REFLECTOR: Flying High

[NMFlyer1 at aol.com]

Jorge, 

Excellent post on O2. I would like to add a couple things. 

I have been through flight physiology training twice, studied it in college, 
and gone through the high altitude chamber test at Holloman AFB.  

Of the most important things I learned was the following:  

    Each person's reaction to oxygen depravation "can" be different. There is 
a list of symptoms such as headache, nausea, giggles, and all the other 
things that Jorge mentioned. The most important is each person's symptoms will come 
in the same order each time. I.E. if you get a headache as your first 
symptoms, you will get a headache as your first symptom in the future. Now it may be 
caused by the night before, or by the trail end of a cold, but both of those 
factors will increase your sensitivity to O2 depravation (as will 
dehydration!). 

So, pay attention!  

The post that said "Lynn must live at sea level!!  That's ridiculous in the 
extreme!" is just plain ignorant.

There is no doubt that extra O2 will help. Perhaps not enough to notice in 
many people. Some may notice O2 depravation due to so many variables, it seems 
ignorant to me to slam someone for being as safe as they can be. 

I live at 5000'. My practice is to adjust my O2 to the altitude above my 
home. That works quite well for me, I feel better after long high flights, etc.  I 
also found that spending a week at sea level will lessen my "edge" to high 
altitudes. 

To each his own, (but on the side of safety). 

Kurt
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