuvres like banking sharply or pulling out of a dive) and negative (during such manoeuvres like pushing the nose of the plane down) G forces. When you experience negative G forces, your blood is pushed up into your head, just the opposite of positive G forces.

All our pilots and customers will wear a special suit, so called “G-suit”. This is a special element of pilots’ kit and generally takes the form of tightly-fitting trousers, which fit either under or over the flying suit, G-suit is connected to the aircraft and using compressed air it automatically pushes the blood back up towards your head during high G manoeuvres. Our experienced personnel will help you put on your G-suit and connect it to the aircraft equipment.

Tailor-made pilot suit: you can order a flight suit made-to-order for your fighter flight displaying your name which you can take back from Russia for your long memories of the flight (please note the pilot suit does not include any protective equipment).

View pilot equipment

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell flies the experimental Darkstar jet past Mach 10 speed in Top Gun: Maverick — but exactly how fast is that? Top Gun: Maverick starts the adrenaline kick early with former TOPGUN instructor Maverick piloting the Darkstar, an experimental aircraft likely inspired by real-world jets. The Lockheed Martin SR-71, nicknamed Blackbird, was in use during the late 1960s through the 1980s and was capable of outpacing enemy missiles, reaching Mach 3.2. Because Lockheed was a consultant for the film, it's likely the Darkstar was actually based on a combination of experimental jets, including the SR-72, a successor to the Blackbird currently in development. The company is expected to begin test flights with the SR-72 by 2025, with speeds up to Mach 6 — roughly twice as fast as its predecessor.

During the first act of the Top Gun sequel, Maverick takes the Darkstar out on a test flight with the intention of reaching Mach 9. Upon news that Rear Admiral Cain was on-route to shut the program down, Maverick leaves with the intention of showing how fast the Darkstar can really go. He eventually pushes the jet to Mach 10 speed but pushes the Darkstar even further, reaching Mach 10.2 before the craft spirals out of control and breaks apart. So, how fast is Mach 10? "Mach" is a ratio in fluid dynamics that represents an object's speed in comparison to the speed of sound. Mach 1, therefore, represents the actual speed of sound, which is 760 mph at sea level. Multiplying Mach 10.2 by the speed of sound (at sea level) would mean that Maverick was traveling roughly 7,826 mph.

The Answer To How Fast Is Mach 10 Is Tricky

top gun maverick review

It's not entirely that simple, however, as the speed of sound deviates due to altitude, temperature, and air density. While the speed of sound is 760 mph at sea level, it's actually closer to 660 mph at 55,000 ft. In the Top Gun sequel's opening scene, Maverick pilots an experimental aircraft that doesn't exist in real life. However, there are things that are comparable. Both the SR-71 and the rumored SR-72 could reach altitudes of over 80,000ft, where the speed of sound is lower than it is at sea level. Therefore, the answer to "how fast is Mach 10?" is tricky to answer.

The Darkstar is likely to reach the same heights as the SR-72. While there is limited data on the speed of sound at altitudes greater than 60,000 ft. (except with jets dropped from space) the differences in temperature between 40,000 and 60,000 ft. are seemingly negligible. The differences at 80,000 feet should be minimal as well, meaning that Maverick's projected top speed (Mach 10.2), if he were to fly the Darkstar beyond 60,000 ft., is around 6,732 mph. This would theoretically allow the pilot to travel the width of the U.S. in under 25 minutes.

In Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise's character reaches speeds that no manned flight is even close to achieving. The X-15 and pilot William J. Knight set the world record for the fastest manned aircraft all the way back in 1967, reaching a maximum speed of Mach 6.7. Top Gun: Maverick repeat's the title character's trait of being unable to resist the need for speed as he pushes the Darkstar further than Mach 10 speed, reaching hypersonic speed and resulting in the aircraft being destroyed. However, Maverick showed the aircraft's capability beforehand, making the mission an overall success and Maverick the fastest man alive.

Could The Human Body Survive Mach 10?

Tom Cruise in Top Gun Maverick

Tom Cruise's character's feat of Mach 10 speed in Top Gun: Maverick is one scientifically improbable stunt out of many featured in the film. That being said, is it possible for the human body to be able to withstand such acceleration? The most likely answer is a resounding no. Mach 10 speed has been achieved by aircraft in the past. On November 16, 2004, NASA launched the X-43A, an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle, and was able to reach real Mach 10 while being pushed into the atmosphere. But that was an unmanned craft.

The problem with humans withstanding such a speed has to do with acceleration, deceleration, and G-force. Changes in speed are measured by G-force, and a normal person can take 4-6Gs. Real fighter pilots, on the other hand, are able to take a whopping 9Gs for a second or two, but that only comes with extensive training. Though a human can take 6Gs, sustained time at that speed could prove fatal. Astronauts only experience 3G at liftoff, which is hard enough to imagine for anyone who has been on a realistic launch simulator ride. So, while Tom Cruise's fictional character may have been able to achieve Mach 10 speed in Top Gun: Maverick, it's unlikely that a real human would be able to withstand such acceleration and deceleration.

Next: How Much Of Top Gun 2 Is Real & How Much Is CGI

How fast is 10 G's in mph?

If you could remain at 10g for an entire second - you'd be going at 220mph.

How fast is G

How fast is G-force in mph? One G of force is equivalent to 22 miles per hour.

How much is 10 G's of force?

If a pilot pulls 10 G's, it would be his weight x 10 and the sum would be the amount of weight pressing against his body. If the pilot weighted 200 pounds and pulled 10 G's, 2,000 pounds of pressure would be exerted on his body.

How fast is 9 G's of force?

9 G's is a strong acceleration, 9 * 32 ft/sec^2, that might cause a pilot to black out. 5 seconds of that acceleration would bring speed to 1440 ft/sec which is 980 mph.