Bryan Wood
Well Known Member
Again, I'm testing for hopefully many long distance trips in the RV. Along with the endurance of the plane, I'm trying to figure out the effect on my wife and I spending 6 or 8 hours a day at altitudes that shouldn't require oxygen, but are high enough for the blood oxygen levels to have dropped. This is all pretty new to me and hopefully there are some folks here that have some knowledge to share on this.
Finding sources to read about this is proving to be somewhat limited. One of the providers for oxy systems states that if the blood oxygen level drops to 95% you should consider oxygen to prevent headaches and fatigue. If levels drop to 90% they recommend going on the bottle to come back to at least 95% or better. 85% and headaches and nausea are most likely going to occur and decisions are starting to be slower and likely not your best ones.
Armed with a new blood oxygen and heart rate monitor off I went today for a flight. On the way to the airport I slipped it over my finger and got a sea level reading. (140 feet above sea level) The oxygen saturation was at 99% and my heart rate while driving was 72. Okay the thing works and was reading what it should on the ground. Level at 5500' with density altitude of 6800' per my Garmin my blood oxygen saturation was at 96% and my pulse was again at 72. Basically this is the highest I can fly per the manufacturers of the oxygen systems without suffering ill effects. Later on the return trip I climbed up to 8500' and waited about 1/2 hour and tested again. This time the density altitude was 9704' and my blood oxygen level was at 91% and the pulse at 90. As the flight progressed the level dropped as low as 86% and when it would I tried taking several large breathes and it didn't seem to help. What did seem to help was relaxing and breathing thru my nose. This natural breathing would bring it back to 90-91%. Every time I breathed thru my mouth the levels would drop again????
Are there any charts or tables out there that anybody knows about that could be added to a POH? Do any of you have experience with these contraptions that you slip over your finger and second guess yourself? Is it crazy to go on oxygen and try to maintain 95% or better at levels? This would mean having a cannula stuck in your nose for essentially low level flights.
Thanks,
Finding sources to read about this is proving to be somewhat limited. One of the providers for oxy systems states that if the blood oxygen level drops to 95% you should consider oxygen to prevent headaches and fatigue. If levels drop to 90% they recommend going on the bottle to come back to at least 95% or better. 85% and headaches and nausea are most likely going to occur and decisions are starting to be slower and likely not your best ones.
Armed with a new blood oxygen and heart rate monitor off I went today for a flight. On the way to the airport I slipped it over my finger and got a sea level reading. (140 feet above sea level) The oxygen saturation was at 99% and my heart rate while driving was 72. Okay the thing works and was reading what it should on the ground. Level at 5500' with density altitude of 6800' per my Garmin my blood oxygen saturation was at 96% and my pulse was again at 72. Basically this is the highest I can fly per the manufacturers of the oxygen systems without suffering ill effects. Later on the return trip I climbed up to 8500' and waited about 1/2 hour and tested again. This time the density altitude was 9704' and my blood oxygen level was at 91% and the pulse at 90. As the flight progressed the level dropped as low as 86% and when it would I tried taking several large breathes and it didn't seem to help. What did seem to help was relaxing and breathing thru my nose. This natural breathing would bring it back to 90-91%. Every time I breathed thru my mouth the levels would drop again????
Are there any charts or tables out there that anybody knows about that could be added to a POH? Do any of you have experience with these contraptions that you slip over your finger and second guess yourself? Is it crazy to go on oxygen and try to maintain 95% or better at levels? This would mean having a cannula stuck in your nose for essentially low level flights.
Thanks,