In an effort to understand the effects of hypoxia and spatial disorientation many pilots are getting high without ever leaving the ground. Now, don’t go calling the FDA just yet, we are not talking about being high from drugs or alcohol; we are talking about training in a hypobaric chamber otherwise known as an altitude chamber. The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute has designed a 1 day training program for civil aviation pilots to familiarize themselves with the different physiological and psychological stresses involved with flight. The course utilizes the high altitude chamber and spatial disorientation simulator to demonstrate events such as rapid decompression, hypoxia, visual acuity, and spatial disorientation. The courses are offered at 15 different military facilities around the country and qualify as the safety seminar portion of the FAA WINGS Program as well as a portion of the high altitude training needed for flight operations under FAR 61.31(g)(2)(i).
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