Aero-Tips!

A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of "there are no old, bold pilots.")

Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner, master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us -- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators. Some of them, you may have heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we might never have considered before, or something that didn't "stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for the practical test.

Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you through the Aero-News Network.

Aero-Tips 08.27.06

Responding to a recent article, a reader asks:

I fly Twin Cessnas as a contract pilot and for years, at night, I've gone on supplemental oxygen just before starting descent.  On longer trips we will fly in the high teens or low twenties where the cabin altitude can get up to almost 10,000 ft.  Usually stay on oxygen until arrival into the terminal area (a time frame of 10-15 minutes). Your tip today made me wonder if I'm using supplemental oxygen long enough.

Most pilots don't suffer significant oxygen-related issues at cabin altitudes around 10,000 feet. (Note: "Cabin altitude" in a pressurized airplane is the amount of air in the cabin in comparison to altitudes in nature. A cabin altitude of 10,000 feet, then, means the air pressure in the cabin is the same as it is at 10,000 feet without pressurization). But some do, and you may find certain aspects of your piloting are improved with extra O2. The key points to consider here are:

• Are you experiencing any symptoms of hypoxia at those cabin altitudes?
• You're flying at night.

Check for symptoms

Check to see if you're experiencing any symptoms of hypoxia at those altitudes. For instance, are your fingernails or lips tinted blue (a sign of oxygen depravation), or do you feel any of your "personal symptoms" if you've had the opportunity to attend physiological training. If the answer to either is "yes", then you obviously need to use supplemental oxygen longer.

Next, try an experiment. In cruise flight, with fully dark-adapted eyes, go on oxygen. See how much additional detail you can see-lights on the ground, outlines of clouds, items in shadow in the cockpit-when you're on O2. If you note a big difference (and most people do), you might consider using supplemental oxygen for longer periods even in a pressurized airplane.

Aero-tip of the day: Most regulations give us the minimum requirements to be safe. In many cases individuals are wise to go beyond what the regulations require.

FMI: Aero-Tips