Centripital Acceleration/G-Force question

[Schmidget]

Homework Statement

A plane is in a dive. At the bottom of the dive is the maximum acceleration on the pilot. This part of the dive can be approximated by a circular path. If the centripetal acceleration on the pilot is 7.50 times g (=9.81 m/s2), what is the force felt by the pilot if her mass is 49.0 kg.

Homework Equations

Is it this simple?

F=ma

The Attempt at a Solution

F = (49kg)*(7.5*9.8m/s^2) = 3601.5N

According to the online answer checker, it's not correct. I guess I'm missing something. Any ideas?

 

[rl.bhat]

Inside the plane the pilot will experience centrifugal acceleration which is opposite to the centripetal acceleration. So the total acceleration on the pilot will be 7.5g + g.

 

[Schmidget]

Of course! Now I feel kinda stupid. At one point in my thinking, I remember contemplating that, but for some reason it got lost. Oh well; you win some, you lose some.

Thanks for your help.

 

[davieddy]

Inside the plane the pilot will experience centrifugal acceleration which is opposite to the centripetal acceleration. So the total acceleration on the pilot will be 7.5g + g.

BS
(Although as Einstein noted, the acceleration of a free object
relative to the cockpit would indeed be 8.5g)

Amelia Ehrhart's acceleration is 7.5g upwards.
Gravity exerts a force mg downwards.
Applying Newton's second Law, the force exerted on
her backside is mg + 7.5mg straight up.