No more O2 mask--if you act now

[densoo]

Actually, they should require all pilots that fly above 25,000' to go through an altitude chamber check every 5 years or so.

Yes, they should. In the meantime, please go to this link and submt your comments on the right side. Try this one:

"So that I can't be disabled in an attack and so that I won't miss any radio calls, please approve this rule change."

http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a41a09

We can get this one changed and win one for the Gipper!

 

[scoreboardII]

so how many diseases have been caught or spread by this unsafe procedure?

 

[Colonel Savage]

Those sanitary wipes might make you feel better but they don't kill germs and viruses.

But the alcohol wipes get 'em good and drunk.

 

[WayBack]

I thought all you were required to do is pretend to put the mask on while the other dude was leaving the cockpit. Once he dings to come back in you were suppose to put it back on.

I must be confused!!!

No joke!
Seriously, this is what ALPA is worried about?
Think about it. How often does the other guy get up and use the lav? Out of all those times, how many times have you HONESTLY pulled the mask out, wiped it down and put it on? Don't lie, because wearing that mask doesn't make it easy to talk to the FA up in the cockpit with you.

The typical smoke and mirrors ALPA pulls. "Hey, look we're getting things changed. You no longer have to wear your mask when the other guys leaves the cockpit!". Oh, great, but pilots are still getting reduce rest every night, extended and what not. That's not as important as the mask.

 

[ttflyer]

so let me get this straight, rather than use a sanitary wipe and wipe down the mask before you use it, you would rather jeopardize up to 400 people on board if there is a rapid decompression. Especially the guys that fly in the high 30's low 40's?

"Rapid decompression" by definition is not "explosive decompression." A cabin climbing at 3 or 4 thousand fpm (a very high leak rate) is "rapid" and will give the pilot(s) plenty of time to put on a mask regardless of their altitude. An "explosive decompression" will most likely be associated with a structural failure and the mask will not make any difference at all...

Just my 2 cents...

 

[Kalifornia]

No joke!
Seriously, this is what ALPA is worried about?
Think about it. How often does the other guy get up and use the lav? Out of all those times, how many times have you HONESTLY pulled the mask out, wiped it down and put it on? Don't lie, because wearing that mask doesn't make it easy to talk to the FA up in the cockpit with you.

The typical smoke and mirrors ALPA pulls. "Hey, look we're getting things changed. You no longer have to wear your mask when the other guys leaves the cockpit!". Oh, great, but pilots are still getting reduce rest every night, extended and what not. That's not as important as the mask.

I realize you've made up your mind that ALPA can do no right. But this is absolute pure just blabbering bs. Of course there are far more important issues, that unfortunately have not been resolved. Doesn't mean smaller adjustments in the rules can't be made concurrently.

 

[B727Driver]

Let's focus on a real reg. to dump.
Get rid of the speed restriction flying below the class B. 250 below 10,000 should be the only speed requirement. Fuel is expensive and only going to go up.

 

[BoilerUP]

Get rid of the speed restriction flying below the class B. 250 below 10,000 should be the only speed requirement. Fuel is expensive and only going to go up.

I'm gonna say I agree with you about the speed restriction because its a common "speed trap" on extended downwinds or into airports like PDK...but most (if not all) jets will burn much less fuel doing 200KIAS below 10,000ft than they will at 250KIAS, with little overall impact on flight time.

 

[FNG320]

so let me get this straight, rather than use a sanitary wipe and wipe down the mask before you use it, you would rather jeopardize up to 400 people on board if there is a rapid decompression. Especially the guys that fly in the high 30's low 40's?

Know the facts. Here they are:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_of_Useful_Consciousness

Time of useful Consciousness

FL 180 20 to 30 min
FL 220 5-10 min
FL 250 3 to 6 min
FL 280 2.5 to 3 mins
FL 300 1 to 3 mins
FL 350 30 sec to 60 sec
FL 400 15 to 20 sec




These times have been established from observations over a period of years and are for an individual at rest. Any exercise will reduce the time considerably. For example, usually upon exposure to hypoxia at FL 250, an average individual has a TUC of 3 to 5 minutes. The same individual, after performing 10 deep knee bends, will have a TUC in the range of 1 to 1.5 minutes.

A rapid decompression can reduce the TUC by up to 50 percent caused by the forced exhalation of the lungs during decompression and the extremely rapid rate of ascent.

Even at 40,000 ft where TUC could be as low as 7-10 seconds, it only takes 5-10 seconds to remove the EMR Oxygen mask from stowage and don it. If you can't remove and don the mask in 5-10 seconds, then maybe you should not be flying. If the mask was on your lap, it should take only 3 to 5 seconds, and this assume worst case of a 50% loss of normal TUC.

Then throw in the time that there has been a rapid decompression of a passenger plane at altitude

Then throw in the times that a rapid dcompression could/has occurred while a pilot was using the LAV.

The results mean that there is almost no chance of it happening, and if it did, the single pilot should still have time to don his mask. I would say the odds of all of this happening are the same as your aircraft being hit by a meteor inflight.

Just my opinion......

FNG

 

[BoilerUP]

I don't know what kind of masks Boeings & Airbusses have, but many quick-don O2 masks, including the popular EROS model found in many business jets and CRJs, no longer qualifies as a quick-don if its out of its holder.

I really, seriously doubt having the mask in your lap would allow you to get it on any faster.

It would be wiser and simpler for the FAA to standardize crew O2 requirements with what they require those who fly single-pilot jets Part 91 do - wear O2 above FL350 with no regard to lower altitudes.