Altitude Chamber Test

[fencersmother]

Can someone in the know describe the Altitude Chamber Test? Also, what year do cadets take the test? Is it a pass/fail test?

 

[Christcorp]

FM; Didn't the boys already do it? My son did it last year. It's more of a familiarization than a test. But I suppose if you totally freaked out, that could be an issue. According to my son, they had them do simple tasks with and without masks on. mike...

 

[packermatt7]

I actually did it today.

The basic idea of the test is to familiarize yourself with your hypoxia symptoms, so that if a plane were to depressurize, you'd know what to expect, look for, and do to solve it.

Most of the day consists of briefings about hypoxia and different dangers of flying at altitude. Fatigue, hypoxia, and other effects on the body are covered. We were taught how to wear oxygen masks, etc. They then take us to the Altitude chamber, where the simulate an environment at different altitudes, in this case, 25,000 feet. We then took off our masks. We were to look for signs of hypoxia and correct as soon as we felt them. They then showed us the effects on vision at 18,000 feet.

The course is pass fail. Most students pass, because it is easy to detect symptoms (dizziness, tingling sensation, etc). The only way to fail is to not correct after getting hypoxia. You become like a zombie and unresponsive. You'll repeat the same task over and over and over. If you allow yourself to get to this state, you fail and have to try it again some other time.

The whole point is to know how to detect an emergency with your body, and how to stay alive. It was pretty interesting.

Hope this helps.

 

[flieger83]

I actually did it today.

The basic idea of the test is to familiarize yourself with your hypoxia symptoms, so that if a plane were to depressurize, you'd know what to expect, look for, and do to solve it.

Most of the day consists of briefings about hypoxia and different dangers of flying at altitude. Fatigue, hypoxia, and other effects on the body are covered. We were taught how to wear oxygen masks, etc. They then take us to the Altitude chamber, where the simulate an environment at different altitudes, in this case, 25,000 feet. We then took off our masks. We were to look for signs of hypoxia and correct as soon as we felt them. They then showed us the effects on vision at 18,000 feet.

The course is pass fail. Most students pass, because it is easy to detect symptoms (dizziness, tingling sensation, etc). The only way to fail is to not correct after getting hypoxia. You become like a zombie and unresponsive. You'll repeat the same task over and over and over. If you allow yourself to get to this state, you fail and have to try it again some other time.

The whole point is to know how to detect an emergency with your body, and how to stay alive. It was pretty interesting.

Hope this helps.

And as a rated type, you'll do this every 3 years or so...

And having had pressurization problems inflight, I can tell you: knowing your symptoms is KEY; they can literally save your life!!

"Been there, done that."

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83

 

[fencersmother]

Neither of my guys has had this test but I was reading about it somewhere and thought I'd be up on it before they tried to put anything over on me! None of their roommates has done it either.

Seems like a good test - and a good one to take several times.

Thanks all!

 

[aggie83]

Our cadet is in his first semester and has already done the first altitude chamber in Sept.

 

[Mikil]

A lot of sophomores in my squad haven't done it yet either, but I think this year they're trying to make sure all of the freshmen complete it earlier.

 

[Pima]

Fencer, they are just going to come home and play the one upmanship game against each other, well I made it to the patty cake part and you only made it to playing cards! It is no biggie.

Just wait until they get to UPT and go for centrifuge training, ask them to have a DVD burned from the console if they still do that...you will watch it and about 15 seconds go HOLY CRAP that's not my kid (their face gets really distorted). After you get passed the shock it is funny to watch!