Comments by "afcgeo" (@afcgeo882) on "Ringway Manchester" channel.

  1.  @Bikewithlove  These very trained pilots know how they’re feeling. Their threshold for oxygen starvation is absolutely higher than an average person’s. They’re both, selected for the trait and trained to handle hypoxia better. U2 pilots are the extreme of that extreme group because they operate at an atmospheric pressure of I believe around 30,000 feet. An average person would simply lose consciousness in that environment, within seconds. So for these guys to feel “bad” would take far more than for us to feel that same level “bad”.
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  2.  @FallenPhoenix86  I know my facts very well, with years in as an aircrew life equipment technician. Yes, people are selected and trained to perform better at higher altitudes. Much of fighter, and then platform selection is medical exams and testing in reduced oxygen tanks. There is a testing center at Wright-Patt. The U-2 and SR-71 aircrew suits are full pressure (direct compression). These pressure suits press on the body of the crew member, not sustain atmospheric pressure. There is no gas envelope around the body (inside the suit), unlike in a space suit, which uses indirect compression. This is done solely to maintain the body’s shape in lower atmospheric pressure. The suits provide thermal support as well. They’re basically the Spanx suits of aviation. Again, the suits are NOT pressurized. They PROVIDE pressure to the body. This is done because above FL40, the body cannot survive the internal pressure difference with the external pressure. The cockpit internal pressure is maintained at below FL30, thus not requiring the full protection of the suit, unless there is decompression. Yes, there are sadly many cases of that in history. The suit also assists in fighting off decompression sickness. And yes, we worked with Clarke to implement modifications on pressure and g-suits. Oh and just so you know, your desperate attempts at straw man arguments won’t work here. My original comment was 100% factual. You just suffer from reading comprehension issues because you’re clearly inserting assumptions instead of actually reading what I wrote. Did I write that they had no pressure suits or oxygen supplementation? No. Can people survive at FL30 with low oxygen pressure flowing, absolutely. Every civilian airliner is equipped for just that. Those orange masks that drop down in times of sudden depressurization do just that - supply low pressure oxygen. The Dragon Lady system also supplies low level oxygen as the crew operating environment is kept at 29k feet, with 100% oxygen provided by pulling the “green apple” as referenced in the video, if needed.
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  3.  @FallenPhoenix86  The suits are NOT pressurized. That’s not a thing. They breathe oxygen sufficient for proper function, that’s all. The actual physical strains on bodies from high altitude flight on U-2s and R-71s are well-recorded. The pilots are trained to function with lower oxygen levels in cases of survival system failures, just as in this case, and yes, people can survive at FL30, if trained, and with low pressure oxygen flow, as long as the cockpit is heated, at least temporarily. Above FL50 a person cannot survive regardless the oxygen flow, which is why the U-2 cockpit is pressurized to 29,000 feet.
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  4. The video does explain that.
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  5. “Pan” indeed comes from panne, just as “Mayday” comes from m’aidez (help me in French) and “Securité” (secure in French). All three are emergency transmissions in the maritime and aviation environments.
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