In aircraft oxygen solutions for short flights and up to max. altitude of 10,000 feet?

Lndwarrior

Lndwarrior

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Display name:
Gary
My situation:

1. I'm an older, day only, VFR, light sport pilot. I will never go above 10,000 msl due to sport pilot regs. (Yes, I know about the 2000 agl exception)
2. I fly frequent short flights with a max. flying time of 2 hours.
3. I seem to be quite oxygen sensitive at altitudes over 7000 feet and higher.
4. Looking for a system for one person only. I do not need capacity for a passenger.
5. I will not be taking trips longer than two hours any more.
6. It would be beneficial for me to have an oxygen system that would last me up to 2 hours so I could fly up to 9500 feet if it made sense for weather, safety, etc.
7. I have a source to get a bottle refilled.

Would a relatively inexpensive portable oxygen concentrator work for these parameters? I see there are some systems out there for around $400. This would be ideal as I wouldn't have to deal with bottle refills.

If the concentrator won't work, will a D size bottle with flow control get me close to the 2 hour mark in capacity?

Since I'm still at relatively low altitude I'm not worried about rapid onset hypoxia. I know what that is and how I react. So, if the bottle ran out under 2 hours I would simply drop down to a lower altitude.

I'm looking for an inexpensive solution for a minimal use system.

TIA
 
I asked my doctor for a medical oxygen prescription. He was puzzled at first, but when I told him that I can get hypoxic above 10K feet, he was good with it. He asked me what I wanted written on the prescription (flow rate, reason etc). I thought 1/2L per minute is reasonable with an oxymizer canula (in fact, that flow rate works for me and my wife based on oxymeter readings and 10K altitude). The final prescription wording was arrived at by some back and forth between my doctor and the inhalation therapist I was assigned. She inhalation therapist only got involved once, with a house check (I had told her it was for aviation... but they still wanted to check my home). I wanted to make sure that my aviation medical did not get penalized in some way, therefore I placed an altitude limitation... here it is (final version that I have used for the last few years):

O2 Rx for prevention of altitude sickness > 10,000 ft altitude
flow rate 1/2 L/minute

The script is valid for 1 year, so I just ask him for another one during my annual checkup, and send the oxygen tank rental company a copy.

As for the tanks, I have medical rentals. In my country (Canada) they rent the regulator, but the tank is free. I just have to pay the oxygen volume/content ($18 US a few years ago), and there is no monthly cost associated with tank/oxygen. Tanks get swapped out, and they even deliver for free. As for the regulator, I declined the rental ($20/month) and purchased a pediatric regulator on Amazon ($25 US), along with Oxymizer pendant canulas ($26 US) to help conserve oxygen. A "T" fiting allows two people to be fed by one tank. It seems crude but I was assured by other pilots that it would work. Indeed it does. An oximeter to measure your saturation levels (another $25 US), and you are set for your adventure.

D sized tanks are 425 liters. At 1/2 liter per minute flow rate, that is a theoretical capacity of 850 minutes, or 14 hours.

Tanks can be replaced at any medical supply store associated with that company, anywhere in North America. Have not had to use that feature yet. I never have to worry about getting tanks tested. I don't think you can get any cheaper than that, unless you are a big oxygen consumer then you might want to buy a tank and refill it yourself.

Per your avatar, it looks like you might be flying a homebuilt. I used a couple of worm clamps to affix the tank right behind the seats so I can easily adjust the regulator. Don't forget to add "shut off oxygen flow" to your aircraft shut-down checklist.

Hope this helps.
 
Medical stuff is cheap and works just fine in the plane. I run the same setup as lycosaurus. I don't think you need a prescription to get bottles filled here, but I could be wrong. I bought a bottle on Amazon along with an adapter that allows the medical type bottle to be filled from an aviation/welding hose, and my a&p took it over to the jet shop and had them fill it for me. The local gas company will just swap your tank if it's a standard size and in hydro test. I think that's the case everywhere. They'll lease you a tank, but they're only like $60 online.

