Portable Oxygen Systems

At the 2001 EAA fly in at Oshkosh Wisconsin, I heard Dr. Bob Achtel of the Mooney Safety Foundation speak on the use of portable oxygen systems. He is a strong advocate for use of these systems when flying at 8000 ft and above. My personal experience was that I was finding myself tired and headachy after flights above 7-8000 ft. His talk convinced me that I was experiencing mild hypoxia and that a portable oxygen bottle would be the cure.

In May 2001 Dr Achtel published an article in Plane & Pilot Magazine titled "Into Thin Air". Click here to see the article which gives his views on hypoxia and the need for oxygen at lower altitudes than most pilots would expect.

There are a number of suppliers of portable oxygen systems. They are:

Skyox Aerox Nelson Oxygen Systems Mountain High Oxygen Systems

The actual tanks that each manufacturer uses are similar, the biggest difference being in the regulator design and the type of mask / cannula used. At Oshkosh I was able to see all the different tanks (each of the manufacturers had displays). According to Dr. Achtel, all the systems are comparable and effective. He recommended going with whoever had the best price.

I decided on the Nelson System for several reasons:

• It uses Chad Oxymiser Cannulas which reduce the required oxygen flow rate (and extends the duration of the oxygen bottle)
• It uses a flow meter that allows the flow rate to be set for each user (I have a four person setup). This is important for me as my daughter cannot use the Oxymiser Cannula as it will not fit her face (she is only 7 years old). She uses a normal cannula that takes a higher flow rate.
• The main regulator is low profile with metal connections for the cannula tubes.
• They gave me the best price at Oshkosh for a 22 cu ft tank with 4 Oxymiser cannulas and flow meters, one regular mask, and three regular cannulas
• Their carrying case was one of the nicest I saw at Oshkosh

I decided against the other systems as:

• The Aerox systems have the flow rates set using small valves on the main regulator. My fear was I might break one of these valves off.
• The Mountain High System was nearly identical to the Nelson system except their used plastic connectors at the main regulator. They would install metal connectors however at an additional cost. My preference is to avoid plastic parts where possible.
• The Skyox system has flow rate set at the tank and does not allow flow rates to be set individually.
• The other systems were generally more expensive than the Nelson system.

The Nelson system's carrying case has a pouch that can carry 4 cannulas / flowmeters / tubes. The system has mounting straps that are placed on a seat (and maybe left there even when the system is removed). The straps are low profile and are not noticeable by the person sitting in the seat. The tank mounts quickly and easily on the seat back. It takes only a minute or two to cinch up the mounting straps.

I am sure other people have had equally good success with the other manufacturers systems. For me, however, the Nelson system has turned out to be a very good choice. According to Aviation Consumer, the systems are all functional alike and the only real difference between the systems is the carrying case. It goes on to state  that Nelson has the best. I find this assessment to be simplistic as there are design differences in the regulators and I prefer the low profile Nelson regulator over the Aerox and Skyox regulators.