Anyone use an oximeter

[carusoam]

Yes… everyone uses at least one portable O2 sensor….

1) They are low cost, readily available, and work…

2) To at least get a feeling for their oxygen level at higher altitudes…

3) And… to identify when their O2 levels start to creep lower…

4) And to associate what the lower numbers mean…

5) And… recognize your personal indications when the O2 levels have dropped…

 

6) Having an O2 sensor is required for problem solving… before your O2 level drops….

7) Once your O2 level drops, it can be incredibly hard to solve problems… problem solving requires good O2 levels…

8) so…. Now you have O2, a good sensor, work on a plan B…

9) Plan B is a system that can be used for O2, when plan A runs out, gets blocked, or suddenly stops working….

10) adjusting your breathing to improve your O2 saturation… sure it works… sort of… not a very reliable method for flying at higher altitudes though…

11) have a spare O2 instrument, because you can…

12) know the limitation of your device… It may confuse CO for O2… often, if you are getting poisoned by CO… your O2 sensor will be telling you everything is A-OK!

13) Have  good CO detector to go with that…

14) the problem with CO… it blocks O2 adsorption in the blood, and takes several hours to go away…  you need to find out if you have a CO problem… quickly.

+1 for both O2 and CO sensors…. For flying above about 5k’.

PP thoughts only, not a CFI…

Best regards,

-a-

[carusoam]

3 minutes ago, larryb said:

I feel exactly the opposite. I don’t understand why anybody would fly in hot and bumpy weather when they can fly in cool smooth comfort above 10K AGL. With rare exceptions every trip is between 11.5K and 17.5K. The key is an O2 system that is comfortable and efficient to use.

Something got lost in the conversation…

Joe the OP, is discussing training to fly high… so he can fly above mountains…

mountains out his way get pretty tall…

So there isn’t a choice to select a lower route, at any level of comfort….  

PP thoughts only…

Best regards,

-a-

[philip_g]

8 hours ago, larryb said:

I feel exactly the opposite. I don’t understand why anybody would fly in hot and bumpy weather when they can fly in cool smooth comfort above 10K AGL. With rare exceptions every trip is between 11.5K and 17.5K. The key is an O2 system that is comfortable and efficient to use.

But you're not in a 172. He said he's climbing up there to prepare to fly across the Rockies. I lived around, taught, and flew in Colorado for 20 years. You can get anywhere you need to go at 12,5 with a little planning. 

 

What's the TAS of a 172 in the teens? How long does it take to get there? It's absurd to say there is routinely an operational advantage to be gained by operating that airplane that high 

[Marauder]

On 9/8/2021 at 1:55 PM, Dream to fly said:

I've been taking lessons in a C172 up in the teens to get used to flying to the west.  My CFI and I use O2 be but neither one of us had a way of really knowing where our O2 levels were.  So I figured it would be a good investment and they are not stupid expensive.  

Yeah Joe, go get one. I was amazed to find out how low my blood ox levels got even at lower altitudes. All of those "my headache is coming from my headset" comments should have been "my headache is coming from my lack of oxygen".

[Danb]

47 minutes ago, Marauder said:

Yeah Joe, go get one. I was amazed to find out how low my blood ox levels got even at lower altitudes. All of those "my headache is coming from my headset" comments should have been "my headache is coming from my lack of oxygen".

No doubt C

[Hank]

7 hours ago, Marauder said:

Yeah Joe, go get one. I was amazed to find out how low my blood ox levels got even at lower altitudes. All of those "my headache is coming from my headset" comments should have been "my headache is coming from my lack of oxygen".

That's what I thought when I bought my C and started flying XC at 7500-9500 msl, lack of oxygen.

Then I got a QT Halo headset, and at the same altitudes, my "oxygen deprivation headaches" went away . . .

Now I have a fingertip meter, but can't remember to take it to the airport . . . .