2012 Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Army Pilot Personnel: Methods and Summary Statistics

This report presents results of an anthropometric survey of U.S. Army Pilots, a subset of a comprehensive U.S. Army anthropometric survey (ANSUR II) completed in 2012 by the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. Goals of the survey were to acquire a large body of data from comparably measured males and females to serve the Army Aviation's current design and engineering needs, as well as those anticipated well into the future. Ninety-four directly measured dimensions, 39 derived dimensions, and three-dimensional (3-D) head, foot, and full-body scans were obtained on each subject in this study. The pilot sample consisted of 977 men and 42 women. An augmented database of 395 women is reported for design purposes. Pilots of unmanned aircraft were not considered in this survey. Results of the directly measured dimensions are given here in the form of summary statistics, percentile data, and frequency distributions. Also included are well-illustrated descriptions of the measurements and of the landmarks used to define them; an explanation of the manual and 3-D procedures used in the study; demographic data characterizing the sample in terms of its racial/ethnic, gender, age, geographic, and occupational distribution; and, a detailed explanation of how observer error was calculated for this study to ensure optimum reliability. Appendices include information on the comparability of the measurement techniques used in this survey with those used in other large-scale military surveys, a discussion of the validity of using an augmented database for design, visual indices to help readers locate dimensions with unfamiliar names, and a cross-reference table to help readers accustomed to locating dimensions by number. The original document contains color images. Prepared in collaboration with Anthrotech, Yellow Springs, OH.