A little Story about Hypoxia
So i recently went on a trip around Germany on my citabria. It was a 7 day trip with a few stops and all was fun and well, except a little story i wanted to tell to raise awareness in newer Pilots and maybe some who are seasoned but usually stay low and local.
Ive flown for about 15 years now usually staying low and seldom going up to FL95 (vfr), and when i did I don’t stay there for long. In Germany you are legally required Oxygen above FL100 if you stay for more then 30 min and if at all above FL130.
Now i was feeling pretty „safe“ at FL95, happily cruising along above scattered to avoid weaving around them. I was at that altitude for about an hour and granted, I myself DO have veery flat breathing basically all the time when my body is idling, especially chilling in cruise on a perfect day.
Then after about an hour i felt sth i never felt before. A light headache combined with a feeling of being… lofty and light, and everything seemed a little TOO fine… i could not make out what this was at first but after 5 additional minutes I felt this feeling slowly getting stronger. It clicked and i concluded it must be the slow onset of Hypoxia crawling in. I took out Power and went to FL75. And i started taking deliberate deep breaths. After a few Minutes that feeling went away and i felt normal again.
This is not to sound alarming, the Situation was FAR from any Incident, but it got me thinking and i was Happy about the fact I saw this probable onset of Hypoxia and reacted accordingly. FL100 for oxygen is a good rule, but always remember Hypoxia CAN set in earlier and for super flat breathing like mine or maybe other bodily conditions you should have an eye on it.
Just wanted to tell this little Story to remind us all this is the case and to not take this stuff lightly in unpressurised Aircraft. Hope it was a little Edutaining. Fly safe out there!