Re: Things to remember in very hot weather

In rec.aviation.student Steve Hix <sehix@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> In article <1214774267.161160@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> Michael Ash <mike@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> 
>> At the risk of turning this thread into something useful,
> 
> Heaven forfend!
> 
>> does anyone have 
>> any recommendations as to when it's a good idea to give oxygen to 
>> passengers? I'm not talking about the legal requirements, but just when

>> it's the smart thing to do. For example, as the pilot I like to start
my 
>> oxygen at about 10,000ft even though it's not required until quite a
bit 
>> higher. But then again, it doesn't really matter too much if my
passengers 
>> have mildly impaired judgement during the flight, even though I'd
really 
>> want to avoid that myself.
>> 
>> This is really an academic question since I don't plan to take anybody 
>> that high to begin with, but I'm curious.
> 
> Depends on the person, really.

Good point!

> I have a friend who begins to exhibit severe headaches and some cyanosis

> (his lips and fingernails start to go purple) above about 8000'. He's 
> been warned to be very cautious about higher elevations, as he's 
> probably a prime candidate for mountain sickness. So much for his dreams

> of trekking the Himalayas.
> 
> That's a bit extreme, but it's worth watching for if you have a 
> passenger who's never been at altitude before.
> 
> Heavy smokers, or anyone with compromised cardiopulmonary function 
> should be cautious, probably.

Do I correctly understand that you would be happy with monitoring for 
symptoms during the flight and making the decision then? I don't want to 
do this as the pilot, but only because judgement is one of the first 
things to go. For passengers this seems to be entirely reasonable.

> There are affordable blood oxygenation meters, typically used by 
> clipping on a finger, to determine blood O2 levels if you spend much 
> time at higher elevations without supplementary oxygen.

Mentioned in another post as well. As I said in the reply, I might well 
get one once high-altitude season rolls around again.

-- 
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon