REFLECTOR: Flying High

[Jorge Bujanda]

You are right Steve.  That is why I started by saying: "The headache is 
a sign of an important and fairly acute (read rapid) decrease of oxygen 
delivery to the brain due to sudden decrease in barometric (oxygen) 
pressure..."  as opposed to gradual, but beware of overconfidence. 

It is true that someone living at higher altitudes will be better 
adapted to higher flying.  However, your body cannot increase oxygen 
pressure in the air so it will mainly adapt by increasing the number of 
red blood cells and the amount of hemoglobin (oxygen carrier cells and 
carrier molecules) to help increase delivery of oxygen to the tissues 
and organs.   In this regard, anything that will reduce or impair your 
ability to increase those two very important compensatory mechanisms 
(i.e., simple iron deficiency or any other type of anemia) will decrease 
your body's ability to compensate when living at higher elevations.  For 
example, donating blood in that recent church or school blood drive puts 
you right there with the rest of us for a few months, until your body 
"compensates."  In addition, even when perfectly fit, the body can only 
compensate to a certain point.  This has no relationship with the fact 
that you will be affected, at some "variable" and highly "undefined" 
altitude, by any of the abnormal conditions I used as examples.

By the way, do not forget your passengers... they all will be affected 
as well (wives, asthmatic children and grandchildren, pregnant 
passengers, etc)  Make sure you cover your bases and ensure their safety 
as well, when the need, or the urge, to fly higher comes to play.
 
Regards



steven-oakley at comcast.net wrote:

>Hi,
>
>  
>
>>He emphasized that those of us who are over 40 have a greater need for
>>supplemental oxygen than younger pilots, especially at night.  Also, the FAA
>>regs regarding the use of oxygen are really pushing the limits - Lynn
>>recommended supplemental oxygen at lower altitudes than the regs require -
>>5000 ft at night and 7500 during daylight.
>>    
>>
>
>Although I like to err on the side of caution this recomendation has to also have the pilots exposure to living above sea level taken into consideration. My home airport elevation is 5017MSL, so to apply the above, any night flight would require O2. However living at 5000MSL the body adapts to the altitude, this means that pilots who live at 5000MSL are probably safe upto 7500(night) and 10,000(day). 
>
>In fact apart from landing all my flying is above 7500, frequently upto 10,000 MSL without suplimental O2.
>
>Steve. 
>
>
>
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