Comments on: High-altitude training http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/ General Aviation and Aviation In General Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:23:43 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Julien http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/comment-page-1/#comment-31767 Julien Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:45:04 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/?p=2995#comment-31767 I know.. At the start of the recording the pilot sounds absolutely drunk, it's borderline funny. I know.. At the start of the recording the pilot sounds absolutely drunk, it’s borderline funny.

]]> By: Sylvia http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/comment-page-1/#comment-31766 Sylvia Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:37:01 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/?p=2995#comment-31766 Good lord. It's amazing he kept control of the plane. That's an unbelieveable audio. Good lord. It’s amazing he kept control of the plane. That’s an unbelieveable audio.

]]> By: Julien http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/comment-page-1/#comment-31765 Julien Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:06:40 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/?p=2995#comment-31765 <a href="http://machnoneflying.com/2010/02/hypoxia-drama/" rel="nofollow">Amazing story</a> about hypoxia with ATC recordings of transmissions at <a href="http://machnoneflying.com/" rel="nofollow">machnoneflying.com</a>. Amazing story about hypoxia with ATC recordings of transmissions at machnoneflying.com.

]]> By: Max Trescott http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/comment-page-1/#comment-29739 Max Trescott Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:41:29 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/?p=2995#comment-29739 The chamber experience sounds extremely valuable. I did my high altitude training by climbing to FL260 in a Cessna 421. Since it was pressurized, we there was no opportunity to practice getting groggy. The chamber experience sounds extremely valuable. I did my high altitude training by climbing to FL260 in a Cessna 421. Since it was pressurized, we there was no opportunity to practice getting groggy.

]]> By: Sylvia http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/comment-page-1/#comment-28537 Sylvia Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:39:09 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/?p=2995#comment-28537 I was writing about this recently and thinking about the videos I've seen of people trying to force shapes into the wrong holes and similar tests. I'd quite like to experience it for myself (in a chamber, not in flight!) I was writing about this recently and thinking about the videos I’ve seen of people trying to force shapes into the wrong holes and similar tests. I’d quite like to experience it for myself (in a chamber, not in flight!)

]]> By: Patrick Flannigan http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/comment-page-1/#comment-28401 Patrick Flannigan Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:22:06 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/?p=2995#comment-28401 Back in college I heard about a hypoxia study that the aerospace department was putting on , so I quickly signed up. They stuck me in a flight simulator with an oxygen mask that would pump some other gas to reduce the amount of oxygen that I would be breathing. They had me fly a simple IFR flight with vectors to the ILS - both healthy and hypoxic. The researchers told me that I was probably an outlier - as I did surprisingly well under the influence of hypoxia, but I noticed that my thought process was unusually sluggish. It seemed as though I was continuously battling the threat of instrument fixation and poor decision making. A great experience: I'd recommend it to any pilot as it was an eye-opener. Back in college I heard about a hypoxia study that the aerospace department was putting on , so I quickly signed up. They stuck me in a flight simulator with an oxygen mask that would pump some other gas to reduce the amount of oxygen that I would be breathing.

They had me fly a simple IFR flight with vectors to the ILS – both healthy and hypoxic. The researchers told me that I was probably an outlier – as I did surprisingly well under the influence of hypoxia, but I noticed that my thought process was unusually sluggish. It seemed as though I was continuously battling the threat of instrument fixation and poor decision making.

A great experience: I’d recommend it to any pilot as it was an eye-opener.

]]> By: Julien http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/comment-page-1/#comment-28344 Julien Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:45:10 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/?p=2995#comment-28344 I spent some time in a hyperbaric chamber a few years ago with my dive club. This was at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. They take dive groups in from time to time to experience high depth, it's a fundraiser for the hospital. We went "down" to about 5 or 6 atmospheres as far as I remember. Of course you need to constantly pop your ears as you go down. The air gets thicker (which you can experience simply by waving your hand in front of you, it takes more muscular effort to move the air away), the air gets more humid and everyone starts speaking with Donald Duck's voice since air that is more dense carries sound frequencies differently. This is different from what Jason describes, since in this case the pressure goes up, not down, so there is always enough oxygen. Euphoria and loss of cognitive capacities may happen though, as far as I remember that's because of too much nitrogen in the blood, but don't quote me on that. The reason why hospitals have hyperbaric chambers chambers is not so much to treat dive accidents, but because some medical treatments work better under high pressure (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbaric_medicine" rel="nofollow">hyperbaric medecine</a>). I spent some time in a hyperbaric chamber a few years ago with my dive club. This was at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. They take dive groups in from time to time to experience high depth, it’s a fundraiser for the hospital.

We went “down” to about 5 or 6 atmospheres as far as I remember. Of course you need to constantly pop your ears as you go down. The air gets thicker (which you can experience simply by waving your hand in front of you, it takes more muscular effort to move the air away), the air gets more humid and everyone starts speaking with Donald Duck’s voice since air that is more dense carries sound frequencies differently.

This is different from what Jason describes, since in this case the pressure goes up, not down, so there is always enough oxygen. Euphoria and loss of cognitive capacities may happen though, as far as I remember that’s because of too much nitrogen in the blood, but don’t quote me on that.

The reason why hospitals have hyperbaric chambers chambers is not so much to treat dive accidents, but because some medical treatments work better under high pressure (see hyperbaric medecine).

]]> By: Andrew http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2009/11/20/high-altitude-training/comment-page-1/#comment-28244 Andrew Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:22:28 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/?p=2995#comment-28244 Hey Vincent, do you know whether there is a hyperbaric chamber in Switzerland where one go and see for himself? Hey Vincent, do you know whether there is a hyperbaric chamber in Switzerland where one go and see for himself?

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