Go Sleepy Time Now

[mishalak]

There is something wrong with me. I've no problem living, running, jumping, etc. here at seven to ten thousand feet of altitude, but when I go up with my dad in an airplane I get extremely tired and have a headache even though the altitude is usually under eight thousand feet above sea level.

I went flying with my father on Saturday in the morning, so a number of projects have been delayed, but nothing is in serious danger of blowing past a deadline. Well except a "taking pictures of myself" project that I was thinking of doing. My mother was going to go with him to help fold out the wings and so on, but it ended up being me because of delays in my father getting going in the morning. He appreciated it, but it left me feeling tired and with a rather tight schedule. Plus the headache was a mild annoyance for four hours or so.

Otherwise yesterday was great and I should recount the party parts of it in greater detail before I forget them.

Comments

[cindy-reddeer.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you go up in a non-pressurized cabin in the plane, so I'm guessing you are sufferening from altitude sickness.

The diagnosis of AMS is made when a headache, with any one or more of the following symptoms is present after a recent ascent above 2500 meters (8000 feet):

- Loss of appetite, nausea, or vomiting
- Fatigue or weakness
- Dizziness or light-headedness

I'm not sure how you could prevent it. It seems to affect different people in different ways.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

That doesn't make any sense. I live at seven thousand feet and regularly go up to eleven thousand feet without these ill effects.

[inqueery.livejournal.com]

I'd suspect its the rapid altitude gradient that causes the issue - not just the absolute altitude. Don't quite grok why but it seems possible...

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I've never known anyone with a plane in the family. It sounds like its his own one, rather than a club one if he needs to fold the wings out first.

I assume its an unpressurised light aircraft, and I guess that flying anywhere round here is pushing you up against the altitude ceiling. Can he take it safely over the 14'ers without oxygen?

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

My dad is a professional pilot and he really likes flying so he built a kit airplane called a KitFox. It is a single engine two-seat airplane capable of going far higher than anyone except a Sherpa could go without oxygen (operational ceiling of about 20,000). Going over the passes isn't trouble, I don't get any sleepier at 13,000 than I do at 8,000 and my dad doesn't have any trouble. Normally people want oxygen above 10,000 feet though because most people are from somewhere near sea level. Normally we wouldn't go directly over one of the 14,000-foot peaks because we really would need the oxygen bottles there, as we'd be about a thousand feet higher than the peak.

The wings fold and it is stored in his garage.

Rotax 914 Turbo engine capable of 140 knots at cruise, IIRC. If you would like to go flying sometime my father might be prevailed upon to take you up for a bit around the local territory.

[inqueery.livejournal.com]

14,000ft. Wow that's some pretty "thin" air - this sea-level guy (Chicago=580ft) would just pass out!

[inqueery.livejournal.com]

Although now that I think about it - I hiked up to Flattop Mountain (12324 ft) and don't remember the air being that terribly thin.