News /

If a pilot wanted to learn how he or she reacts to the effects of hypoxia (decreased oxygen supply), it meant signing up for a shot at the military’s few hypobaric altitude chambers scattered throughout the country. Now Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, has its own normobaric “altitude chamber” that is open to the public.

ERAU’s normobaric High Altitude Lab doesn’t reduce air pressure like a hypobaric version does. Instead, it simply removes oxygen from the air to simulate the lack of oxygen at altitude. Participants feel the effects of hypoxia and see its effects on others. The lab does not reduce pressure, so participants do not experience trapped gases or decompression sickness (“the bends”) as with traditional altitude chambers. The downside to this method is the inability to simulate a rapid decompression that could occur in pressurized airplanes. Despite that shortcoming, this course offers an excellent opportunity to experience hypoxia symptoms in a safe, controlled environment employing airline-style oxygen masks for recovery. It does not satisfy the FAR 61.31g high-altitude signoff, which requires tasks in a flight simulator or flight-training device.

As the air machines extract oxygen from the lab enclosure, students are given cognitive, motor, and flight-related tasks to perform while noting the onset of hypoxic symptoms. There is also a Frasca flight simulator in the lab that replicates a Cessna 172 with a Garmin G1000 cockpit. The four-hour course provides instruction in flight physiology similar to the military programs. ERAU says it is coordinating with the local Flight Standards District Office to allow pilots to receive credit towards the FAA’s Wings program.

Cost of the program is $375 per student and the lab can seat up to eight. Candidates must be 18 years or older and hold an FAA medical certificate. To enroll, contact Assistant Professor Glenn Harmon at [email protected] or call 386-226-6843.

–Pete Bedell 

Student pilots arrested in flight school investigation

Massachusetts authorities have arrested more than 30 flight students and the owner of a flight school and charged them with being in the country illegally, according to reports in the Boston Herald and Boston Globe. The individuals being charged are Brazilian nationals. There were no links to terrorism found in connection with flight training that took place at TJ Aviation Flight Academy at Minuteman Field in Stow. The arrests began in July and concluded a few months ago, the newspapers reported.

Cost, lack of support cited as barriers to women in aviation 

Extensive survey shows women face predictable obstacles

A two-year study shows that the low numbers of women pilots may be attributable not only to the cost of learning to fly, but also to factors that are more gender specific. The majority of women in the study cited the cost of training as a barrier to success. But they also mentioned lack of female mentors, instructors who didn’t communicate effectively—a “Mars/Venus” scenario—and a lack of confidence in their ability to handle an airplane. They were more likely to cite a “fear” of flying if their instructor demonstrated a stall recovery too early in their training.

Colorado pilot and AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer Penny Hamilton obtained interviews or surveys from 296 respondents, including 157 women pilots, 54 women student pilots, and 85 flight instructors. She identified a lack of support—from mentors, flight schools, and nonflying family and friends—as among the barriers cited by women.

“Most of them mentioned the importance of feeling comfortable with the pilot groups on the airport and their reaching out and being friendly,” she said, adding that few airports have local chapters of The Ninety-Nines or Women in Aviation, International. Community is important for women, who tend to be more social than men.

Some women also encountered a lack of emotional support from family and friends who perceive flying as “too dangerous." Other factors include interruptions in training from an instructor leaving, lack of experience with mechanical systems or orienteering, and that famous female pilot role models are largely unknown to nonpilot women.

The FAA has said that women comprise about 6 percent of the pilot population.

The complete results and recommendations are available online).

Alaska high school gets helping hand  

Build A Plane project popular in small town

Talkeetna, Alaska—population 800—has turned out in force to support a project in which local high school students will combine classroom learning with hands-on work to refurbish a Piper Cherokee Six.

The students are working on the project through the nonprofit education organization Build A Plane.

“Once we announced we were going to start a Build A Plane project, we began getting an amazing number of offers” from businesses and residents alike, said Rebecca Fisher, a Talkeetna resident and Alaska Airlines pilot. K2 Aviation, a local bush flying service, created two full-time paid internships for Build A Plane students. Talkeetna Aero Services committed to hire a student for a paid full-time summer job, and also began offering free motivational flights to Denali and Mount McKinley. Talkeetna Air created a $2,500 scholarship for students who pursue postsecondary education or training. Talkeetna Aero offered free flights for interested students and their parents. Flight businesses Above Alaska and Alaska Floats and Skis also donated free introductory flight lessons.

Other contributions include $500 from the local chapter of The Ninety-Nines to purchase a private pilot ground school course for the local library, donations of hardware supplies needed for the restoration project, and use of a hangar to house the project.

“I’m very proud of what our little town has done to support these kids,” Fisher said. “Aviation is a big part of who we are here in Alaska and I think people see this Build A Plane project as an opportunity to give back to the community.”

Build A Plane has three other programs in Alaska—two in the villages of Hooper Bay and Chevak, and another in Anchorage.

–Jill W. Tallman

Pilots’ social group offers scholarships  

Thousands of dollars available

The National Gay Pilots Association Education Fund has designated $15,000 in pilot scholarships to be awarded in 2011. The application period opened January 1 and closes on March 31. Scholarship criteria include demonstrated academic ability, financial need, and active participation in matters of social justice toward the betterment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Awards range from $3,000 to $4,000 and will be announced in mid-June. For more information, see the National Gay Pilots Association website (www.ngpa.org).

No changes to CFI renewals planned  

Industry shows unity

The FAA doesn’t plan to make regulatory changes to the flight instructor refresher clinic (FIRC) or CFI renewal process, the agency has confirmed. The FAA had expressed concern over the general aviation safety record and had asked for input on whether the regulatory requirements for CFI renewals should be changed, among other questions. AOPA met with representatives of the FAA in December to gain a better understanding of the reason behind the move to review the CFI renewal process. “The FAA views the CFI as an important link in delivering a message of safe practices to individual pilots and ultimately reducing the accident rate overall,” said Kristine Hartzell, AOPA manager of regulatory affairs. “The FAA is attempting to improve the message delivered by CFIs.”

AOPA representatives voiced their support for making improvements in FIRC content, but expressed that the association would not support unsubstantiated changes to the CFI renewal process as a whole.