Altitude chamber question

[troy]

I'm scheduled to attend an altitude chamber training clinic soon. Does this course/chamber excersise qualify for a high alt. endorsement? Any recomendations on what to look for when I'm attending? Been told to eat plenty of chilli and to drink lots of beer before hand!

 

[Tina Fey's Scar]

Don't puke. It's hard when you're weightless though. I know. I am an astronaut.

 

[troy]

weightless? nice try.

 

[RJP]

Get ready to burp and fart a lot. You may want to avoid the chili since all the gasses in your body end up expanding ten fold. Very, very uncomfortable. It's a blast.

 

[EagleRJ]

See, the liberals have all the answers!

A chamber ride is great training, but it does not fulfill the requirement for a high-altitude endorsement. You need to have training in either an airplane or simulator including flight above 25,000 and emergency descent procedures.

When you go for the chamber ride, just have a light meal beforehand. Most people don't get sick, but there's a lot of releasing of intestinal gasses going on, so it can get pretty foggy in there if everyone has had bacon and eggs for breakfast!
Don't take your watch into the chamber. The rapid pressure decreases can pop the crystal out of it. Same goes for pens- they have been known to leak all over the place.
You'll have a lot of fun. The most important thing to notice is your own personal symptoms of hypoxia. Some people get hot/cold flashes, some get dizzy, some get euphoric, everyone is different. It's important to know what to look for.

 

[troy]

Thanks much. will avoid the eggs since they don't like me at normal altitudes anyway (my wife agrees!)

 

[JAFI]

The chamber was a great training experience. I did not have any gas attacks but you will have to equalize your ears as they "raise" the altitude in the chamber. When they had us take our masks off, I wanted to see how far I could go and what my symptoms would be before I had to put the mask back on. I had tunnel vision that was closing in. I let it go to about 1/4 of the normal vision. I did not want to pass out. After we got out of the chamber we all compared notes on what happened to each of us. Almost every one had different symptoms.


Have fun

JAFI

 

[sqwkvfr]

I'm scheduled to attend an altitude chamber training clinic soon. Does this course/chamber excersise qualify for a high alt. endorsement? Any recomendations on what to look for when I'm attending? Been told to eat plenty of chilli and to drink lots of beer before hand!

Where on the frozen plains of SD did you find an altitude chamber?

...or are you traveling?

 

[GravityHater]

I was unimpressed, maybe I have too many red cells... I hardly noticed anything but they only took up to 18k, I think because of the geezers we had on board. The colors definitely faded and I felt slightly drunk but hey I can feel like that in best of times!
Wait, maybe my perception WAS altered... I kept calling for "Higher, Higher!, Take this Sumbtch UP!" ..... and I am normally a reclusive, quiet type of person.

 

[CWASaab]

I can't speak to the course you are going through, but after completing my chamber flights for an aviation phsyiology class at UND I was given a card that says I have "completed the high altitude phsyiology taining requirements of FAR 61.31". Your milage may vary.

Have fun, and if the instructor tells you to put your mask on, its probably time to suck O2, regardless of how you feel.

 

[DoinTime]

I can't speak to the course you are going through, but after completing my chamber flights for an aviation phsyiology class at UND I was given a card that says I have "completed the high altitude phsyiology taining requirements of FAR 61.31". Your milage may vary.

Have fun, and if the instructor tells you to put your mask on, its probably time to suck O2, regardless of how you feel.

The "phsyiology" training is not a complete high altitude sign off. The FAR's outline the requirements for the HAS that include aircraft training and emergency procedures.

 

[troy]

We're going up to UND for our training. SDSU used to go to Omaha, but it closed (at least I heard that it closed)

 

[TrafficInSight]

We did it at Beale but I couldn't go that day Next year.


DO NOT STAB YOURSELF IN THE EYE WITH THE PENCIL.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Don't let those military types bully you into putting your oxygen back on

 

[Big Dog]

It completes the ground portion of the Pressurized A/C endoresment. You still must complete the flight portion. Did one last summer, great experience! Everybody should do it once.

 

[Thedude]

I can't speak to the course you are going through, but after completing my chamber flights for an aviation phsyiology class at UND I was given a card that says I have "completed the high altitude phsyiology taining requirements of FAR 61.31". Your milage may vary.

Have fun, and if the instructor tells you to put your mask on, its probably time to suck O2, regardless of how you feel.

That nice little card that you got doesnt mean jack squat. I got one back in '91 and its just a little momento.

Go as far as you can in the chamber and see how long it really takes you to almost pass out. That way your really know how quick hypoxia can sneak up on you and what your symptoms are.

 

[pilotyip]

Go for it.

If you don't go on a beer drinking burrito-eating contest with your buddies the night before, you are not a macho pilot. You will be hurting, but your buddies may be hurting worse. If they complain you can call them wimps.

 

[slowto250]

If you don't go on a beer drinking burrito-eating contest with your buddies the night before, you are not a macho pilot. You will be hurting, but your buddies may be hurting worse. If they complain you can call them wimps.

Chr!st, this post makes my eye exam look easy.