D

Droopy

Member
I'm going to pick up my -8 from its annual up in the Pacific Northwest and am wondering if anyone has had any experience flying/shipping their portable O2 system when flying commercial (ie how do I get it there so I can go high above the probable WX and certain mountains?)

Thanks,

John
RV-10 Wings
RV-8 94DW
 
Check with the carrier you are using, some flat out will not allow an o2 cylinder on the aircraft. Southwest is one I am pretty sure of. Some may let you check it if it is empty. Again, its up to the carrier, so call, get names, and preferably written premission or confrimation of their policys.
 
Most likely none of them will allow it. When we Scuba divers want to travel with tanks we have to remove the valve from the tank and check the tank open and empty, then at our destination replace the valve in the tank and have it filled at a local dive shop.
 
John, buy one while your there and sell it to me when you get back call me if your interested in doing that.
 
What about those who require oxygen at all times? I was recently on a commercial flight and there was a guy using oxgyen. The tank was in the overhead bin with tubes coming down taped to the bin and inside of the fuse.

Obviously, there must have been some medical pre-clearance/exception, but if this guy could have live oxygen during the entire flight, there must be a way for you to get your tank there? I like the scuba idea (remove the valve and check it). Call ahead at the airline.
 
portable O2 on comercial flights

I had this exact scenario last spring (2005). I carried an empty oxygen bottle and a seat pack parachute in checked baggage. I called ahead of time, and talked to the gate agent and TSA people. It was frequently suggested that I get a prescription for medical oxygen. I pointed out that it wasn't really medical, and that if it really made them happy, I could write my own prescription (I have a DEA number). I also printed the guidance from the TSA website.

In the end, it wasn't a problem, and I got the bottle filled at Aurora, OR for about $20

James Freeman
 
TSwezey said:
It might be easier to buy the tank out there and safer(Valujet.)
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The Valujet accident was caused by a shipment of chemical oxygen generators activating in flight. The chemical oxygen generators get very hot when they are working, due to the heat released by the chemical reaction that produces the oxygen. Not a problem if the generator is in its mount above the pax seats, as the installation is designed with the heat in mind. But, if you have a whole bunch of them in a cargo bay, and something triggers one of them, and it sets the others off, and you don't have a fire suppression system in the cargo bay, then you have a big, big problem.

The danger with oxygen bottles is having one fail and explode in flight. This could do a lot of damage, and possibly bring down the aircraft. Thus the airlines prefer to only have bottles on board that they own (i.e. the medical oxygen bottles that every airliner carries), as they know those bottles have been inspected and tested regularly. Given the strange things that have caused accidents in the past, I can't blame them for being careful here.
 
airguy said:
Ship it UPS to your destination a week before you leave.
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UPS won't take it - any compressed gas is considered by UPS a "hazardous" shipment and must go ground, and only if you have a daily pickup contract with them. Excerpt from the site:

"In addition, Hazardous Materials are only accepted in the UPS system from those customers who have a daily pickup account and have signed an "Agreement for Transportation of Hazardous Materials" or have those provisions incorporated into their existing customized contract for shipping service with UPS."
 
Did you try FED EX? Sometimes they ship 'dangerous" items that other carriers won't touch, like handguns...worth a look..
 
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