More trivia on flight and oxygen:
1) the F102 always gave us 100%- there was no diluter function. Some
ground-pounding designer made the decision we'd always be wearing
pressure suits to go after those high-altitude bombers. As it turned
out it generally took a direct order to get a pilot airborne in the
old skin-tight MC-3&4 partial pressure suits, because they were very
unconfortable and visual lookout was definitely impaired because you
had to use your free hand to shove your head around to look to each
side. Well, one of our guys came down with his lower face singed -
claimed the oxygen had flamed his moustache wax. Good story but what
had reallyy happened was that he forgot to shut off his oxygen when he
lit a cigarette . . .speaking of p-suits I always had a good laugh
when I saw the Russky pics of their MiG21 pilots walking along in
p-suits that looked jusy like our partial pressure suits. Their flight
surgeons were a lot more involved in daily activities than ours -
thank God.
Next story - this crusty old WW2 pilot and I were off to Tyndall from
RG in a T33 - the wx down there was DS and we were at about 37000 to
save enough fuel for an alternate. He tried to light a cig but it
wouldn't take - the next hour he spent whining at me because I
wouldn't descend so he could grab a smoke.
Bends - we used to get bubbles under our skin in the older T33s
because the pressurization was so weak. Felt like little bugs crawling
under the skin (mobile chiggers?). So before a p-suit flight we
normally prebreathed 100% O2 for 30 minutes to flush out the N2 to
minimize the chance of getting bends. We were on another U2 intercept
mission when my squadron mate stopped the flightline trolley, opened
up his faceplate, threw up, wiped off his lips, closed the faceplate
and motioned to the young, now wide-eyed, airman driver to press on.
Hangovers and p-suits don't really go together. He still hacked the
mission, though.
Speaking of nicotine fits - I had a friend who used to chew tobacco in
a 104 - he kept a Prince Albert can in his Gsuit pocket to catch the
spit. Never was able to bounce him at just the right time, though.
Being a non-smoker I just don't understand guys like that.
As for the Rocky Mountains, when we get flatlanders up here for a
visit and take them for a drive up over Trail Ridge road - peak
altitude about 12,200, they usually doze off because they won't
breathe (pant) enough. Both the Pikes Peak and Mt. Evans roads will
let you drive up over 14,000.
Walt BJ