What is cabin air pressure set at

Ron Natalie wrote:

Andrew Koenig wrote:
"Gord Beaman" wrote in message
...

And don't expect to be able to tell the difference either. I flew
some pressurized but mostly unpressurized aircraft for over 25
years and I defy anyone to tell the difference between sealevel
and 15,000 as long as they're not physically working, are in
average physical shape, cannot see outside the aircraft and have
no instruments...so this particular 'coach experience' claim is
just hype...

Once I visited the observatory at Mauna Kea, which is at 13,800 feet
elevation. Based on that experience, I find it hard to believe that
*anyone* couldn't tell the difference between sea level and 15,000 feet --
at least not after returning to sea level.


You don't have to physically work very hard to notice. I noticed the
effects of the reduced oxygen content at 12,000 feet just by what I had
to do to turn around and reach back to shut the rear seat air vent in
the Navion.

I think it was 'all in your head' Ron (and Andrew) ...you 'knew'
you were at ~12k therefore your body supplied the symptoms that
'you' expected it to...it's similar (in a way) to why the NTSB
etc puts little stock in eyewitness reports unless they're
corroborated by physical or other evidence, your mind/imagination
supplies the expected missing pieces that you thought came from
memory. It's quite common. Not rocket science at all.

Ever hear of the helicopter pilot witnessing a failed tail rotor
crash on the type of a/c that he was very familiar with?...he was
certain that the a/c rotated 6 times, this stood till someone
came forward with a clear video of it rotating 3 times...(these
figures may be in error but the error factor was close to this).

Proving (yet again) that eye witness reports (even seasoned
witnesses) aren't very reliable, this has been proven many times.

In my case, we were at something like 15,000, we worked for
awhile walking around hanging up chains and untangling
rope...after awhile we started climbing and continued working,
really not thinking about the height at all...later on I remember
thinking, gee, I must be out of shape getting tired while doing
light work like this...we finished and I sort of dragged myself
up the steps to the cockpit and found us over 20,000.

We often cruised at 12, 15K. Perhaps it isn't done anymore?
doesn't change the fact that it's true does it?...I doubt that
I'm superman...I did it for quite a few years and I take a bit of
umbrage when someone suggests that I lying in my teeth.
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

Gord Beaman wrote:

We often cruised at 12, 15K. Perhaps it isn't done anymore?
doesn't change the fact that it's true does it?...I doubt that
I'm superman...I did it for quite a few years and I take a bit of
umbrage when someone suggests that I lying in my teeth.

I've noticed some shortness of breath at 14K, but I was walking up
Uncompaghre Peak in Colorado at the time. The mountains are a little
shorter around here, and I've never really thought about the quality of the
air at 9 or 10K. I was a little amused when this thread started...

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bowman wrote:

Gord Beaman wrote:

We often cruised at 12, 15K. Perhaps it isn't done anymore?
doesn't change the fact that it's true does it?...I doubt that
I'm superman...I did it for quite a few years and I take a bit of
umbrage when someone suggests that I lying in my teeth.

I've noticed some shortness of breath at 14K, but I was walking up
Uncompaghre Peak in Colorado at the time. The mountains are a little
shorter around here, and I've never really thought about the quality of the
air at 9 or 10K. I was a little amused when this thread started...

Bowman, thanks for your input...it get's frustrating when this
kind of thing happens and it's very gratifying when someone with
similar experiences speaks up...
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

Gord Beaman wrote:

Bowman, thanks for your input...it get's frustrating when this
kind of thing happens and it's very gratifying when someone with
similar experiences speaks up...

For that matter quite a few Sherpas and several Europeans have summitted
Everest without oxygen.

That said, a couple of years ago I was hiking up one of the very popular
local 9K peaks and passed a guy taking a break alongside the trail. I
didn't think much of it until I met up with a woman about a quarter of a
mile further on. She asked me if I'd seen the man. When I said he was
taking a break and would be along shortly, she said with a big grin "he
smokes and I dragged him up here to give him a little taste of what
emphysema will be like."

Another example would be Eisenhower tunnel on I70. I forget the exact
elevation, but it is close to 12K and thousands of people drive over it
without a thought.

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On Fri, 14 Oct 2005 23:13:42 -0600, bowman wrote:

... a couple of years ago I was hiking up one of the very popular
local 9K peaks and passed a guy taking a break alongside the trail. I
didn't think much of it until I met up with a woman about a quarter of a
mile further on. She asked me if I'd seen the man. When I said he was
taking a break and would be along shortly, she said with a big grin "he
smokes and I dragged him up here to give him a little taste of what
emphysema will be like."...

My lung capacity was never good. 10 minutes playing squash and I would
melt down, panting like a steam loco on a climb. At the age of 25.

At the age of 45 I knew when I was flying at 10K from the slight
breathlessness.
At 60, I was stressed, waiting for the company I worked for to mail me
a ticket to fly to a conference to present a paper I had written.

The ticket finally arrived the day before I was due to fly, a Sunday,
and I had not completed my presentation materials. I got shorter
and shorter of breath, smoking all along, and attempting to set the
material ready, until finally, I could not move without gasping.

My wife drove me 200 yards to the hospital emergency room, and they
stabilized me on oxygen and nebulizers.
I thought it was my dying day. 2 hours later, I could breathe, and
never smoked again. After 40 years.

Brian Whatcott

Brian Whatcott wrote:
snip
My wife drove me 200 yards to the hospital emergency room, and they
stabilized me on oxygen and nebulizers.
I thought it was my dying day. 2 hours later, I could breathe, and
never smoked again. After 40 years.

Brian Whatcott

Yes, I know whereof you speak...I smoked moderately for 45 years
then, noticing increasing shortness of breath I got a few tests
done (PFT - Pulmonary Function Test) etc...

Doctor said "Mr Beaman, you can quit smoking now and have a sort
of acceptable old age, or you can continue smoking, in which case
you WILL quit in about two years...I quit right then.

Diagnosis, emphysema, home oxygen the works.

That was 10 years ago.

I sure wish that I knew then (as a kid) what I know now...
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)