Flying High in Florida: BAT Employee Experiences High Altitude Training September 2, 2009
Posted by JConnolly in : Timeshare Resource , trackbackThe trip started on Sunday afternoon from Clearwater Executive airport. Members of the EAA Chapter 282 were Bob Gibson (president) Peter Hunt and our pilot, Jim McCarthy. We flew into Panama City in Jim’s Beech Bonanza A36. The comfortable trip took about 2 hours and we touched down in the central time zone in the afternoon. Panama City is about a 30 min drive to Tyndall AFB.
Departing from CLW
On Approach to Panama City
On Final - Panama City
Beech Bonanza A36
We arrived at Tyndall’s Air Force Inn and had a moment to unwind and tour the base, which included a look at a few interesting aircraft. Dinner was had at seafood restaurant in the small town of Mexico Beach. After dinner we retired for the evening to prepare for our training.
Front View of the F4 Phantom
Photo Op in front of the F-14
F-14 on Display at Tyndall AFB
F4 Phantom on Display at Tyndall AFB
Monday morning started early at 6:00. We were checked into the High Altitude class in the Flight Physiology Building and started our classroom sessions; learning what happens to the body during exposure to high altitude conditions. One serious condition is Hypoxia. Hypoxia is a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching body tissues that arises from breathing less concentrated oxygen in high altitude conditions. This is a dangerous state as it happens slowly and may not be detected by a pilot in charge of operating an airplane. This is thought to be the cause of the crash that ended the life of famous golfer Payne Stewart in 1999.
Classroom Session
In addition to Hypoxia, we were taught about trapped gasses and how these affect the body at altitude. When a body ascends in altitude, gasses expand in 3 major areas of the body: Sinus Cavities, Lungs and Digestive Tract. We learned how to cope with these issues at altitude and to not be ashamed of passing gas, as it is positively necessary! Thank goodness the chamber had ventilation!
I gained a new skill in the class called pressure breathing, in which pressurized oxygen is forced into your lungs and one exhales by pushing air out, similar to blowing up a balloon. This is performed by fighter pilots at extremely high altitudes. It is completely opposite to normal breathing and takes a little bit to get used to.
After lunch, we participated in a night flying demo which highlighted the process of light adaption of the eyes. It took at least 30 minutes for the average person to adapt to complete darkness at ground level. This was done to preface a later demo in the chamber.
In the Chamber before Simulation
We were briefed on the altitude chamber and the equipment we would be using. It was then time to grab our gear and get on with the demo! We donned our equipment and got into the chamber to start our simulation. Once everyone was connected and we were briefed on the mission, we “climbed” to simulate a 5000 ft. altitude environment. This was done so that we could test the equipment and check for any problems. Once that was completed, we sat through an airplane-related episode of Mythbusters to decompress and prepare for the final phase of the altitude training. Once everything was ready to go, we “climbed” again at a rate of 3000 ft/min to reach an altitude of 35,000 ft above sea level. At this point, we took off our masks and began some simple tasks on a sheet of paper; answering questions, completing a maze, etc. The entire time, we were supposed to be noticing our own indications of becoming hypoxic. I had lasted about 3-5 minutes before I was feeling short of breath and needed air. I put my mask back on and “gang-loaded” the regulator, meaning to turn the regulator on, start the flow of 100% pure oxygen and to pressurize the mixture into my lungs (pressure breathing). Within seconds, I felt better and looked down at my activity sheet. The results were surprising!
Once everyone had the chance to complete the hypoxia demo, we “descended” a bit to 25,000 ft. where we performed the visual demo. Again we were instructed to take off our masks and look at a color wheel on our clipboards. In the darkness and in hypoxic conditions, there were maybe 8 colors visible. When the lights were restored, it was obvious that there were around 64 different colors on the wheel!
Hypoxia Demo in Chamber
The demo ended around 5:00 CST and we were ready to head back to Tampa. Unfortunately, there was a front with thunderstorms between Panama City and Tampa and we decided to wait until the following day to try our luck with Mother Nature. While we tried to get out early the following day, the weather remained the same and we were forced to return to Tampa with the rental car. It was a full day’s drive from Panama City and I was happy to be home.
This was an excellent experience and one that even the most experienced pilot would benefit from. There are only a few altitude chambers in the US available to general aviation pilots and I was very fortunate to have had this opportunity!
High Altitude Training Class
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