Alexis wrote:
Jason, compared to our SEPs your plane is nothing less than a small airliner. TUC in FL400 is 15-20 seconds – but i’d trust that airplane and it’s systems much more than the toys i have on board.
The Mirage was exactly the same. Pressurised with potential gradual decompression. Only chemical o2 generators.
Yes, Mirage, Meridian, TBM, PC-12, Mustang … that’s the equipment to fly high.
Personally I wouldn’t routinely go to mask altitudes in an unpressurised aircraft.
Alexis wrote:
Yes, Mirage, Meridian, TBM, PC-12, Mustang … that’s the equipment to fly high.
On the lower end (forgive the pun), you can add the P210 here. Great little micro-airliner! Did a three-day trip with a friend who owns one recently and that thing was a pure joy to fly and travel in. We wanted to stay VFR so remained below 18k ft (start of Class A in the US, no VFR beyond that), but that got us above the tops and to a very smooth ride. Pressurization really changes everything!
Under Part 121 flight deck crew have to don an oxygen mask if they are the sole crew member, temporarily, above FL250 even with the required fast donning mask at their disposal.
Notwithstanding paragraph (c)(2) of this section, if for any reason at any time it is necessary for one pilot to leave his station at the controls of the airplane when operating at flight altitudes above flight level 250, the remaining pilot at the controls shall put on and use his oxygen mask until the other pilot has returned to his duty station.
RobertL18C wrote:
Under Part 121 flight deck crew have to don an oxygen mask if they are the sole crew member, temporarily, above FL250 even with the required fast donning mask at their disposal.
Isn’t that the most flouted rule in commercial aviation?
So I conclude no statistic of actual accidents related to failure of oxygen-systems (in non pressurized aircraft). Does anyone at least know any case of a fatality due to that? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying you’re in trouble if the system fails, which obviously happens occasionally.
europaxs wrote:
So I conclude no statistic of actual accidents related to failure of oxygen-systems (in non pressurized aircraft). Does anyone at least know any case of a fatality due to that? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying you’re in trouble if the system fails, which obviously happens occasionally.
I am not sure that is established based on asking a quick question on a forum. I would suggest the number of people regularly using such systems is fairly low. Hence the importance of forming your own risk assessment and procedures for use of such a system.
JasonC wrote:
I am not sure that is established based on asking a quick question on a forum.
Well, an answer to that simple question “ever heard of…” could be helpful in a way, that one could be pointed towards an accident report or at least dig it out somewhere on my own. I’ve heard of several accidents due to the complete lack of oxygen systems/supply, but never of an actual accident, that happened, when such a system was in use (other than scary situations due to a failure of course). That’s why I ask. It goes without saying, that every pilot has to work out his/her own risk management (which e. g. is in my case this http://feeloxy.com/shop/feeloxy-large-with-nozzle-for-tube-and-mask/ and not flying above FL200).
The community of IR pilots who actually go places is really small. You could do a flight from Shoreham to Prague (say 700nm) in the Eurocontrol IFR system and you probably won’t hear a piston GA plane on the radio, in the whole distance. Also some countries which have a busy VFR GA community have almost no apparent IFR activity.
And the number who can go to FL250 is much smaller still, and the number who actually do it (basically this means flying through frontal wx) is much smaller still.
That said, I have never heard of anyone getting into serious trouble over an O2 system failure. They do happen however; MH had some bad batch of O2D2 regulators not long ago – here.
It would be interesting to hear from turbo owners about their long term maintenance experiences, over some years of ownership. I have plenty of such accounts in email but obviously can’t post them.
