> eliminating the pilot enables maneuvers that would turn a pilot to jelly
I think this is a common misperception. I believe the operational risk is that manuevers above 6g (varying on pilot and G-suit) reduces blood flow to the brain (by forcing it into the legs) and cause a blackout. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-LOC Blackouts, even for a few seconds, can be devastating in the middle of a dogfight. I believe there is software in modern fighter jets for just when pilots blackout but I can't find it on google right now.
I didn't interpret evgen's comment as literally turning a pilot to jelly. (Hrmm, there's an interesting visual.) For practical purposes, a pilot that's blacked out = jelly.
Oh, I was responding in general. Most articles, the one (linked included) talk about physical limitations about human pilots. I always thought it was something more gory until I found out about blackouts a few years ago.
The big difference is that redout happens at substantially lower G force, partially because there is no way to use skeletal muscles to fight it. This is partially why both the Immelman and the Split S use a "climb" to effect their vertical movement.
I think what kwantam meant by lower G-forces is that an experienced pilot can use abdominal/extremity muscles and a fancy flight suit to take around 9G before losing consciousness, but redout will hit at around -3G and there is not much you can do about it. A maneuver that you could easily do in normal flight becomes impossible to sustain if you are inverted, for example.
It's probably 20 years old by now and I think I taped it back then (with very poor reception!), but Nova did a great episode called "Top Gun and beyond" about the limitations of human pilots in fighter aircraft.
I think this is a common misperception. I believe the operational risk is that manuevers above 6g (varying on pilot and G-suit) reduces blood flow to the brain (by forcing it into the legs) and cause a blackout. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-LOC Blackouts, even for a few seconds, can be devastating in the middle of a dogfight. I believe there is software in modern fighter jets for just when pilots blackout but I can't find it on google right now.