Lycosaurus said:
I don't think you can get any cheaper than that,
Click to expand...

I then discovered that my buddy who works for the ambulance service was willing to swap out tanks for me, so now the half tank a year I go through is free :biggrin:

Doug rozendall did some work with an oxygen concentrator a year or two ago and found them to work great under maybe 18k iirc. He has a thread about it on beechtalk.
 
Lycosaurus said:
I asked my doctor for a medical oxygen prescription. He was puzzled at first, but when I told him that I can get hypoxic above 10K feet, he was good with it. He asked me what I wanted written on the prescription (flow rate, reason etc). I thought 1/2L per minute is reasonable with an oxymizer canula (in fact, that flow rate works for me and my wife based on oxymeter readings and 10K altitude). The final prescription wording was arrived at by some back and forth between my doctor and the inhalation therapist I was assigned. She inhalation therapist only got involved once, with a house check (I had told her it was for aviation... but they still wanted to check my home). I wanted to make sure that my aviation medical did not get penalized in some way, therefore I placed an altitude limitation... here it is (final version that I have used for the last few years):

O2 Rx for prevention of altitude sickness > 10,000 ft altitude
flow rate 1/2 L/minute

The script is valid for 1 year, so I just ask him for another one during my annual checkup, and send the oxygen tank rental company a copy.

As for the tanks, I have medical rentals. In my country (Canada) they rent the regulator, but the tank is free. I just have to pay the oxygen volume/content ($18 US a few years ago), and there is no monthly cost associated with tank/oxygen. Tanks get swapped out, and they even deliver for free. As for the regulator, I declined the rental ($20/month) and purchased a pediatric regulator on Amazon ($25 US), along with Oxymizer pendant canulas ($26 US) to help conserve oxygen. A "T" fiting allows two people to be fed by one tank. It seems crude but I was assured by other pilots that it would work. Indeed it does. An oximeter to measure your saturation levels (another $25 US), and you are set for your adventure.

D sized tanks are 425 liters. At 1/2 liter per minute flow rate, that is a theoretical capacity of 850 minutes, or 14 hours.

Tanks can be replaced at any medical supply store associated with that company, anywhere in North America. Have not had to use that feature yet. I never have to worry about getting tanks tested. I don't think you can get any cheaper than that, unless you are a big oxygen consumer then you might want to buy a tank and refill it yourself.

Per your avatar, it looks like you might be flying a homebuilt. I used a couple of worm clamps to affix the tank right behind the seats so I can easily adjust the regulator. Don't forget to add "shut off oxygen flow" to your aircraft shut-down checklist.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed info! And yes, I fly a homebuilt so no issue with adding a bracket.
 
I wonder if there’s a way to remote power on the innogen so you can put it in the tail cone. Maybe it can just run all the time the master is on? Just thinking out loud.
 
A “little” bottle (the kind that will fit in a soft carry case) will last me about 4 hours on the lower settings. I turn it up until my O2 saturation is acceptable. Doesn’t take much. If you buy a demand regulator, and a bigger bottle, you should be good for multiple 2 hour legs.

Check FB marketplace or Craigslist for used medical bottles. I think I was all-in for $100 or so doing it ala carte used like this. 3 little bottles, a bigger one with a tiny cart, a bunch of regular regulators and a demand regulator.

The only things I bought new were nasal cannulas and an adapter so the FBO can connect the med bottle to their fill system.
 
 
inogen and done
 
I have an Inogen G5. Works great for two people at 14,000', and for a single user even a bit higher.
It's powered through the cigarette lighter port. Won't start automatically when powered, though - so this unit cannot be remote-mounted but has to be within reach of the user.

It's changed how I use oxygen, from only when absolutely required to anytime I'm above 8,000' for any length of time.

- Martin
 
Oxygen is cheap until you run out. I got one of the Nelson/PreciseFlight demand regulators (works like a scuba regulator). I've heard good things about the Mountain High folk as well. It greatly extends the bottle life.
 
