Navy, Marines Measuring Thousands of Aircrew to Improve Fit

For nearly half of her Navy career, Lt. Jennifer Knapp has worn boots that didn’t fit—because her size wasn’t kept in stock. They would have been “a disaster” if she was in a situation where she had to tread water to survive, she said.

“I haven't had to have that situation, of course. But that's kind of how grave that can get if I didn't have gear that fits. So, directly affecting our safety and survival capabilities,” said Knapp, a former naval flight officer on the E-6B Mercury aircraft.

Knapp is now providing that experience as the military liaison for a new study of Navy and Marine aviators and air crew members. The U.S. Naval and Marine Corps Aircrew Anthropometric Survey is collecting body measurements to improve the fit and availability of equipment used by naval aircrews—from flight suits and gloves to oxygen masks and harnesses, as well as the design of the cockpit.