John Stapp

John Stapp

Colonel John Paul Stapp was an American career U.S. Air Force officer, flight surgeon, physician, biophysicist, and pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces on humans. He was a colleague and contemporary of Chuck Yeager, and became known as ‘the fastest man on earth’ His work on Project Manhigh pioneered many developments for the US space program. He died of a heart attack on December 31, 1989.

About John Stapp in brief

Summary John StappColonel John Paul Stapp was an American career U.S. Air Force officer, flight surgeon, physician, biophysicist, and pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces on humans. He was a colleague and contemporary of Chuck Yeager, and became known as \”the fastest man on earth\”. His work on Project Manhigh pioneered many developments for the US space program. Stapp’s research on the decelerator had profound implications for both civilian and military aviation. In 1967, the Air Force loaned Stapp to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conduct auto-safety research. He retired from the U. S. Air Force in 1970 with the rank of colonel. His research led to fundamental concepts that could be applied to better safeguard aircraft occupants during a crash. His work also allowed the next generation of high-altitude aircraft and the HALO insertion techniques. In one run he survived forces up to 38 g.

The Royal Air Force also installed it on many of their military transport aircraft. As a result of his findings, the requirement for fighter seats was considerably increased up to 32 g. His work showed that a pilot could walk away from properly protected seat if the saddle does not break away from the saddle or if the seat is not properly protected by a saddle saddle. His findings also led to the development of the backward-facing seat concept, which was known before, but was given great impetus by his crash research program. It proved beyond a doubt that this position was the safest for aircraft passengers and aircraft passengers. He died of a heart attack on December 31, 1989. He is buried in Texas. He received a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in Waco, an MA from Baylor in 1932, a PhD in Biophysics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1940, and an MD from theUniversity of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in 1944.