Survival and Protection of Aircrew in the Event of Accidental Immersion in Cold Water

Abstract : The survival of aircrews in the case of accidental cold water immersion is limited by the extent of thermal losses. In this AGARDograph, the physical laws governing thermal exchanges in both air and water are described. The state-of-the-art in the fields of physiological reactions, tolerance, acclimatization, cold induced accidents and their treatment is reviewed. Finally, the major items of protective equipment used in aeronautics and the methods applied to test their effectiveness are described. (Author)