http://www.ssa.org • August 2019 • Soaring 39K
nowing about the use of oxy-
gen when flying goes beyond
the preflight planning Area of Op-
erations section during your Private
Pilot checkride. Unless you stick to
flying in the U.S. Midwest, you will
need to use supplemental oxygen
regularly or occasionally.
The Examiner may ask when oxy-
gen is required. Did you know pilots
may need oxygen at a lower altitude
than required by FAA regulations?
You can find out if you’re one of
those pilots by checking your oxygen
saturation level in flight with an ox-
imeter. Mountain High’s EDS Pulse
Demand system delivers oxygen
2,500 ft lower than is required by the
FAA. What’s your saturation level?
Item 1.a: Hypoxia
Most of us can quickly recite the
symptoms of hypoxia when asked
for them in a checkride (blue finger-
nails, tingling sensations, euphoria),
but have you given thought as to
how challenging this can be to self-
identify? Additionally, other causal
factors can affect your susceptibility
to hypoxia, including physical fitness.
(Remember the IMSAFE checklist:
Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol,
Fatigue, Emotion.)FAR 91.211
While 91.211 stipulates that any
flight duration in excess of 30 min-
utes above 12,500 ft requires the use
of supplemental oxygen (or any dura-tion above 14,000 ft) that may not be
sufficient to mitigate the risks associ-
ated with hypoxia for your situation.Technology
Fortunately, technology is advanc-
ing rapidly with wearable pulse oxim-
eter devices (Oxi-Go, Garmin, Apple,
etc.) that are capable of reading your
blood oxygen saturation levels. The
Mayo Clinic considers values below
90 low with regards to oxygen satu-
ration. Consider taking advantage of
the available technology to miti-
gate the insidious risks of hypoxia.Kalitta 66
You don’t want to find yourself in
a situation where you can’t maintain
heading, airspeed, or control, but
everything is A-OK like the crew
of Kalitta 66 did (https://www.you
tube.com/watch?v=_IqWal_EmBg).XC Tips is excerpted
from the Wings & Wheels
e-newsletter, published
weekly. Subscribe at wingsandwheels.
com/newsletter.Private Checkride, Task
E: Aeromedical Factors
XC TIPS
BY GARRET WILLAT