To some extent the decisions depend on what you want to use the Mountain High system for, e.g. topping up on long XC flights to maintain concentration and alertness or ensuring survival at extreme altitude whilst wave flying, or somewhere in between. I guess most pilots have all three scenarios somewhere on their agenda. One of the major advantages of MH equipment is its compact size, lightness and portability which makes it easy to install in the cockpit within easy reach and vision of the pilot. The other is its reliability and ease of use. The unit is battery powered so all the normal precautions regarding battery integrity need to be followed. The latest model (O2D1) uses two AA cells rather than the 9 volt cell of the original design, but no longer has the facility to plug in an external backup supply.
I recommend you purchase an AL 180 cylinder, or two of them if you are likely to be high altitude flying on consecutive days. My AL 180 cylinder sits in a cradle on the right arm-rest, secured with quick-release fittings. The regulator projects forward, the pressure gauge can be seen and the valve readily accessed and operated. The control box sits in a bracket just ahead of the regulator where the control buttons can be easily reached and indicator lights seen. The whole rig takes about a minute to install and about 20 seconds to remove from the glider, a PIK 20B. The supplied cannula and (small) mask are stored in a pouch on the cockpit wall just ahead of the control box. The whole system has minimum tubing runs between components (neat and tidy) with the exception of the supply line to the cannula/mask which needs to be long enough tuck away under the arm but still allow full head movement for scanning. It is very easy to dislodge a cannula if this snags or is too short. For serious high altitude flying (say 20,000 ft +) I'd recommend going for the MH-ALPS unit, preferably fitted with internal microphone (or alternatively fit your own for a fraction of the cost). The last thing you want to do is to lift the mask to use the radio, once you have it nicely fitted.
Cannulas are fantastic, simply because of ease and convenience of operation - you can eat, drink, use the radio etc, but they have limitations. You can get into strife really quickly if you are not disciplined to breathe consistently through your nose, or the nostrils are partially obstructed or blocked. Having said that, the cannula is my equipment of choice for flight up to 20K. Beyond that it's the ALPS mask, and if it's really serious the independent back-up system as well. One other thing, I recommend using a digital pulse oximeter so that you can monitor your blood oxygen saturation and adjust the oxy flow to maintain an adequate BOS level. Otherwise you will just be guessing and assuming that the MH unit is delivering the right amount for your personal metabolism. This may not be the case, depending on age, health, fitness, habits etc and you can soon end up hypoxic. Nothing beats good in-flight information!
Depending on your likely oxygen usage and access to a refilling station you might want to consider trans-filling your own cylinders. Contact me off-list if you want further information on this.
As far as purchase is concerned, dealing direct with MH seems to be the go, even if you have to break down the order into two parts less than $1000 each to avoid GST.
Regards,
Geoff V
At 06:11 AM 2/06/2008 +0930, you wrote:
I'm about to purchase a Mountain High oxygen system for the mosquito. Does anyone have any advice on purchase or configuration of the system?
regards
John Ashford
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