What to do when the air runs out | Aviation International News

What to do when the air runs out

The good news about the proliferation of new high-altitude airplanes–turbocharged piston or turbine–is that they offer users the chance to experience the i

By AIN Staff • AIN Staff

August 30, 2007

The good news about the proliferation of new high-altitude airplanes–turbocharged piston or turbine–is that they offer users the chance to experience the increased efficiency of an engine that likes flying where the air is thin.

The downside of airplanes that perform well at high altitudes is that although turbine powerplants don’t need much air to perform at their peak, the pilots flying them still do. Altitudes as low as 10,000 feet–even 5,000 feet msl for people who smoke or who fly at night–can change how effectively the human body processes ambient oxygen. Each thousand feet a body rises above sea level makes brain functioning more difficult.

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