Someone recently described their cross country flight planning technique as basically looking to see if there's anything in the way between departure airport and destination, and then hopping in the plane and going. That's my technique as well. I've never understood what all the fuss with "flight planning" is about. Our task is to go from A to B. What could be simpler? Skyvector is free and is as good as it gets for "glimpse and go" flight planning. I wanted to add to this conversation/topic the fact that having oxygen for full-time use when travelling gives us another dimension to work with in avoiding obstructions between departure and destination, thus making "glimpse and go" flight planning even simpler than it already is. Flying high lets us sail right over the top of terminal airspace, no matter how complicated or busy. Same with Restricted airspace, depending on its ceiling. Same with mountains and everything else on the ground, including turbulence on bumpy days. Having a big tank of O2 with a pulse-demand regulator and Oxymizer cannula opens up the door to all the advantages that come with altitude. TCA directly ahead? I just ignore them, although I'll monitor approach and be ready to talk to someone in case the engine decides to crap out halfway across. Normally though I'd much rather listen to the engine than to radio yakking.
I originally put together an oxygen system (eBay for everything - approximately $100 total) to try and prevent the headaches that I used to get when going from near sea level to 12.5 or 13.5, especially if I hadn't flown for awhile. Oxygen did indeed fix that problem. Having a big tank with a demand regulator means I can go completely across the U.S. and back to San Diego and still have oxygen left in the bottle. The big tank (E size, 24 cu. ft.) minimizes the hassle of getting it re-filled. I've never had to find an oxygen source when on the road. I always make it back home and to my familiar (and cheap) dive shop for refills. The primary factor regarding long duration is the demand regulator though. With the old constant flow regulators traditionally used in aviation, O2 would disappear quiickly no matter how big the tanks were. My "E" tank lies along the right side of the fuselage, braced by the bottom and fuselage side and at the bottom of the tank, a styrofoam pocket anchored to the bottom of the plane. The tank portrudes forward through a cut-out on my seatback and it's the seatback that braces the tank to keep it from coming forward. My baggage compartment insert sits on top of the tank, providing even more bracing to prevent the tank from moving. Mounted this way it isn't in the way at all. I've lost no baggage space. The regulator sits immediately beside my right hip thus allowing access. It's all very simple and extremely valuable to have. ************* So . . . re cross country planning, using oxygen and going high simplifies things even more and makes flying safer in several ways. There's less traffic at oxygen altitudes than below them, plus glide range is much enhanced in case of a mechanical issue. It helps significantly with fatigue and also improves vision, especially at night. I could go on and on . . . I love my bottle! Mike KSEE Laser147 at Juno.com ____________________________________________________________ MaxWay2Profit The Royal Bank of Canada Wants This Video Removed for Good http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/57b6184b9d53184b7f5cst02vuc
