Pressurization and Oxygen Systems

[mshac]

There are several wise and experienced members of this forum who no longer post. They may have hung up their pilot's wings, or possibly even Flown West, but their contributions will always be appreciated by other Skymaster owners.

Regarding oxygen, I've noticed you can buy O2 in an aluminum can with a mouthpiece attached for about $10. I saw them at a local store being sold as a "health aid" but I did the math and you would get about 50-100 breaths of 100% oxygen per can. Its about the size of a spray paint can, not a bad inexpensive option for a supplemental (or emergency) oxygen supply.

I'm not sure when the option became available (maybe all P models?), but my 1978 P337H uses small chemical charges to create emergency oxygen, just like the airliners do. Pull the pin and the chemical reaction begins. Once it starts, there's no way to stop it. Problem is the charges are not cheap to replace, last time I checked I think they were around $400 each!