Cessna 150-152 Pilot 150-152 Club
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Official Newsletter of the Cessna Cessna 150-152 Pilot 150-152 Club. (805) 461-1958 July / August 2010 www.cessna150152.com Volume 30 Number 4 Electronic Edition 2 Breathing Deeper DIY Supplemental Oxygen in a C150-152 4 Cabin Comfort Are the 1967 & Later Airplanes Really Wider? Oxygen DIY Page 2 5 Jan and Amy Part 3 England to Australia on 100 Horsepower 10 iFly Mounting the iPad to a C150-152 Yoke 12 An Accidental Education Cabin Width Page 8 NTSB Reports in Plane English 15 Club Classifieds Airplanes, Parts & Want Ads 16 The Highest Time C150? 22,000+ Hours and Flying Better than New iPad Mount Page 10 ISSN 0747- 4712 Cessna 150-152 Pilot - July/August 2010 Supplemental Oxygen in a 150-152? by Dan Meler Years ago I could fly hour after hour, all day long, then step out of the airplane, sometimes after dark, feeling great. Maybe a little stiff and tired, but all in all… feeling good and eager to do the whole thing over again the next day as I’d wing my way through multiple states enjoying a long cross country trip. That was then, this is now. Fast forward nearly three decades and suddenly yours truly finds himself feeling a little weary after a flight of only 5 hours or so, such as from Southern Oregon to the Los Angeles area. Having mentioned this to some of Thank goodness for the internet! What a marvelous re- my pilot friends, some of whom are older and far more search tool huh? You can learn more than you want to experienced than I, I began to notice a common thread know about a subject in an hour or two right in the among their comments. Virtually every one of them ex- comfort of your own home. I found that the major tol the virtues of using supplemental oxygen, at least components for a good oxygen system are the tank, part time, on all cross country trips regardless of tank valve, regulator, and breathing appliance…all of whether or not the FARs call for it. which are available in multiple versions and price ranges. Remember, this was to be a budget minded sys- Many of the pilots I’ve spoken with fly simple airplanes tem. Choices, too many choices to make, but I went similar to what most of us have and seldom exceed alti- ahead and made what I hoped would be the best selec- tudes in the 10,000 foot range. These pilots also com- tions to suit my purpose, buying all brand new compo- mented on the insidious nature of hypoxia and how age nents. I went with a size D tank (about 13 cu. ft.) with and health can be major factors in our susceptibility to a post valve, a common brand medical regulator, and diminished mental acuity during a long flight, even the complete Oxysaver setup from Aerox. The whole when not at higher altitudes. system cost me just over $200. Having a great deal of respect for people of all walks of Everything but the Aerox Oxysaver came from eBay life who have “been there, done that”, I recently made and Amazon. The Oxysaver metering valve, flow me- the decision to begin using supplemental oxygen, or as ter, hoses, and cannula came as a kit directly from I’ll simply refer to it here: oxygen. Now it’s been my Aerox who, by the way, was great to deal with…very experience that part of the average pilot’s profile seems nice folks. The kit is made to fit medical regulators. I to include the love of gadgets, technology, and all also bought a low-cost adapter so I can fill my tank things cool. For many of us the major obstacle to accu- from a friend’s large shop tank. mulating all of these must-have items is the perennial shortfall in our discretionary “cool stuff” budgets. I’m Keep in mind oxygen is oxygen, regardless of what you not ashamed admitting I’m a member of this monetarily buy it for it’s all the same stuff. Same purity, same challenged group and therefore found myself a little quality, same everything, but I opted for a #870 valve wide eyed when I priced the oxygen systems offered on the tank which the Air Shops regard as a medical commercially by those listed in the catalogs published appliance and therefore will not fill the tank without a by Aircraft Spruce, Sporty’s, Chief Aircraft, and the doctor’s prescription. No surprise, I already knew that, others. I’m not saying the prices are out of line or un- but it was a mistake to go that route, for me anyway. If fair. No finger pointing or complaining, but I am