Depending on if it's old or REALLY old, the small bail-out bottles
don't need to be hydro'ed (unlike the big bottles).

The one I have uses a slotted collet (like a slotted screw head, but
larger) to close the valve after the lanyard is pulled (letting out ALL
the oxygen...pretty quickly, I might add). If yours is older, it may
have a significantly different valve. I believe mine came off of a
B-1B bomber.

For a replacement bottle, see:
http://www.aviationhelmets.com/bailout.htm

The place I used to fill mine would sometimes charge me the same to
fill this tiny bottle as they would a full size ("E") bottle.

You'll likely need a pressure breathing mask to hook to it...

When I fly wave, I use this setup, and so does Bob "Chuckar" Spielman.

It's really not useful for anything but an emergency descent (either
full spoiler/redline descent, or descent using the silk of a
parachute). On the order of 10 minutes of pressure breathing (you have
to force to EX-hale).

Chuckar once did a flight test to see if he could descend his 1-26 from
25,000 feet to 10,000 feet in the time his bailout would last for.

You might try an Air Products or oxygen filling service. Being in
SoCal, I tend to go to AirSource, in Long Beach on Cherry avenue, about
200 yards off the departure end of LGB Runway 30. Mmmmm, beautiful
noise!

-Pete
#309


wrote:
I have a military bailout bottle, and the bottle is empty. It appears
that the lanyard has been pulled. I do not know anything about these
bottles, but it looks like there is some sort of "valve" or a one use
plug in the hose that the lanyard actually breaks or ???? Are these
worth refilling, and where could this be done? It is in excellent
shape.

Thanks!