Oxygen Questions

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Wednesday, July 22, 2020 at 10:47 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Industrial oxygen often has higher purity requirements than aviator's or medical oxygen, with aviator's breathing oxygen (ABO) requiring at least 99.5% purity.
Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) can be effective at lower altitudes, but their oxygen purity output decreases significantly with increasing altitude, and they have power draw, heat generation, and single-user limitations for aviation.
When cleared for an RNAV (GPS) approach, pilots may descend to the Terminal Arrival Area's (TAA) minimum altitude (often labeled as MSA) once verified to be within the defined area, a rule that differs from traditional ground-based navaid approaches where MSAs are typically for emergency use.

See a mistake? Contact us.

In June’s article, “Restoring Performance,” Mike Hart writes, “There is no practical difference between aviator’s breathing oxygen and oxygen used for medicine or welding.” While he does explain the difference now in regards to medical oxygen as compared to the 1950s, I’ve read that industrial oxygen, should not be used due to the impurities in it. Is industrial oxygen purer now than before?

As always, I enjoy reading Aviation Safety. Keep those articles coming!