Out of Body Rodger
Original Airdate: May 5, 2006
Aired: NPR’s Radio Lab

I was there. But I, like, wasn’t there. I was floating. I was looking
at myself from outside of myself.

If it hasn’t happened to you, it’s likely happened to somebody you
know. And whether or not you believe it, about one in ten people
report having had one. “Out of body” experience, it’s a dirty word in
many circles. Which is perhaps why pilots call it “G-LOC”
(gravity-induced loss of consciousness, pronounced “G-lock” not
“glok”). Turns out this kind of experience (call it what you want)
occurs quite frequently among fighter pilots. Producers Ann Heppermann
and Kara Oehler bring us the story. We’ll hear from pilots Tim Sestak,
and Col. Dan Fulgham on what it’s like to lose yourself, unfortunately
for us skiddish passenger-types, while flying a plane. Finally we’ll
hear from Dr. James Whinnery, who simulates G-LOC by placing pilots in
giant centrifuges. His research monitors their brain activity as they
accelerate to speeds inducing this loss of consciousness. But Doc
Whinnery isn’t just a scientist, he’s a subject. And his research has
taken him to some surprising places.