Questions tagged [oxygen]

The 8th chemical element, which is essential for human life. Above a certain altitude, local air pressure is not sufficient for humans to receive enough oxygen to remain fully aware or conscious. Supplemental oxygen is needed if cabin pressure is not sufficient.

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Where are the oxygen masks for the flight attendants located? [duplicate]

On a typical airliner, while seated in their jump seat, where is the oxygen mask located for the flight attendants? (an image would be appreciated)
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Are there any commercial flights that require passengers to use supplemental oxygen?

In the United States, Part 121 operations can apparently can be conducted with cabin altitudes above 15,000 ft as long as all passengers are provided with supplemental oxygen when the cabin altitude ...
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How do bleedless passenger airliners keep cabin air breathable?

When you web-search an answer for how airliners maintain cabin air breathability, the typical answer you get is that bleed air is the key: new air comes in from the outside and gets mixed with old air....
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Was Hawthorne C. Gray the first pilot to use a positive pressure mask?

The balloonist Hawthorne C. Gray established human altitude records twice in 1927. His ascent in May 1927 went to 42,470 ft (12.94 km) which is an altitude the FAA requires the use of a pressure ...
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Does breathing 100% oxygen cause health issues?

When flying at high altitudes in an unpressurized plane, you use portable oxygen tanks to prevent hypoxia and other altitude-related symptoms. but does this 100% pure oxygen cause health issues when ...
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Am I allowed to tell ATC "unable" if asked to climb to less than 12,500 ft without supplemental oxygen aboard?

So, 91.211 says I'm not allowed to fly above 12,500 ft without supplemental oxygen. I'm less clear if all planes with a service ceiling above that line are required to have the oxygen aboard in the ...
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With supplemental oxygen, what altitude can a pilot safely operate at?

Will there be operating limitations regarding ascent or descent speed to avoid decompression sickness? What altitude will require a pressure suit?
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Is "medical" oxygen system suitable for part 91 aviation use?

I am, in a somewhat desultory fashion, considering obtaining an oxygen system (for use in the U.S. under part 91, perhaps sharing with some passengers). An initial search suggests that one can buy a ...
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How much oxygen is put in say a 180-seater A319 or A320 aircraft?

I read the answer in How much oxygen do commercial airliners carry? but it doesn't go into any details about two things: How much oxygen is carried? I do imagine it would be quite a bit. How much ...
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Why can't we use bleed air instead of oxygen cylinders? [closed]

When cabin is depressurized due to some or the other reason then we usually have oxygen generators in airplane and they last for 12 minutes. It is very shot in usual terms but it is enough to descend ...
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Do pilots breathe the same air as passengers?

Do pilots breathe the same quality of air as passengers ? (i.e. identical parameters: same O2, CO2 and O3 levels, same temperature, same humidity, etc.) Do pilots breath the same air as passengers (...
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Do modern airliners have oxygen sensors in the cabin?

I know that airliners have pressure sensors to check the cabin pressure, and thus check if we can breathe (and get enough O2) inside it so we don't get hypoxia. But that got me thinking: Is there any ...
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Is the F-16 capable of taking off during a nerve gas attack?

Imagine a scenario where air bases are attacked with (or indirectly affected by) a nerve agent during a major war. There is also a desperate need to scramble combat aircraft. Can modern combat ...
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How do people suffering from hypoxia not realize they aren't getting enough oxygen?

I've seen reports of flight passengers/crew suffering hypoxia, and many times without knowing it. My question is, how could you not be aware of it? For example, at above 10000ft, if your body is ...
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Why are oxygen requirements based on pressure altitude?

The FAA's oxygen rules in §91.211 are based on pressure altitude. Assuming our lungs are like our engines and wings and dependent on density altitude, why are the oxygen requirements not based on ...
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Why is Oiling Pneumatic Air Tools allowed in airplanes? [closed]

If I remember correctly oil in oxygen lines should be avoided due to the possibility of hazardous combustion. However I've seen recently that engineers use oil to lubricate pneumatic air tools. Can ...
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Is it possible for crew oxygen to exacerbate a flight deck fire?