saying I had it to do over again I’d buy a tank with a #540 the minimum buy-in of around $500 was a deal breaker, valve because as I later discovered you can buy low so my goal became putting together the best, least ex- cost medical regulators for the 540 as well, which I pensive, one-place system I could for myself. As a side wasn’t aware of. The 540 is what’s commonly used on note I’ll mention that my wife, Jo Ann, loves to fly with welding tanks and any Air Shop will then fill your tank me but her personal cross country comfort limit is about with no problems…at a very low cost. The Aerox Oxy- 3-4 hours, so I did not consider a two-place system. In saver setup is essential to conserving the oxygen supply the event we do a longer cross country trip I’ll be de- through efficiency. This kit will literally nearly quadru- lighted to share the cannula with the love of my life. ple the pilot-hours from a tank at 10,000 feet. The in- 2 Cessna 150-152 Pilot - July/August 2010 stantially increase your mental awareness at a time when you may need it the most…at the end of a long flight going into an unfamiliar airport, possibly after dark. There really are no down sides to it other than the slight inconvenience of dealing with the hoses, etc., which can be minimized by a little pre- planning and preparation. The whole system, filled with oxygen weighs, as I recall, in the 12-13 pound range so there’s no signifi- Refill Adapter cant weight penalty and the D size tank I have with the Aerox system cluded flow-meter makes it dead simple to adjust the is good for about 25 hours at flow because the meter reads in feet, so you simply turn 10,000 feet. That’s some pretty the metering valve until the flow meter agrees with long legs on that little budget sys- your altitude to get the proper amount of oxygen… tem. couldn’t be easier. Additionally I purchased an inexpen- sive oxymeter so I can check my blood oxygen levels in As a bonus, anytime you can get up flight. These little guys cost hundreds of dollars just a high and catch a vigorous tail wind few years ago but can now be found for as little as you’ll probably find the oxygen around $30 on sale. Gotta love it when gadgets become system is actually making money so affordable! for you in fuel savings…so how can you beat that? OK, now for the results of this little experiment. I took the oxygen system with me on my trip to Clinton this Cessna 150-152 Pilot year as I attended the Cessna 150-152 International Fly- (ISSN 0747-4712) is published bimonthly, by The Cessna 150- In. This was my fourth year of attendance and the third 152 Club, 5130 San Benito Rd. Suite 618, Atascadero, CA 93422. Periodicals Postage paid at Atascadero, CA 93423, USPS year I flew my own airplane (Jo Ann and I both flew 721970. commercially last year). The trip was a series of 2-3 Annual Postal Subscriptions are $45, also available as an hour legs getting there, then longer legs returning. I electronic internet based subscription for $35. Copyright ©2010. used the supplemental oxygen most of the time on the All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without outbound journey and found, not surprisingly, that all permission is prohibited. my pilot friends were correct. I felt far less weary at the Postmaster, Send change of address to: end of each flying day even though the altitudes were Cessna 150-152 Club, PO Box 1917, generally the same as previous trips. Atascadero, CA 93423-1917 After returning home I took a night flight locally and The information presented in this publication is from multiple sources from which The Cessna 150-152 Club cannot warranty or stayed up high for quite awhile, then turned on the oxy- accept responsibility as to it's legality, completeness, or technical gen and found that true to what I’d read, my night vi- accuracy. Readers are reminded that United States Federal Air sion almost immediately improved! I couldn’t tell it Regulations part 91 place primary responsibility for ensuring the airworthy condition of an aircraft on the owner and or operator. wasn’t as good as it should have been until suddenly it Any person who maintains, modifies, or otherwise changes an was better. Although not quite as dramatic, it reminded aircraft must do so in accordance with the manufacturer's me of the time I entered the pattern at home at night af- recommendations and applicable FAA regulations.