Group Poll :Oxygen

Do you own/rent/borrow a portable oxygen system?
Which brand?
Likes/dislikes regarding the particular brand?
System features?
Size/capacity?
Typical altitude flown when in use?
Comments please.

I considered all my options with respect to oxygen and ended up with the
Precise Flight System. I ordered the 'M' cylinder one with two of the
demand valves and two regular devices. Four face masks and all the other
goodies, of course. Last Thursday I went from Tucson (KAVQ) to Portland,
OR (KPDX). Mostly, we were at 14,000 ft, IFR. I returned home on Sunday,
mostly at 15,000 ft. The trip was 7.1 hours up (with weather deviations
and a precautionary landing for weather) and 5.9 hours back. 13 hours
total flying time. Probably 12 of those hours on oxygen. Two people. The
FBO didn't completely fill up the tank (1700 psi) before I left, but I
didn't run out of oxygen. There isn't much left in the tank but it
appears the demand valves allow more than 24 person hours on a tank. I
also bought into a transfilling system with another guy at the airport
so filling the bottle won't be expensive.
---
Ken Reed
N960CM
2001 SR-22

The FBO didn't completely fill up the tank (1700 psi) before I left

I take it you can tell beforehand from the pressure gauge? Why wouldn't
they fill it completely?

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"Jose" wrote in message
...
The FBO didn't completely fill up the tank (1700 psi) before I left

I take it you can tell beforehand from the pressure gauge? Why wouldn't
they fill it completely?

I have frequently run into FBOs that can't supply a full 2000 psi of
pressure. Why this is, I don't know (I mean, I understand the mechanics of
it, but why they maintain their oxygen supply at such a low state, I can't
say). But it's actually unusual for me to get my tank actually filled with
a "fill-up".

By the way, the range of prices I've seen only has a passing relation to the
amount of oxygen I get. Of course, I don't pay full price if I don't get a
full tank, but sometimes I can get a full tank (starting from nearly empty)
for a low price.

Pete

The FBO didn't completely fill up the tank (1700 psi) before I left

I take it you can tell beforehand from the pressure gauge? Why wouldn't
they fill it completely?

They were getting ready to close and would have had to retrieve a fresh
tank. 1700 was fine this time.
---
Ken Reed
N960CM

Jose wrote:
The FBO didn't completely fill up the tank (1700 psi) before I left

I take it you can tell beforehand from the pressure gauge? Why wouldn't
they fill it completely?

Because they either don't have a cascade or don't know how to use it
properly. They probably stopped at 1700 because that was all that was
left in their single bottle.