0
3mpire

Helmets with oxygen port & jumping with the cannula in your nose

Recommended Posts

I read the Master Skills Camp Handbook last night and this caught my eye:

Quote

Large formation skydiving typically involves higher altitudes and the use of oxygen. The oxygen will be turned on usually as you pass through 12,000 feet AGL. There will be an oxygen briefing that will cover those details.

Some helmets are equipped with an oxygen port. If you have that type of helmet, you will not need the cannula. You will simply place the hose into the port.



I'm not aware of any helmets that have this, and I have never heard anyone talk about this. Can someone show me an example of helmets that do this, and how it works?

Edited: I see that the Cookie Gas (no longer manufactured) had an O2 port but I haven't been able to find any images that show how it functions

Second question:

Quote

A tip on using the oxygen system is to place the cannula loop over your head and run the loop behind your ears with the cannula placed into your nose. Put your helmet on and plan on skydiving with your cannula. Some people like to run the excess tubing down the arm of their jumpsuit so that they don’t have as much hose to deal with while skydiving. That will depend on the aircraft oxygen system and they are all set up differently.



Is the idea here that you have the cannula in your nose and the tube running down the inside of your jump suit's arm? That would leave the trailing tube free during free fall? Am I understanding that right?

That seems like it would be a bad idea... I wouldn't want a plastic tube attached to my nose loose during a jump waiting to get snagged and ripped out or entangled...

...which makes me think I'm not understanding what this set-up would look like. i'm sure folks experienced with this type of jumping have a smart system for dealing with it all, I'm probably just not seeing it in my head right

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Thanks for the link--I've done high alt jumps so I know how the setup works inside the aircraft.

I'm specifically interested in learning how helmets with O2 ports work, and how you would jump with the cannula on as described in the quote above

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
When doing high altitude jumps for bigways, etc I always use a cannula. It is the most effective method of getting oxygen. Others choose to cut off the cannula and just put a tube in their mouth or use a full face helmet with the visor closed and put the tube inside the helmet through the slit in the mouth piece. When I use the cannula I run it behind my ears, not behind my head, then under the chin strap and a bit down my jumpsuit. The hose from the plane attaches to that end. When exiting I have just a bit to tuck down my jumpsuit after disconnecting from oxygen.

I've tried pretty much every other method and this is what works best for me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

When I use the cannula I run it behind my ears, not behind my head, then under the chin strap



That is the way a Cannula was designed to be worn. Putting the butt end of the hose in your mouth is not very effective because you will breathe through your nose.

Sparky
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3mpire

Second question:

A tip on using the oxygen system is to place the cannula loop over your head and run the loop behind your ears with the cannula placed into your nose. Put your helmet on and plan on skydiving with your cannula. Some people like to run the excess tubing down the arm of their jumpsuit so that they don’t have as much hose to deal with while skydiving. That will depend on the aircraft oxygen system and they are all set up differently.

Is the idea here that you have the cannula in your nose and the tube running down the inside of your jump suit's arm? That would leave the trailing tube free during free fall? Am I understanding that right?

That seems like it would be a bad idea... I wouldn't want a plastic tube attached to my nose loose during a jump waiting to get snagged and ripped out or entangled...



I try to describe the Setup as I am lacking a photo right now:
Starting from the photo mjosparky posted, imagine that you run the canula from under the chin along one of your arms under the jumpsuit. You cut them about 1-2 cm (about 1 Inch) after they "emerged" at your wrist.
This end will be connected to the tubes that are hanging from the aircrafts Oxygen System. To connect, you can use a bungee wher you stick the ends of both tubes in.
When it is time to exit, you disconnet and either stuff the extra Inch back in the jumpsuit or let it "hang out".
It doesn't really create a snagpoint.
Personnally, I try to leave it connected as long as possible. Depending on the length of the hose that stays in the aircraft, I even leave it connected when on a floater Position. On Exit it just disconnects itself. (and Yes, that could be irritating other Jumpers, so tell them about your plan).
I hope this made is clearer. If not send me a PM and I try to look up a photo of the Setup.
vSCR No.94
Don't dream your life - live your dream!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

You cut them about 1-2 cm (about 1 Inch) after they "emerged" at your wrist.
This end will be connected to the tubes that are hanging from the aircrafts Oxygen System. To connect, you can use a bungee wher you stick the ends of both tubes in.

When it is time to exit, you disconnet and either stuff the extra Inch back in the jumpsuit or let it "hang out".
It doesn't really create a snagpoint.



Ah! thanks, my thinking on this is clear now. When I first read the original quote, I was thinking that the entire O2 hose would be with you the whole jump (i.e. you would disconnect from the PVC tube running the length of the aircraft).

Connecting it as you describe with only a few inches at most poking out of your jumpsuit during the jump makes way more sense than having several feet trailing out ;)

cheers

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

or use a full face helmet with the visor closed and put the tube inside the helmet through the slit in the mouth piece



I was wondering about that -- if the helmets that have the "feature" for connecting to O2 just have a port and the idea is the oxygen would kinda just "fill" the inside? if so it doesn't seem like it would be very efficient and I would be surprised if you got nearly as much oxygen into your system versus a cannula or mask

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
mjosparky

Quote

When I use the cannula I run it behind my ears, not behind my head, then under the chin strap



That is the way a Cannula was designed to be worn. