Jaybird180
Final Approach
First, let me start by saying I know just enough about this topic to ask this nebulous question.
Yesterday, I stopped by an O2 supplier to ask about equipment, prices, etc. He showed me a bottle, regulator, disposable mask/ cannula and said that refills are $30 each. This is for a 425Liter bottle and said that my initial costs should be about the $200 price point. I was impressed by the low cost of entry (I thought it would be around the $500+ price point).
Then he said that he can't sell to anyone off the street, that because it's medicinal grade it requires a prescription, but he may be able to accept my pilot credentials - he would have to check. And he wasn't sure if the medicinal grade would suit my aviation purposes. He says they also sell aviation oxygen to middle-men who then resell it. He says that he believes the aviation grade has lower moisture content. His coworker advised that I visit a dive shop, that they may be able to offer better equipment and would better understand my needs (this was an industrial supply shop).
Doing some research this morning, I figure the flow rate should be about 6LpM, which yields just under 71 minutes on the 425L bottle.
The highest I've been thus far in an unpressurized cabin is 7,500MSL and that was a cruise time of about 5 minutes before it was time to start the decent. This was during a night XC training mission during PPL training; my CFI let me plan and execute the entire flight including altitude selection. I was trying to catch those high tailwinds
. I felt normal.
This potential equipment purchase is for:
1- The planned high-altitude XC that I may take once in a blue-moon
2- A small kit that I may be a more likely purchase for an emergency standby kit
Am I in the right ballpark for this?
Yesterday, I stopped by an O2 supplier to ask about equipment, prices, etc. He showed me a bottle, regulator, disposable mask/ cannula and said that refills are $30 each. This is for a 425Liter bottle and said that my initial costs should be about the $200 price point. I was impressed by the low cost of entry (I thought it would be around the $500+ price point).
Then he said that he can't sell to anyone off the street, that because it's medicinal grade it requires a prescription, but he may be able to accept my pilot credentials - he would have to check. And he wasn't sure if the medicinal grade would suit my aviation purposes. He says they also sell aviation oxygen to middle-men who then resell it. He says that he believes the aviation grade has lower moisture content. His coworker advised that I visit a dive shop, that they may be able to offer better equipment and would better understand my needs (this was an industrial supply shop).
Doing some research this morning, I figure the flow rate should be about 6LpM, which yields just under 71 minutes on the 425L bottle.
The highest I've been thus far in an unpressurized cabin is 7,500MSL and that was a cruise time of about 5 minutes before it was time to start the decent. This was during a night XC training mission during PPL training; my CFI let me plan and execute the entire flight including altitude selection. I was trying to catch those high tailwinds
. I felt normal.This potential equipment purchase is for:
1- The planned high-altitude XC that I may take once in a blue-moon
2- A small kit that I may be a more likely purchase for an emergency standby kit
Am I in the right ballpark for this?
