O2 filling

On Nov 17, 8:33 am, Ron Natalie wrote:
Dan wrote:
Would it be worth it in a non-turbo aircraft? (ie. 182, Comanche?) I
live out west and have been debating for a while.

Anyone know of a good place that fills tanks in the Phoenix area?

I have a normally aspirated aircraft and I live down here at sea
level. I regularly get up to 10,000 or so and sometimes higher.
I like having the portable system. Tank filling is hardly anything
and it doesn't need to be done that often. All of the oxygen
system vendors will top your tank off at Oshkosh (and probably
other shows) as well..

My tank usually only lasts one trip but I have 4 people breathing it
(I have an 'E' container which is a bit larger). I'm in California and
my normal Eastbound altitude is 13,500 in my non-turbo Mooney.
Anything lower than that is a bit scarry between down drafts and
dodging rocks. A normal trip is about 6 hours each way so about 12
hours on a tank with 4 breathing it.

However, it depends on where you fill it. If I fill in California I
get a good fill. If I fill in New Mexico I get much less because of
the altitude.

-Robert

It would be a portable system. I am in a club with a 182 and a
Comanche 260. The main purpose of the O2 would be to get to MEAs over
high terrain enabling me to go IFR on those flights. Of course, the
manual says the ceiling on the Comanche is FL210, and the 182 is 18k,
however not having Oxygen, I am not sure how practical it is to go
much above 12.5k in those aircraft...

--Dan

I've gotten into the habit of putting the oxygen on anytime we are over
10,000. While it's not required I feel much less tired when I arrive.

Margy

On Nov 17, 6:10 pm, Dan wrote:
On Nov 17, 2:16 pm, "Matt W. Barrow"
wrote:





"Dan" wrote in message

...

On Nov 15, 10:39 pm, "Matt W. Barrow"
wrote:
"Dan" wrote in message

...

So short of doing your own transfilling, where does everyone get cheap
O2? Or are you paying big bucks at the FBOs? For an occasional user,
the transfilling equipment does not make sense.

An Oxygen optimizer (i.e., Mountain High or Aerox) makes your tank full
of
O2 last about six to ten times longer than a normal system. Filling your
own
and an Optimizer brings the cost of O2 down to near zero. Further, it
makes
it worthwhile to use higher altitudes that an expensive system make
prohibitive.

Would it be worth it in a non-turbo aircraft? (ie. 182, Comanche?) I
live out west and have been debating for a while.

As with so many other points, it depends. First, I find it rather odd that
someone would have built in O tanks in a non-turbo aircraft. Also, much
depends on WHY you want to go high: terrain, distance, favorable winds...

When I lived in Montrose, CO, every flight pretty muh dictated going high,
often 15K or 16K feet to get over the mountains and over to the front range.
Added to this was most flights were 350 or more miles.

If you do use oxygen fairly often, check the prices on the O conservers and
do the math to see if it's worthwhile. Also, add in your fuel saving in
going higher.

Anyone know of a good place that fills tanks in the Phoenix area?

Call around to some welding supply stores, but don't tell them it's for an
aircraft, just tell them you're doing to fancy artwork welding. :~)

--
Matt Barrow
Performance Homes, LLC.
Cheyenne, WY- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Matt,

It would be a portable system. I am in a club with a 182 and a
Comanche 260. The main purpose of the O2 would be to get to MEAs over
high terrain enabling me to go IFR on those flights. Of course, the
manual says the ceiling on the Comanche is FL210, and the 182 is 18k,
however not having Oxygen, I am not sure how practical it is to go
much above 12.5k in those aircraft...

I find that in my plane it is rare that I can fly IFR (at least IMC)
at those altitudes because of ice.

-Robert

On Nov 17, 7:47 pm, "Robert M. Gary" wrote:
On Nov 17, 6:10 pm, Dan wrote:





On Nov 17, 2:16 pm, "Matt W. Barrow"
wrote:

"Dan" wrote in message

...

On Nov 15, 10:39 pm, "Matt W. Barrow"
wrote:
"Dan" wrote in message

...

So short of doing your own transfilling, where does everyone get cheap
O2? Or are you paying big bucks at the FBOs? For an occasional user,
the transfilling equipment does not make sense.

