Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.")
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you
may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be
something we might never have considered before, or something that
didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized
it for the practical test.
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Aero-Tips 08.27.06
Responding to a recent article, a reader asks:
I fly Twin Cessnas as a contract pilot and for years, at
night, I've gone on supplemental oxygen just before starting
descent. On longer trips we will fly in the high teens or low
twenties where the cabin altitude can get up to almost 10,000
ft. Usually stay on oxygen until arrival into the terminal
area (a time frame of 10-15 minutes). Your tip today made me wonder
if I'm using supplemental oxygen long enough.
Most pilots don't suffer significant oxygen-related issues at
cabin altitudes around 10,000 feet. (Note:
"Cabin altitude" in a pressurized airplane is the amount of air in
the cabin in comparison to altitudes in nature. A cabin altitude of
10,000 feet, then, means the air pressure in the cabin is the same
as it is at 10,000 feet without pressurization). But some do,
and you may find certain aspects of your piloting are improved with
extra O2. The key points to consider here are:
- Are you experiencing any symptoms of hypoxia at those cabin
altitudes?
- You're flying at night.
Check for symptoms
Check to see if you're experiencing any symptoms of hypoxia at
those altitudes. For instance, are your fingernails or lips tinted
blue (a sign of oxygen depravation), or do you feel any of your
"personal symptoms" if you've had the opportunity to attend
physiological training. If the answer to either is "yes", then you
obviously need to use supplemental oxygen longer.
Next, try an experiment. In cruise flight, with fully
dark-adapted eyes, go on oxygen. See how much additional detail you
can see-lights on the ground, outlines of clouds, items in shadow
in the cockpit-when you're on O2. If you note a big difference (and
most people do), you might consider using supplemental oxygen for
longer periods even in a pressurized airplane.
Aero-tip of the day: Most regulations give us
the minimum requirements to be safe. In many cases individuals are
wise to go beyond what the regulations require.
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