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  • Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.

    Post 16 Update

    Post 17 Warning

Pilots and oxygen

I had the chance to do hipoxia training when I was in the RAF and it really does make you feel drunk in a way, it gets to the point that you know what's happening but you just don't care, during rapid decompression you also fart alot as all the air in your body expands again but you just don't care it's really shocking actually! If your at altitute for long periods like mike said during trekking there are 2 types of altitude sickness one pulmonary I.e your lungs fill up with fluid and you drown and there is cerebral adema (I think that's how it's spelt) in which your brain swells up and you feel drunk and fall into a coma and die, the chances of this happening during flight is almost nil however the chances of hypoxia at altitudes over 12feet are almost certain and chances are you won't know it's happening to you which is why it's so dangerous and all ATC opperators are trained to recognise the symptoms from a pilots voice as your speech becomes very slow and slurred! Look on YouTube for a voice recording of a pilot with hypoxia it's quite shocking!
 
Almost totally unrelated but there was an episode of Top Gear where they were driving in Bolivia and had to go over the Andes. By 16,000 they were having real problems and by 17,000 they turned around and took a longer route at lower altitudes. The vehicles weren't doing much better up there -- a bit oxygen starved as well.
:ernae:
 
roger-wilco-66 said:
Hehe, an interesting aspect of oxygen comes to my mind. I've read in several books (one was a B-17 related book) that hungover aircrews used the oxygen in the morning to overcome their bad condition. Never tried that myself (I don't get hungover enough :), so I really don't know of there's something to it.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:eek:ffice" /><o:p></o:p>
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We still do that. Running the O2 low curing a hangover is a real good way to p*** off a bad Crew Chief. Why a bad one? If they were a good CC, you would have been drinking with them, and they would be on the O2 with you.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Without delving into a detailed discussion concerning the partial pressure of O2 and pressurization, it is definitely not something to mess with. The other side is the bends. I used to fly HALO/HAHO airdrops in the ol' charlie fourteen one bongo swept wing shadow o' death (C-141B); which required 2 hours of pure O2 pre-breathing under the watchful eye of phys techs prior to takeoff. Without prebreathing there is a risk of nitrogen narcosis. I'm surprised there aren't more reports of WWI / WWII aircrews getting the bends after rapid climbs. I’m just hoping accusim doesn’t figure out a way to simulate that, it might hurt!<o:p></o:p>
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--Dan<o:p></o:p>
 
The effects of high altitude on climbers varies considerably from individual to individual. I was a Climbing guide for a number of years on Mt Rainier (14,410') and never experienced any effects, but many coming from SL had issues even at 10,000'. My daughter is a Denali Climbing guide (20,320') and does not experience issues there or on her Aconcagua climb she guided (23,000 ft). For climbers acclimitization is an important factor. All require time, some acclimitize, some do not.

The main reason for the FAA regulations is the varibility of the population and the need for pilots to always be as alert as possible. Vision at night is especially affected. I have found it OK to fly for short periods at up to 20,000 ft with oxy off, but my son in law almost passed out at 25,000 ft doing aerial photography when his regulator developed a problem. Fortunatly another bottle/regulator was available. The Denal Rescue Helicopter pilot uses oxy up high for maximum alertness and concentration.

Flying the whale, if one pilot leaves his seat, the other is required to do a mask. Above 41,000 ft one pilot must always wear a mask. A very ra[pid decompression in the whale is unlikely because of the volume, but small bizjets at high altitude, the decompression can be almost instanteneous. Useful conciousness in the 40's is extremely short. Higher, pressure suits are required.

T
 
fsafranek said:
Almost totally unrelated but there was an episode of Top Gear where they were driving in Bolivia and had to go over the Andes. By 16,000 they were having real problems and by 17,000 they turned around and took a longer route at lower altitudes. The vehicles weren't doing much better up there -- a bit oxygen starved as well.
:ernae:
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They took Coca leaves and Viagra to combat it and it didn't work hahaha
 
And another reason for donning the O2 mask, which I'm surprised no one mentioned, is when someone on the flight deck let's one fly.
 
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