Supplemental oxygen

I’ll confess. In the last 40 years I normally started my O2 above 12,500. I estimate I have something like 3-4000 hours between 5000-12500 without O2. I never felt a need to start any lower. I must be brain dead by now, which explains a lot
But seriously, each individual is different. Not everyone needs O2 at 5000 feet, or even at 10,000 feet, and it does not make them irresponsible idiots if they don’t stick a cannula in their nose every flight at every altitude.
If I ever crash please don’t blame it on hypoxia.
Just wanted to offer a different perspective.

Ramy

Pilots who live at higher altitudes (Colorado, New Mexico) definitely have an advantage, as they are well acclimated to the thinner air. I remember seeing visitors from low-lying states gasping as they tried to carry their hang gliders on 12,200 ft. Gold Hill at Telluride, while those of us that were more used to it were hauling 100+ lbs. up the last stretch to launch with no significant problem. Of course, we were a lot younger then....

Ramy wrote on 7/24/2019 9:29 PM:
I’ll confess. In the last 40 years I normally started my O2 above 12,500. I estimate I have something like 3-4000 hours between 5000-12500 without O2. I never felt a need to start any lower. I must be brain dead by now, which explains a lot
But seriously, each individual is different. Not everyone needs O2 at 5000 feet, or even at 10,000 feet, and it does not make them irresponsible idiots if they don’t stick a cannula in their nose every flight at every altitude.
If I ever crash please don’t blame it on hypoxia.
Just wanted to offer a different perspective.

....and that's why pilots should check their saturation with an oximeter even lower
than they would normally start using oxygen. People's responses do vary a lot.


--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf

I've got an oximeter in the Stemme but never used it in flight. I'll try
to remember to do that just to see the results.Â* I currently set my MH
regulator to 10K' but, given that I have my own O2 fill capability, it
wouldn't hurt much to lower that to 5K' just to see if I notice any
difference.

Oh, and I've attended USAF altitude chamber training twice while I was
in the AF and am familiar with my hypoxia symptoms.Â* I wonder if they
change with age...Â* And I've experienced a cabin pressure failure at
FL450.Â* Pressure breathing is not much fun!

On 7/25/2019 1:29 PM, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Ramy wrote on 7/24/2019 9:29 PM:
I’ll confess. In the last 40 years I normally started my O2 above
12,500. I estimate I have something like 3-4000 hours between
5000-12500 without O2. I never felt a need to start any lower. I must
be brain dead by now, which explains a lot
But seriously, each individual is different. Not everyone needs O2 at
5000 feet, or even at 10,000 feet, and it does not make them
irresponsible idiots if they don’t stick a cannula in their nose
every flight at every altitude.
If I ever crash please don’t blame it on hypoxia.
Just wanted to offer a different perspective.

...and that's why pilots should check their saturation with an
oximeter even lower than they would normally start using oxygen.
People's responses do vary a lot.



--
Dan, 5J