I know Dred. He's not looking for a crutch, or an out, he's looking for a better way of doing it. And I agree.
The reason I suggested a "control+D" for the pilot is that you could have a decent idea as to how bad you were hurt. What we have now is a goofy system that is far too difficult to judge. You really can't tell how bad you're injured.
I've had two or three blackouts, a decent interval apart, followed by a longer interval, followed by an immediate blackout and death. And all sorts of other variations. I've had times where I got the impression, from the spacing and length of the blackouts, that death was imminent, and lived for a long time. I've had times where the same factors lead me to believe I'm not too badly hurt, and been dead 30 seconds later.
If the pilot "damage model" is detailed enough for it to determine how often you'll black out, for how long, and how long you'll live, then it's detailed enough to show us how bad we're hurt. If the pilot damage model is random, then it needs to be fixed or tossed out. In other words, if I can hit "control+D" and see how fast I'm losing what, and where, then I should be able to hit "control+I" (or substitute the appropriate unassigned key) and see what part or parts of me has a hole, or holes, in it, and how big the holes are.