Has anyone experience using oxygen in their RV-14? What equipment do they use and how is it mounted? I'm planning on flying over the Rockies this summer and expect I'll need to have it along.
I bought an Inogen One G5 "used" and it's awesome. It concentrates the oxygen that's there, so no need for anything complex outside the unit itself. Runs on battery and 12V. Multiple levels of o2 output. I use it for flights over the alps along with a little oximeter on my finger. The G5 keeps me at 99%.
This is a consumer-grade device, and is meant to be carried everywhere. It's not that light, but light enough, and it's rugged and easy to use.
I have not yet tested it with two cannulas, and I don't know if that is a use case that it's designed for, so if you need two, might not be the right solution for you.
PS: not sure if this is an RV-14 specific question, so I took the liberty of answering even though I fly an RV-8.
Any advice on how to source an oxygen concentrator? Pulse Oximeter?
Pulse Oximeter is easy to find, Anti Splat has one or Amazon also.
https://antisplataero.com/products/oxy-meter-02-pulse
Have you tried the Anti-Splat one in the cockpit? My experience with under-$40 pulsox is they don't work except indoors.
Have you tried the Anti-Splat one in the cockpit? My experience with under-$40 pulsox is they don't work except indoors.
Hi Mickey, can you tell me what setting you use on your G5 and cruising altitude to reach 99% saturation. Thanks.
Tom Laux at Windblade (now out of the Inogen business against their will) supplies dual cannulas for using the G5 with two people and says there is no problem with that. It's what I plan to do.
Good to FL 180 for one user, FL 140 with two. Inexhaustible O2 supply if fed with electrons. FAA does not allow nasal cannulas above 18k anyways.
Here's the latest I heard back from him after he told me Inogen wasn't partnering with them any longer.
...
I did some 'back of the envelope' estimates for the ability of the Inogen One G5 to maintain 10,000 ft equivalent O2 saturation levels at FL140 and FL160 for an average adult male. Without going into the gory details here, (happy to share on request), a minimum setting of 3 is required (120% of required O2) at FL140 and a setting of 5 at FL160 (127% of required O2). There are some big assumptions made, such as the efficiency of zeolites under reduced O2 partial pressure, but the estimate is not too far off what has been reported in this thread by a current user flying his RV in 'airliner mode' over the Alps. This simple model would support the claim reported in this thread that the Inogen G5 could support two adult males at FL140 (119% of required O2), but not at FL160 (76% of required O2). The one concern might be the operation of the inspiration sensor for two people since breathing with be asynchronous. In this case, one would need to operate at a setting of 5 or 6 at FL140 to ensure there was sufficient O2 when respiration is simultaneous. In my own case, where I plan to operate for a short time at FL160 on instrument routes over the Rockies with my wife along in our new RV-14A, unfortunately I don't believe the Inogen One G5 will work for us. I will be interested to learn if anyone else has more practical experience at mid flight levels with two people using the Inogen One G5. It's great technology and certainly would work if a dedicated unit is supplied for each passenger, with the added benefit of redundancy. However, in my limited search, the current demand and prices are high, even for a used unit.
Paul, was it a G5 Inogen back then? I think there have been interval improvements. I'm inclined to believe Windblade's performance claims are on a sound basis, but I will admit there is always a confirmation bias once one has plunked down his cash.
-Bill