Hypoxia Training

Last month, I got to complete a special training at UND that all students look forward to. UND has an altitude chamber and spatial disorientation simulator that students around the junior/senior level get to train in.

This altitude chamber goes up to 80,000 feet, but for this training we do two separate flights at 18,000 and 25,000 feet. This is a great training device for high-altitude flying. Pilots who go through hypoxia training are more likely to be able to identify symptoms of hypoxia in the aircraft than those who have never experienced it before. Everyone has different symptoms, but your own personal symptoms will not change over time. For me, I felt euphoric, had tunnel vision, overconfidence, and could not stop laughing. This is great training for flying pressurized aircraft. In case the pressurization system breaks, there is a chance the crew could become hypoxic without noticing. Since I've completed both slow and fast hypoxia training, I will know if I get any of my symptoms to verify that the cabin is pressurized and the system is still working. We also practiced putting on masks quickly in an emergency, which is a necessity if that aircraft cabin has a rapid decompression.

Other training I did for this course includes the spatial disorientation simulator (left) and smoke in the cockpit training (right). This spatial disorientation trainer had the cockpit setup of a Cessna 172, and all controls felt very similar to the real aircraft. I was one of the first students to fly in this simulator, and the experience was amazing. I got to experience the Coriolis illusion, the leans, and a lot of other spatial disorientation scenarios. I also got to experience some night illusions like false horizon and the black hole effect. For the smoke in the cockpit training, I was able to experience using smoke protection equipment during an emergency.

Overall, this is one of my favorite classes I've taken at UND, and I feel like a more prepared and safer pilot after completing this training.