Portable oxygen system, what's the best tank?

John Baker

John Baker

Final Approach
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John Baker
I want to get a portable oxygen system for my plane, what do you guys think is the best for a 1978 Warrior. What's the best tank to get, aluminum or steel? Any other ideas?

John
 
John Baker said:
I want to get a portable oxygen system for my plane, what do you guys think is the best for a 1978 Warrior. What's the best tank to get, aluminum or steel? Any other ideas?

John
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I strongly recommend aluminum. They are much lighter and so won't detract much from your useful load, they're easier to lug around, and aren't as likely to get loose and bang around in turbulence or a crash. I have one steel and one aluminum tank and much prefer the lighter aluminum one.
 
Here's one approach to the O2 system: http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3399

I have a 24 liter aluminum tank. The volume is sufficient for several legs.

The real key component is the regulator. I went with SkyOx but really had very little basis for the decision. It has not given any trouble in the year I've used it.
 
If you want to really save weight, but at a tradeoff on higher cost, and eventual cylinder life (15 year absolute tank life limit) you can get an aluminum/composite wrapped cylinder. Hyper-light. Its the sort of tank firemen are toting on their backs now when they fight fire.
 
The real issue you're going to run into is which regulator to use. I have the SkyOx, but it uses a different type of regulator than the next most popular, Aerox, and others. For the SkyOx regulator, you set the oxygen flow at the tank and all hoses that you plug in will have the same flow rate. For some of the others, like Aerox, you have a flowmeter for each person, and the flow rate is set individually. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

The other issue you'll have is which cannula to get. You want one that has an oxygen saving reservoir which both the SkyOx and Aerox include with their standard systems. The Aerox comes with the mustache type reservoir and the SkyOx uses a pendant style. I've only used the pendant style and they work fine. The mustache style looks ridiculous but those I've talked to who have used them seem to think they are just as comfortable.

An oximeter is a nice thing to have and should actually save you oxygen and money over time because it will allow you to set the right flow rate for you. It's also nice to know what your saturation rate is and it takes a bit of the guesswork out of it.
 
I have one steel and one aluminum. I prefer the AL unit. The steel tank came with the plane (semi-built in... it's in a case that's mounted between the rear seats and is "optional" on the W&B/equipment list/POH). The Aluminum tank is easier to handle - I carry it in a backpack.

I went with Aerox and a the oxisaver canulas. I also have masks for times I want to venture into the FLs.
 
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