Hypoxia training continues to keep Airmen safe

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Daniel Lile
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Part of the mission of the 14th Flying Training Wing is train pilots. There are many programs and assets found at Columbus AFB that help us succeed in our mission. One such asset is a hypobaric chamber used to train flying personnel of the dangers of hypoxia. Hypoxia, aka Hypoxiation or Anoxemia, is a condition in which the body or a region of the body is deprived of an adequate amount of oxygen.

"We teach different blocks of instruction on the symptoms of hypoxia which include dizziness, cold flashes, hot flashes, headaches and tingling," said Senior Airman Dawn Edwards, Aerospace Physiology Technician. "We then put them in the hypobaric chamber, that simulates altitude, and have them take off their oxygen mask so they can safely experience their symptoms of hypoxia."

Experiencing the symptoms of hypoxia in a safe environment is extremely important to flying personnel, so when they experience the symptoms while actually in a plane they can recognize and correct the problem.

"Your goal while flying with oxygen is to completely avoid hypoxia; you should not be feeling any of the symptoms unless something went wrong," said Lt. Col. Mark Harrison, C-130 Navigator student from Maxwell AFB. "I personally fly in a C-130, so we will depressurize the airplane for a short period of time and if above 10,000 feet, we use supplemental oxygen to avoid any hypoxia symptoms."

Everyone experiences different symptoms when in a hypoxic state, so one person could feel very euphoric and happy, while another may feel nausea, dizziness and fatigue.
"My primary symptoms of hypoxia are mental confusion and dizziness but I also experience some blurred vision," said Harrison. "They have us working math or word problems and I notice that it becomes much harder to think; you lose your ability to focus due to the lack of oxygen. These worksheets that the students utilize help them to see afterwards that their minds were working differently at the time than what they'd normally expect."

Columbus AFB's mission is to train pilot's and having its own hyperbaric chamber is essential to giving student pilots and rated aircrew the proper training they need to execute their job safely and efficiently.

"I think the important thing for new pilots, especially student pilots at Columbus AFB, is that as you continue to fly, you get complacent, because things usually do not go wrong," said Harrison. "You need refresher courses, every five years or so, to continue the ability to recognize and correct hypoxia symptoms. It's very important to go through this every five years to maintain the safety of yourself and your crew."