Search Results for: oxygen

It should come as no surprise that more than half of all general aviation aircraft are more than 25 years old, and more than 25% are past their 35th birthdays. Like everything else thats getting older, an aging aircraft can experience a host of problems, including decreases in both performance and structural integrity.

As aircraft age, undetected or uncorrected wear, fatigue, corrosion and creep can decrease an aircrafts ability to sustain the fail-safe loads designed into it. The most graphic example of fatigue and corrosion causing a serious problem in flight comes is the Aloha Air Lines B-737 accident in 1988, and that should be enough to scare any pilot. Clearly prevention, timely d…

If you think an air show is just about watching aerobatic planes dance around their own trails of smoke, you havent been trying hard enough.

Most people think of air shows as recreation, a time to gawk at airplanes, swap tales with other pilots and eat food that would make a nutritionists eyes roll in disbelief.

But they also offer all kinds of opportunities to become a safer pilot to those who take the time to look.

EAAs Sun n Fun Fly-in in April had a smattering of new gear, loads of familiar products and a comprehensive lineup of seminars and forums geared to homebuilder and factory flier alike. Buried in the chaff were some valuable nuggets that were suitably rewarding.

T…

Something about flying a twin grabs your attention. Sitting up high, a fistful of throttles, clear one, turning one – it all adds up to a feeling of power and control.

Thats appropriate, of course, because power and control are the big issues in learning to fly a light twin. Its not a matter of having power and control, its that you can lose them very quickly when something goes wrong. Flying a light twin isnt for everyone, and its not a panacea that takes all the risk out of flying. But with proper instruction, flying a twin is, in some ways, as good as it gets.

Are Two Better Than One?
The biggest myth of light twins is that they are inherently safer than singles…

There comes a time in almost every pilots career when the need arises to transit high terrain or overfly weather at an altitude in the low to mid teens.

Sometimes the climb is planned, such as crossing a mountain pass in the west or the Appalachians in the east. Sometimes its not, like when trying to overfly building cumulus clouds on a summer morning. In either case, the flight to higher altitude is generally intended to be brief and the need for supplemental oxygen is often written off.

These flights seem to start out smoothly. Once you climb, you wonder why you dont fly high more often. Things are going well – very well, in fact. You realize you havent felt this well in years….

Consider the pilot – a creature of superior intelligence and drive who tires easily of the mundane in the search for new adventure. The pilot looks to the sky and sees romance where the rest of humanity sees only a place from which rain falls. The pilot is the quintessential lover and like anyone in love is completely blind to the reality of relationships. In our case its the relationship to our passengers.

We pilots havent a clue what passengers expect when they climb into our machines. We assume they share our passion for flying, but we forget that it was we who left the real world to gain our wings. Whenever we make that occasional foray back to share our gift, the recipients might…

By ignoring a few rules, pilot takes three friends to the bottom of a lake instead of a hockey playoff

Theres an old saying in aviation that youll hear throughout your flying career: Trust your instruments.

Anyone who has had instrument training has been beaten over the head by the instructor. The strategy is necessary in order to overcome your proprioceptive sensors – the so-called seat of the pants sensations – that you learned to rely on when flying VFR.

Yet, what may not have been emphasized is that your instruments can and occasionally will lie to you. Therefore a basic function of cockpit resource management requires a continuous cross-check of the engine, flight and navigation instruments. Its akin to the old saw, just because youre paranoid, dont think someones not ou…

At approximately 15:20 MST, a Bellanca 17-30 disappeared from radar near Creede. The pilot and his passenger are presumed dead. The meteorological conditions are unknown. The flight originated from Colorado Springs about 50 minutes earlier, but no flight plan was filed. Family members said the flight was headed to Las Vegas. The last radar contact of what is believed to be the missing airplane showed an altitude of 14,700 feet msl. It has not been determined if the airplane was equipped with supplemental oxygen….

A spectacular four-hour flight that was tracked on television to the bitter end culminated in a near vertical dive to a farmers field near Mina, S.D., in late October. Aboard the Lear 35A were four passengers – including golf great Payne Stewart – and two pilots. Even while the plane was cruising at altitude, it was apparent that the light jet had depressurized, from as yet unknown reasons.

The jet was flying from Orlando, Fla., to Dallas on an IFR flight plan when ATC lost communication with the airplane as it climbed on autopilot through FL370 toward an assigned FL390. It busted the assigned altitude and reached altitudes in the low to mid-forties.

The aircraft did not turn toward t…

Ask any pilot in the lounge about oxygen and flying and youll get, Well, youve got to have oxygen on above 14,000 feet, and above 12,500 feet if youre going to be there for more than half an hour. Ask the same pilot how much oxygen and youre likely to get a puzzled look.

The FARs outline when to use oxygen and the Airmans Information Manual says cannulas may be used up to 18,000 feet. But other than that the aviation bibles are mute on the issue.

Pilots are left to guess how much oxygen they need as they climb into the oxygen altitudes.

In addition, lower fliers can be left wondering what to make of conflict between the regulatory oxygen altitudes and evidence that hypoxia…