Martin Pauly said:
I have an Inogen G5. Works great for two people at 14,000', and for a single user even a bit higher.
It's powered through the cigarette lighter port. Won't start automatically when powered, though - so this unit cannot be remote-mounted but has to be within reach of the user.

It's changed how I use oxygen, from only when absolutely required to anytime I'm above 8,000' for any length of time.

- Martin
Click to expand...

Same for me. Works great, always available with no refilling required.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Did you guys require a prescription to get the Inogen units? Where’d you purchase?
 
Rcmutz said:
Did you guys require a prescription to get the Inogen units? Where’d you purchase?
Click to expand...
They were selling them from a booth at sun-n-fun. You can get them used on craigslist. You can get them on the internet. Google it.
 
Rcmutz said:
Did you guys require a prescription to get the Inogen units? Where’d you purchase?
Click to expand...

I purchased from Pure Medical - they took my pilot certificate in lieu of a prescription.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Martin Pauly said:
I have an Inogen G5. Works great for two people at 14,000', and for a single user even a bit higher.

It's changed how I use oxygen, from only when absolutely required to anytime I'm above 8,000' for any length of time.

- Martin
Click to expand...
What flow setting do you use?
 
I know this is not the same thing, but I use a blood oxygen monitor on my finger and use "pursed lip breathing" techniques above 9000 feet. The idea is the oxygen content in the air is the same, but as air pressure drops your lungs cannot readily extract it. Pursed lip breathing builds air pressure in your lungs as you exhale, thus allowing your lungs to extract more oxygen form the air you breath. It is cheaper than oxygen and it works well if you are not too high for too long. I can keep my oxygen saturation in the mid 90s using this technique at 12500 feet, as long as I'm not up there for too long. Hope this helps.
 
I would think everyone is so different. My fat ass flatlander in me needs o2 around 10.5 or so but the last time I cruised 9500 for a tailwind it never bothered me at all.

Take someone young and fit that lives up in the mountains and they can probably 15k for a notable amount of time. There is youtube of a guy flying a bush plane at like 16k with no o2 on board. Wondered how that never ended up in the faa involved.

I think the technique is interesting. Do you think if started to fall behind, say at 12.5k, that you could catch back up again with this technique.

My luck would be I'd flub some call with center, get wrapped up in that and then forget about the technique and have 9 problems lol!
 
Sinistar said:
I think the technique is interesting. Do you think if started to fall behind, say at 12.5k, that you could catch back up again with this technique.
Click to expand...
I know that I have in the past. I can see my oxygen increase from a low of 88 to a high of 96 using this technique. It works, it is always with you, and it never runs out. I do keep a portable oxygen bottle in the plane with me, but I haven't needed it since using this technique. It is easy to do especially if you practice sometimes.
 
It's amazing how fast your O2 saturation rises and falls. I did the FAA altitude chamber at OSH this year. I was at 98 outside, walked in and sat down and was at 77 before my butt hit the chair. After 5 min when we put the O2 on, I was 98 again with a second or two of putting the mask on.

I haven't heard of the "pursed lip" technique, but it makes sense. I find that when I drop below 90, a few deep, intentional breaths can immediately bring me back up. Lately I've noticed myself dropping into the upper 80's as low as 8k feet without intentional breathing. I believe it's due to my fitness level dropping off with less exercise due to (excuses here). I often fly at 8-9K as that's where my plane is most efficient, so I'm thinking I should be using O2 regularly.
 
I remember when I bought the cherokee in 2000, #1 was to install shoulder harnesses. #2 was an O2 tank, all within the first year of ownership. Why? The hangar is higher than 5000 ft.
 
Oxygen concentrator for the win. Main Clinic Supply sells to pilots without a prescription, just a copy of your pilot certificate.

For bottle systems, get a Mountain High pulse demand regulator. For 2 people it is the O2D2. Uses very little O2. I have a build in 115 cf bottle, but fly in the teens most of the time and fill the bottle once a year.
 
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