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October 11, 2005
Airplane Oxygen Masks - Fact or Fiction?
Has anyone ever been on an airplane where the oxygen masks dropped? I'm curious because I was on a plane that depressurized rapidly while we were at cruising altitude, but the masks never dropped. (Thanks Frontier.)
The flight left me questioning what I thought I knew about oxygen masks. They tell you the following:
- In the event of a "sudden change in cabin pressure", the masks will drop.
- Give the oxygen mask a "gentle tug" to start the flow of oxygen.
- Even though oxygen is flowing, the bag will not inflate.
So, think about this. The oxygen masks are one-size fits all, infant to senior citizen. They'll drop automatically, but if they don't drop, you can't reach up there and get them. There's no lever to turn to make them drop. So, imagine that you're in a panic descent from 30,000 feet, a downward spiral, and these things drop. A "gentle pull"? Right. So, if you don't pull hard enough, the flow of oxygen won't start, but you won't know because the bag won't inflate in any event. If you pull too hard, then it will be in your lap.
I can tell you this, I've spiraled down from 30,000 feet when the flying waitresses were scurrying through the cabin like crack addicts on the first of the month and the pilot wasn't saying Jack over the intercom. People praying, screaming, crying, holding styrafoam cups over their ears to stop the pain. And this is the situation where we're supposed to give the little tube a "gentle tug"? Right.
I personally don't believe that the oxygen masks exist. My theory is that the only oxygen masks that are on the planes are the ones the flight nazi's use for the demonstrations. If you have ever seen them drop, please post in the comments below.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on October 11, 2005 at 11:45 AM
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