shipping O2 tank

murphey

murphey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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murphey
I need to bring my O2 tank back with me after I leave the cherokee at the shop. I was thinking of taking the train home and called Amtrak. Rather than go thru all sorts of rigamarole, I called asking about bringing my scuba tank with me. They are clueless. The requirements are 1) empty, 2) $5 charge per tank and 3) packed in a crate.

What kind of crate? They dunno, the supervisor said "the customer will know". Sure, right. If I knew, I wouldn't be calling.

So - what type of crate do I need to ship the M size O2 tank along with me? Anyone done this in the past? And what about people who need O2 on the train, what are the ground rules then?
 
You will have to empty it and send it UPS ground possibly. I ran into this a few years ago ferrying a plane to LAS and air-lining home. PITA
 
Huge PITA. You should "empty" the cylinder (which means reduce the pressure to nearly ambient but not quite because that lets moisture in) then ship it via a carrier like UPS ground. That's how you probably got it in the first place.
 
Aren't there people with COPD, asthma, etc, walking around around with O2 tanks and Oxygen generators, and riding trains? I can't imagine they get hassled? Put on the cannula, cough a little and "all aboard!" ???
 
Amtrak was quite clear that as long as the tank was empty and packed in a crate I could bring it as luggage. I'm trying to find details on what type of crate. Of course if this becomes a hassle, I can always rent a car and drive home (6 hr drive, 8 hr train ride)
 
Talk to me nice and I'll give you a plane ride home...

The Frankenkota is back after panel surgery. No more 30 year old radios and PM1000 intercom. It is nice to have a clean radio setup.
 
gkainz said:
Aren't there people with COPD, asthma, etc, walking around around with O2 tanks and Oxygen generators, and riding trains? I can't imagine they get hassled? Put on the cannula, cough a little and "all aboard!" ???
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With an M-class cylinder he might need the oxygen after lugging that heavy beast around and aboard...
 
Clark1961 said:
Talk to me nice and I'll give you a plane ride home...

The Frankenkota is back after panel surgery. No more 30 year old radios and PM1000 intercom. It is nice to have a clean radio setup.
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Brownies with pecans, walnuts or plain? Vanilla ice cream? Dark chocolate hot fudge on top of the brownies? Bottle of really good single malt? And half the fuel expense, of course!

And until I know what the weather's going to be like, I'm not going anywhere. I was hoping for the shorter route (ftg-ank-poncha pass-marshall pass-guc-mtj) but right now, that's not a good idea. I seriously doubt it will be any better next week.

So it looks like my option is north (along the co-wy state line) and spend 4 hours in the air with a fuel stop. The other route, longer but many more options, is south (ftg-pub-lvs-cez-mtj) and 6 hours with fuel stop. Altho much longer, think one makes more sense. Never more than 20 min from an airport, plenty of places to stay overnight if weather turns bad.

Or I can blow it off for another month or two.
 
I'm for waiting for a good weather day and going pretty much direct. I'll just crank the Frankenkota up nice and high. With the new upper deck pressure controller and intercooler, it'll pretty much just keep climbing. I've done Montrose and back in a day and been out of the hills by noon.

Of course I'm limited to weekends for the most part.
 
Clark1961 said:
I'm for waiting for a good weather day and going pretty much direct. I'll just crank the Frankenkota up nice and high. With the new upper deck pressure controller and intercooler, it'll pretty much just keep climbing. I've done Montrose and back in a day and been out of the hills by noon.

Of course I'm limited to weekends for the most part.
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No problem...I'm looking at flying over on a Thursday, spend Friday at the shop, then back to Denver on a Saturday, at Clark's convenience, of course.
 
Murphy: So where are you going for the engine? Did you find a good deal out of state?

Clark: What did you put in the panel? I put in a GNC-420W with a new intercom, and I looooooooooove it. LPV approaches rock.
 
That'll work Murph. Keep an eye on the weather and let me know your sched.

New toys: PMA8000B, GNS430W, SL30, UBG-16

Old toys gone: 2 each Collins 251 & 351, KN90B, PM1000, KN86 (or whatever that ADF was), KNsomethingorother audio panel

Best part: no more electrical noise on the intercom, only silence in the background.

Only bug to work out so far is the sidetone on the SL30 is set too high.

Also replaced autopilot disconnect switch & the radio coupler so the A/P is back to full function. The list of chronically broken stuff is getting pretty short. Does that mean its time for the engine to crap out?
 
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COFlyBoy said:
Murphy: So where are you going for the engine? Did you find a good deal out of state?
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Western Skyways over in Montrose. Reliable, been there for years, will probably be there for more years, close enough that I can drive over (ok, so it's 5 hrs) if I'm really bored and want to see what's going on. A number of knowledgeable folk around here recommended them.

They do everything, no need for a 2nd party to do the R&R, so there's a single place to point the finger if something goes wrong. They install engine monitors frequently, so there's no experimentation. As I explained to friends a couple weeks ago, some things I buy at Target, some things at Nordstrom's. This is a Nordstrom's.

Clark: What did you put in the panel? I put in a GNC-420W with a new intercom, and I looooooooooove it. LPV approaches rock.
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I'd be happy with a 2nd SL30.
 
Clark1961 said:
That'll work Murph. Keep an eye on the weather and let me know your sched.
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Gotta be VFR for me, and not wicked winds that we've been having lately.
New toys: PMA8000B, GNS430W, SL30, UBG-16
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What made you choose the UBG-16 over the JPI or Insight unit?
 
murphey said:
Gotta be VFR for me, and not wicked winds that we've been having lately.
What made you choose the UBG-16 over the JPI or Insight unit?
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Free stuff offer (fuel flow, TIT) on the UBG-16.
 
Clark1961 said:
Yup, I've given her a ride over the hills before.
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And I was a witness to that!

I'm still trying to figure out why Murphey needs to bring her O2 bottle back. Is it a loaner? There's obviously something I'm missing here but that's not unusual. :crazy:
 
Everskyward said:
And I was a witness to that!

I'm still trying to figure out why Murphey needs to bring her O2 bottle back. Is it a loaner? There's obviously something I'm missing here but that's not unusual. :crazy:
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Same reason I'll be bringing back the headset & GPS. Mostly because I don't want to leave it at the shop or in the airplane at the shop for a month or so. For safety, I'd empty it unless the shop has the facilities to store it properly. And if it's empty, may as well bring it back with me.
 
murphey said:
Same reason I'll be bringing back the headset & GPS. Mostly because I don't want to leave it at the shop or in the airplane at the shop for a month or so. For safety, I'd empty it unless the shop has the facilities to store it properly. And if it's empty, may as well bring it back with me.
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OK, I have to ask: Why not just leave it home?
 
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ejensen said:
OK, I have to ask: Why not just leave it home?
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For me, altitude is really irrelevant. I've found that for more than an hour or so flight, I feel much after I land if I've been on O2. This trip can be 2, 4 or 6 hours depending on weather which will dictate the route or that I wait a few days.

PS Eric - you & the Jabiru are in the next CPA newsletter.
 
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murphey said:
For me, altitude is really irrelevant. I've found that for more than an hour or so flight, I feel much after I land if I've been on O2. This trip can be 2, 4 or 6 hours depending on weather which will dictate the route or that I wait a few days.

PS Eric - you & the Jabiru are in the next CPA newsletter.
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Thanks, I agree you do feel better with O2. My current setup is 30 cu ft steel tank. If I need in the Jabiru, I'll have to get something smaller.

I'll watch for the newsletter.
 
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