Oxygen Masks

[D_Rob]

I canceled all flights where the A/C didn't work well enough.

 

[sevenhelmet]

When I was in Primary, broken AC was a downing gripe.

 

[john1513]

Most of the time the A/C "worked"...then again, it never felt cold enough (especially in the 4200 block, when the IP lights a fire under your ass).

 

[e6bflyer]

I am not a big fan of the dangling mask due to the above mentioned reasons. I put one of my bayonet fittings in between the clip and the bracket that mounts the clip to the plane. It is nicely stowed and doesn't go flying around all over the place, jamming up rudder pedals and the like. You can't see the transponder very well, but you couldn't really see it that good to begin with and you only have to set it twice on a standard contact flight.
Putting the hose on and opening the canopy on the 4202...I used to be a big believer, but I didn't make my last few onwings do it. I just had them open the canopy and note the increased rate of descent. I would rather spend time doing other, more important things, like getting a guy ready to solo.

 

[Tom]

My dangling mask liked to turn off the UHF receive. It made instruments much more interesting.

 

[Ave8tor]

Time for a little help from the fleet bubbas! I'm about half-way through the jet syllabus and I'm having a hell of a time with my O2 mask. I've tried about four different Combat Edge masks but all seem to give me the same problem. No matter how much I adjust the straps or have the PR's rig the bayonet lugs, I get air blowing out the top, around the bridge of my nose, and right into my eyes. Mostly it's on a hard exhale or when I'm looking down. Anyway, I was able to switch to a mask that looks like it came from the Vietnam era, and it worked pretty well. The fit was a lot nicer, especially not having that lower lip seal rubbing me raw, and most importantly, no blow-by. Unfortunately, the lower visibility and peripheral vision were being blocked by the adjusting straps and the huge nose section. It was very difficult to read stuff on my kneeboard, especially at night.

The problem I'm having is that I want to try the 'instructor' style mask to see if the fit is any better. I would settle for a loner mask in the PR shop just to see if it might be a viable option, however every time I bring up the issue, the PR's say that it wouldn't do any good because they wouldn't be able to order it anyway. One of the guys said that the whole Combat Edge deal is a CNATRA thing and that if I really needed the other mask it could be ordered. But from the static I get raising the issue, I might need to wait until I get to the RAG before I ask again.

I was wondering if the old-style masks can still be issued in the RAG/Fleet. Also, have any of you that fly with them had any problems like the ones I have described above. Thanks for the help.

 

[MAKE VAPES]

Have you tried rolling up some gauze and shoving it in your mask to stop the blow by in your eyes? If you are doing ACM (esp def), you will just have to get used to fighting your mask. Either you will painfully tighten the straps to the point of wanting to KIO, or you will learn to deal with blow by (from my experience). Exhale valves are sticky when new, I used to disconnect the hose from the regulator (this can be really annoying), put helmet and mask on and give the valve a good workout to loosen it up. Make sure it isn't all clogged up with flem, spit and boogers too. Those PRs rock at NMM, they can be bribed.