Recommendations for O2 systems and use, please.

[MARZ]

There is no difference in the oxygen - here's a interesting read on a home fill solution as well..

http://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182079-1.html

 

[Seth]

Gary-

I'm also planning to get a portable system for my aircraft.  I'm planning on getting a two place system for now, as the Missile can get up into the teens pretty quickly if there's a nice headwind to catch.

I have asthma and usually can feel my chest working harder at 9000 feet or so, and I am a sea level dweller, so when I am at altitude for a while (3-4 hour legs) I do feel the headache later in the day. 

When I flew coast to coast in 2010 in my F model, I was up around 12,400 for about an hour and above 10,000 for a good portion of my two four hour legs from Portland Oregon, to Bozeman, MT, to Rapid City Falls, SD.  Great flight, very tiring.  I did not have oxygen for that flight.  I have not flown regularly at those altitudes since, but I am planning another coast to coast flight for September, and if I can catch some tailwinds in the teens in the missile, I'll want oxygen on board. 

I do plan to have a backup supply for an emergency.  Does anyone have the 30 minute single use bottles as a backup?

Let me know what you choose, as I haven't really started my research except I only plan to have a two seat system, as if I'm putting four people in the aircraft for now, we're staying below oxygen use levels.  The longer trips from the East Coast to the West Coast would be just me or me plus one.

-Seth

[Jsavage3]

Portable O2 bottle location...is hanging from the back of the front-left seat the only realistic option?  This position would be hard for me to adjust when flying solo...sure, I can move it, but this equals hassle.  My wife will always have to be the one to adjust it...not a problem, just an observation.

 

I haven't looked yet, so this question is just that, a question...would it be possible/realistic to fasten a long, thin bottle to the cockpit floor under the front-left seat?  If possible, advantages as I see them: (1) with the adjustment positioned forward, I could adjust it myself and (2) preserves rear-seat legroom.  Disadvantages?  Possibly difficult to secure and/or remove for refills.

 

I feel that the biggest bottle I can get away with will reduce my hassle of refill options.

 

Any feedback on bottle placement and ease-of-use options?

[funvee]

I have the aerox 4 place system and love it.  I have it strung over the front right seat so it's easy for me to adjust.

 

As for refills... I looked everywhere for a good solution and finally stumbled across the solution when I was getting my scuba tanks filled.  My scuba shop refills my O2 bottle for $20.  (I have the 22cu ft tank).

[Alan Fox]

O2 is O2 is O2 ....That being said , I have two medical D bottles with a medical regulator , that feeds a nasal cannula , I think I am all in for 130$ IIRC , They work great , and there is no regulation for portable O2 as far as I know...

[carusoam]

Alan,

What size tank do you prefer?

Best regards,

-a-

[Alan Fox]

I think its a "D" bottle , will last at least 10 or 15 hours ...

[Alan Fox]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/D-Size-Aluminum-Oxygen-Cylinder-tank-W-Toggle-Valve-/140989904881?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20d3a737f1#ht_893wt_939 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-OXYGEN-Regulator-NEW-in-Package-/111097285609?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ddea0be9#ht_147wt_1177

[Jsavage3]

Funvee stated, "I have the aerox 4 place system and love it.  I have it strung over the front right seat so it's easy for me to adjust."

 

Slung over the front right seat makes it hard for rear seat passenger's access doesn't it?

[Jerry 5TJ]

My O2 guidelines:

• I use a portable bottle and I got the biggest bottle I could find as the FBO charges by the bottle, not by the cubic foot, to refill.   
• I carry two O2 systems if there are two of us in the Mooney and each person uses his own so both sources of O2 unlikely to fail at once.
• I don't fly with passengers in the back seat on flights demanding O2, period.  
• I tie down the bottles securely as I don't relish having one hit me in turbulence. 
• I rate O2 system reliability as poor - hoses fall off the barbed connectors, hoses kink, ice forms in the lines, the bottle runs empty with no warning or alarm system. 
• I use O2 as required to keep my blood oxygen saturation > 92%.  Sometimes that means at 7,000 feet MSL especially on a hot day when the density altitude can be considerably higher than MSL.  
• At night I use O2 above 5000.    Amazing how much brighter lights suddenly appear when you take a deep breath of 100% O2 after half an hour at 5000.  Try it some nice dark night. 
• I use an in-line flow indicator that shows green when gas is flowing and clip that up in view of my regular scan
• I don't buy O2 at a dive shop as they have a documented history of sometimes pumping in regular air when you ask for O2.  Search NTSB reports if you don't think that's happened more than once with sad outcomes.
• Years ago I took the day-long altitude training class at an AFB - available to us civilian pilots for an absurdly low fee - and that was valuable, very valuable, in learning how insidious slow-onset hypoxia can be  and to learn how short a time of useful consciousness you have at even 25,000'  
• O2 is a great asset even at "low" altitudes to help reduce fatigue.
• O2 costs me only $1 to $2 per flying hour so I don't avoid using it any time I feel it is warranted.

 

 

[funvee]

Funvee stated, "I have the aerox 4 place system and love it.  I have it strung over the front right seat so it's easy for me to adjust."

 

Slung over the front right seat makes it hard for rear seat passenger's access doesn't it?

 

So far, no issues once the front seats are in flying position.  It fits between their legs... So far, nobody has complained or commented on it being in the way, but I don't think I've asked either

 

I should also mention that when filling O2 at my dive shop, I watch them fill it, for the very reason mentioned by Jerry.  It's the only way to know what is going in your bottle.

[N201MKTurbo]

I get my O2 filled at the gas plant. I watch them hook it to the same giant manifold that feeds the welding, medical and aviation oxygen bottles. (US Airweld) I talked to the shop foreman and he said the only difference with ABO is that he tests every bottle to make sure it complies with the standard. I asked if a bottle ever failed. He said "not in the 35 years I've worked here". Which means that they haven't produced a bottle of oxygen in 35 years that wouldn't pass for ABO.