Oxygen on board – at what altitude does it make sense for you?
Did you have oxygen with you on your last flight over the Alps? If not, why not?
In Switzerland, we are used to climbing to an altitude of 9,500 feet or higher to cross the Alps. However, most of us live and work at just a few hundred meters above sea level. Therefore, we are not acclimatized to the altitude. During a flight over the Alps, we ascend or descend several thousand feet or meters with the aircraft. During this time, our body has hardly any time to adapt to the lower oxygen content in the air. The oxygen saturation in the blood drops and our mental performance decreases drastically.
Do you really know your body well enough to decide at what altitude you should carry additional oxygen?
Even at an altitude of around 10,000 feet, a healthy person’s oxygen saturation can fall below 90%. Depending on age and general health, such a value may be reached at a lower altitude. This should be avoided at all costs. A pulse oximeter provides helpful measurements about your body and supports you in deciding whether to carry oxygen.
Incidentally, even below 10,000 feet, supplemental oxygen can help you arrive at your destination relaxed and without headaches.
Hypoxia: symptoms and prevention
The EASA brochure on hypoxia shows how to deal with risks at high altitudes. What is your plan B if you experience symptoms of hypoxia (altitude sickness)? A glance into the cockpits at Swiss airfields shows that there are hardly any oxygen bottles or devices to be found. However, there is nothing to prevent this: portable oxygen systems are explicitly allowed under the rules of flight operations (Part-NCO, NCO.OP.190 and NCO.IDE.A.155). Have you considered taking a portable oxygen system with you on your next flight over the Alps or renting one to test it?
How much have you researched the topic of hypoxia? Take part in our survey.
Further information on the topic:
Pilots need (more) oxygen – AOPA
Hypoxie im Flugzeug – flugphysiologische Betrachtungen (aerzteblatt.de)
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