An Ergonomic Design of Flight Suit Pattern According to Wearing characteristics

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to conduct a survey of the wearing characteristics of flight suits from current pilots and to design from this survey a new flight suit pattern suitable for the physical characteristics of Korean pilots. A pool of 563 pilots was surveyed in order to analyze the wearing characteristics. In order to confirm the improved effects of the newly designed suit compared to the current one, an evaluation was conducted by assessing the subjective satisfaction and objective functionality through a measurement of the range of motion. Results of the evaluation have shown that significant improvements have been made in the areas of suit that many of the respondents had indicated as being uncomfortable, such as neck circumference, armscye circumference, and crotch. This was achieved through increasing the ease in respective parts of the suit using anthropometric data of the pilot in the design process, thus correcting the pattern of the uncomfortable areas. The areas that showed the greatest improvements were the ones associated with lengthwise mobility; the fit and the mobility of the overall flight suits have ameliorated by a significant degree.