Aviation Emergencies and Fatalities

[kenjr]

I was an aircrewman in the Navy many years ago and went through the chamber myself. It's pretty stunning how you feel compared to how you are performing. Definitely an eye opening experience.

 

[gismo]

This is why the military has the HALO jumpers on pure O2 for 2 hrs before boarding the plane, it allows most all of the nitrogen and other inert gas components to be purged from your tissue compartments, also why divers who need to fly shortly after diving will go on O2 for 2 hrs after their last dive, or as I used to do, go do a 2 hr 20' reef dive on pure O2 (not as boring and the added pressure helps purge you faster) as the last dive of the trip.

Do you have any data on flying after diving? Everyone I've asked won't say more than "wait 24 hours".

Seems to me that using O2 to purge like you suggest should help but how do you figure out how much is enough. Also I'd expect that if I stayed at or below 3000 MSL I wouldn't need as much time to purge (with or without pure O2) compared to a flight at 8000-12000 but I can't find a bit of data to figure out when it would be OK to fly low after diving.


The recovery time ought to be dependent on how saturated you were to begin with but one could start with the assumption that your N2 level was just barely low enough to be safe surfacing.

 

[brian]]

Do you have any data on flying after diving? Everyone I've asked won't say more than "wait 24 hours".

Seems to me that using O2 to purge like you suggest should help but how do you figure out how much is enough. Also I'd expect that if I stayed at or below 3000 MSL I wouldn't need as much time to purge (with or without pure O2) compared to a flight at 8000-12000 but I can't find a bit of data to figure out when it would be OK to fly low after diving.


The recovery time ought to be dependent on how saturated you were to begin with but one could start with the assumption that your N2 level was just barely low enough to be safe surfacing.

Be careful.. I just have a basic divers certificate and 24 hours is all they would give us.

I have seen a diver get the bends returning from vacation on a passenger jet. My feeling is the 24 hours may not be enough for some...

 

[RV10flyer]

Another good one. I like this one because of his little review at the end where he thought it was a failed experiment because he was giving all the right answers and outwitting them. The perception is that there is not a problem.

He says, "A hell of a way to go". Now it is easier for me to understand how we arw losing our pilot friends. Jeez, very fast. Thanks for the link.

 

[MooneyDriver78]

Yep, pull throttle, push forward, hit the button, "___ Center 123A, emergency, lost pressure, heading down to 10,000'" Don't ask, don't wait, remember the process for flying, "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate" in that order.

If flying an airway, it might be a good idea to make a 10 degree turn left/right just in case your lower brethren can't get out of the way.