Figure 12. The forces that are produced during a KC- 135 airplane flight are broken into four parts: (1) acceleration forces during the upward phase of flight produce a growing level of forces on the plane and its inhabitants, (2) the transition phase from an upward direction to a downward direction produces "free fall" conditions, (3) the downward phase of flight produces slowly increasing forces on the plane and its passengers, and (4) the transition phase from a downward direction to an upward direction creates forces that are two to three times greater than the force of gravity.

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