An Oxygen optimizer (i.e., Mountain High or Aerox) makes your tank full
of
O2 last about six to ten times longer than a normal system. Filling your
own
and an Optimizer brings the cost of O2 down to near zero. Further, it
makes
it worthwhile to use higher altitudes that an expensive system make
prohibitive.

Would it be worth it in a non-turbo aircraft? (ie. 182, Comanche?) I
live out west and have been debating for a while.

As with so many other points, it depends. First, I find it rather odd that
someone would have built in O tanks in a non-turbo aircraft. Also, much
depends on WHY you want to go high: terrain, distance, favorable winds...

When I lived in Montrose, CO, every flight pretty muh dictated going high,
often 15K or 16K feet to get over the mountains and over to the front range.
Added to this was most flights were 350 or more miles.

If you do use oxygen fairly often, check the prices on the O conservers and
do the math to see if it's worthwhile. Also, add in your fuel saving in
going higher.

Anyone know of a good place that fills tanks in the Phoenix area?

Call around to some welding supply stores, but don't tell them it's for an
aircraft, just tell them you're doing to fancy artwork welding. :~)

--
Matt Barrow
Performance Homes, LLC.
Cheyenne, WY- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Matt,

It would be a portable system. I am in a club with a 182 and a
Comanche 260. The main purpose of the O2 would be to get to MEAs over
high terrain enabling me to go IFR on those flights. Of course, the
manual says the ceiling on the Comanche is FL210, and the 182 is 18k,
however not having Oxygen, I am not sure how practical it is to go
much above 12.5k in those aircraft...

I find that in my plane it is rare that I can fly IFR (at least IMC)
at those altitudes because of ice.

-Robert- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If going above 12.5k gets you on top, then it might be worth it.

--Dan

Robert M. Gary schrieb:

However, it depends on where you fill it. If I fill in California I
get a good fill. If I fill in New Mexico I get much less because of
the altitude.

Huh???

Margy Natalie schrieb:

I've gotten into the habit of putting the oxygen on anytime we are over
10,000. While it's not required I feel much less tired when I arrive.

With the advent of pulse demand systems, many glider pilots now just put
on the cannula before take off and set the trigger altitude as low as
5000 feet. They tend to feel a lot less tired after a typical 6 to 8
hour flight and to have a lot less headache the day after.

On Nov 16, 9:56 am, Airbus wrote:
In article ,
says...







On Nov 15, 7:05 pm, Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?

They use compressed air to drive all their tools in the shop.

Sure - but to get air from their shop compressor into an O2 bottle would
require some real ingenuity. Anyone smart enough to do that would be smart
enough not to do it, I should think!

I'm wondering - maybe the FBO didn't have O2 facilities, and some gopher went
out to a local diving supplies shop, and together they managed to jury-rig the
fittings . . .- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The fittings for "Transfilling" from a larger tank are readily
available. Just do a search for "Oxygen Cylinder Fill Adapter". Here
is an example:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?
ViewItem&item=160164819619&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RCRX _Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=160180462292&itemco unt=4&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=Cros sSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

Sorry for the long link.

David Johnson

You are kidding, right? The difference between an ambient of 15 psi and 10
psi on a 3000 psi fill isn't squat.

Jim



However, it depends on where you fill it. If I fill in California I
get a good fill. If I fill in New Mexico I get much less because of
the altitude.

-Robert

Dave wrote:
On Nov 16, 9:56 am, Airbus wrote:
nking?
They use compressed air to drive all their tools in the shop.
Sure - but to get air from their shop compressor into an O2 bottle would
require some real ingenuity. Anyone smart enough to do that would be smart
enough not to do it, I should think!

I'm wondering - maybe the FBO didn't have O2 facilities, and some gopher went
out to a local diving supplies shop, and together they managed to jury-rig the
fittings . . .- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The fittings for "Transfilling" from a larger tank are readily
available.

Even the larger tanks are thread indexed. You have to work hard
to screw it up. The problem is that dive shops have rigs that mix
gases. They also have devices (and most divers diving mixes have
them as well) to analyze what's in the resultant tank before using it.

On Nov 18, 8:27 am, "RST Engineering" wrote:
You are kidding, right? The difference between an ambient of 15 psi and 10
psi on a 3000 psi fill isn't squat.

I"ve never gotten more than 2300lbs in New Mexico. They say its
because the ambiant pressure doesn't allow for a full fill. I usually
get about 2800lbs (as I recall) in California.

-Robert