NAS Patuxent River, Md. –
The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is leading the Navy’s first comprehensive study since 1964 to update aviator size requirements, improve aircrew gear and equipment, and expand access for prospective future aviators. This is the Navy’s first aircrew study to include women and minorities.
“We are excited to launch this historic study that will improve the readiness, protection, performance and safety for our Navy’s aviation community,” said Lori Basham, NAWCAD’s principal investigator for the study. “Updating our data to accurately characterize our aircrew will address the needs of a population that is drastically different than it was in the 1960s.”
NAWCAD is seeking participation from more than 4,000 active-duty, enlisted, and commissioned aviators, flight officers and aircrew. The research team will measure these service members across the country when they tour the Navy’s most populous air bases from through December 2023. Participation in the 30-to 50-minute study will require 32 simple body measurements that include various heights, lengths, breadths and circumferences that are relevant to aircrew. Researchers will remove personal information to protect participant privacy.
Traditional anthropometric studies are expensive, historically costing between $6 and $14 million dollars in industry settings, depending on the scope of effort. Today, NAWCAD can perform its own study almost completely in-house, costing the Navy less than $2 million, due to the command’s advanced 3D scanning hardware and expertise as well as supportive technology and subject matter experts through other services and industry partnerships.
For more information on the study or for participation coordination, contact Lt. Jennifer Knapp at jennifer.a.knapp2.mil@us.navy.mil. For study technical questions, contact Lori Brattin Basham at lori.l.basham2.civ@us.navy.mil. 