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DEBUNKED: 10 Airplane Myths That People Still Believe
The famous death of James Bond's nemesis in "Goldfinger" would not have happened in real life. Flying can be a mysterious experience: Planes are incredibly complicated, even scary machines, and pilots and flight attendants don't tell you too much about what's going on. So it makes sense that people believe all sorts of interesting "facts" about air travel. The problem is, a lot of them aren't true. Let's all have a laugh shall we? (finance.yahoo.com) Más...
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Sorry guys I know it wrong to reply to your own post but I think number 10 should have been number one on the list!
I think #6 should be #1. You hear that so often.
While #3 is technically true because of pressurization, having lived at 10,000 feet MSL I can tell you for certain that if you are used to living at sea level, you WILL get drunk faster at higher altitudes. I learned that the hard way the first day living in Leadville ;)
Drunk per se is a relative term here...many of the effects of hypoxia resemble an alcohol induced drunken state and the two are additive. Reduction of the partial pressure of oxygen has different effects on different folks depending on their physiological state and a bunch of other factors. Smokers are more profoundly affected than non-smokers etc. Reducing the partial pressure of O2 even to the standard 8,000 foot level (50% reduction at 17,000 feet) does begin the pathway to a buzz accelerated by alcohol or certain drugs.
Most of the newer model aircraft are actually lowering the 8K pressure standard to as low as 6K feet and humidifying the reinserted air. Compression and expansion of the engine bleed air along with the initial warming and necessary cooling makes rehumidification an engineering task to achieve the needed end without adding too much weight.
Most of the newer model aircraft are actually lowering the 8K pressure standard to as low as 6K feet and humidifying the reinserted air. Compression and expansion of the engine bleed air along with the initial warming and necessary cooling makes rehumidification an engineering task to achieve the needed end without adding too much weight.
I'm not talking anything about hypoxia...I'm actually talking about drinking liquor in a town with an elevation of 10,000 ft (13,000+ ft density altitudes in the summer) vs. one at sea level.
I agree...but the effect of the alcohol is accelerated by the relative hypoxia...not necessarily clinically obvious effects. In reduced O2, if you prefer that to "hypoxia", you do get "drunk" faster, but part of the effect is that you are already on the path by the reduced partial pressure of O2 as the effects share many of the same symptoms.
Sigh...
Zach with altitude comes hypoxia, whether you are talking about it or not. That's all he was trying to say while sounding like a rocket scientist. Leadville, Colorado! Awesome place, don't fall off! If you live there long enough it'll be the new norm for your body and you won't get the cheap buzz anymore.
