EAA Sport Aviation - April 2009

Physiological
Training
Programs

One way to learn more about the effects of hypoxia firsthand is to enroll in one of the FAA-sponsored physiological training programs offered at various locations around the United States. The program consists of roughly four to five hours of classroom instruction. Topics such as high-altitude physiology, situational awareness, vision and visual illusions, spatial disorientation, and other related factors affecting human performance are discussed in detail. The instruction also includes hands-on practice in configuring and testing aircraft oxygen systems. The final segment of the training is a “flight” in the high-altitude chamber, in which pilots experience firsthand the symptoms of hypoxia through exposure to altitudes up to 25,000 feet MSL.

The physiological training program is offered free of charge at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City. Programs are also offered at several military bases across the country for a fee of $50, and these are scheduled by the FAA. For more information, contact the FAA in Oklahoma City at 405-954-4837, or go to www.FAA.gov/pilots/training/ airman_education.