Crew oxygen is, as I understand it, a very high percentage of purity. Oxygen-enriched air acts as an accelerant to a fire, causing things to ignite which wouldn't in ordinary air, and making fire ...
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What are the advantages of Chemical Oxygen Generation over Gaseous Canisters on board of aircrafts?

I'm looking to get a bit of info on Chemical Oxygen generation, especially as done on aircraft. I understand the process of Chemical Oxygen Generation. I'm also aware that weight for weight it ...
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Do pilots get more fresh air than passengers? [duplicate]

There is a famous air travel myth claiming that "pilots get more fresh air than passengers".       (source: The pure cure, p.375) I would like experts to either dispel or confirm this myth, that ...
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How could the Helios 522 passengers have survived so long without oxygen?

I've noticed some strange inconsistencies regarding the documentation of Helios Airways Flight 522. So first: Autopsies on the crash victims showed that all were alive at the time of impact But ...
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What was the first commercial aircraft to have a 'built-in' oxygen system?

(Source) Boeing 307 of TWA, the 307 was the first pressurized passenger aircraft. The 307 (c. 1938) flew as high as 23,300 ft, lower than the jets of nowadays, and did not have a built-in oxygen ...
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Why is it not practical for the USN T-45 to be fitted with oxygen systems used in other trainers?

Back in April, the US Navy (USN) grounded all of its T-45 training flights due to issues with the cockpit oxygen system. I personally heard about this before the grounding secondhand from someone in ...
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Are Cargo Holds Pressurized, Non-pressurized, or vacuumed? [duplicate]

I watched an episode of Air Crash Investigation, which depicts a plane catching fire due to it shipping many expired oxygen generators for planes. The narrator says that a fire in the cargo hold is ...
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How often are passenger oxygen masks deployed?

In commercial passenger aviation, how frequent (or infrequent) is the case that oxygen masks deploy? Please include links to statistics.
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Does oxygen become less available during night-time?

The following excerpt is from the FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (page 7-37): Some people flying above 10,000 feet during the day may experience disorientation due to the lack ...
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Is there possibility to Survive without brain damage at 30/35,000 feet?

I just read Mayday by Nelson Demille. I won't get into many details but the book talks about an airliner (similar to the Concorde) which operates at an altitude of ~60,000 ft (~18Km). Suddenly, due to ...
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Passenger hypoxia in a small plane at 11,000 feet: what is the pilot's responsibility?

An acquaintance of mine visiting western U.S. was recently a guest passenger in a small plane flying from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Colorado reaching an altitude of 11,000 feet. She related that she ...
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Does hypoxia affect pilots differently from people on the ground?

In my experience, many people don't have serious problems camping, skiing, hiking or doing other physical activities at 12,000 feet (3,600m). We may get tired easily, and be out of breath, but we ...
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How do the oxygen masks deploy after a cabin decompression?

Is there any sensor incorporated on the Passenger Service Unit that tells the masks to deploy when a cabin decompression occurs?
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Where does the oxygen come from in the deployable breathing masks? [duplicate]

I don't know what they are called. In case of emergency like smoke they deploy, but where do this oxygen come from.
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What equipment qualifies as FAA-acceptable for providing "Supplemental Oxygen"?

FAR 91.211 tells us when supplemental oxygen is required, but it's not very specific as to how that oxygen is to be provided. FAR 23.1447 gives some information about installed systems, but I can't ...
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Is flying at 14,000 MSL safe for children without supplemental oxygen?

FAR 91.211(a) requires supplemental oxygen for all passengers above 15,000 feet. Are there any health implications of a 5 hour flight at around 14,000 feet on children without any supplemental oxygen?...
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How long will one remain conscious in the event of a sudden cabin depressurization?

I know the usual scenario is where an airliner suffers from an explosive decompression and the oxygen masks drop and the plane descends to a safer altitude but..... This is a purely hypothetical ...
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How does air enter and leave the cabin of an airliner? [duplicate]

Yesterday I flew on Airbus A320 and on the airline's board catalogue, there were written some "curiosities". On was written that the air coming from the air conditioning inside the fuselage is very ...