- and ancillary considerations:
In early days, O2 was dispensed as a free gas. This was Ok until
the altitude produced a pressure lower than the partial pressure of O2. **
We were wearing soft leather gloves to offset burnt skin in a cockpit fire.
Down came the order - be prepared to doff one glove when you begin to feel
even slightly strange - it may be your oxygen system is defunct and you
haven't seen the breath gauge if installed.
With the glove off, press down the thumb nail on the bare hand
with your first finger. The nail should go white (blood pressed out of it).
WHEN you let go, it should immediately go red (blood resumed). If it
doesn't, you're in the preliminary stages of oxygen starvation. Descend,
descend, descend.
Alcohol, smoking and several other endeavours arrange to starve
you partially of O2 - (that's where the fun is). Familiarity with this state
conditions your body to accept lower O2 levels and so some can suspect loss
later than others.
Drink less, smoke less and poke your thumbnail more often and
save money. That's what opposing digits are for.
Ferg
**Of course with the advanced fighters, O2 came pressurised above 36,000 or
so and the gloves came back on because you had to physically breathe OUT and
loss was evident instantly.
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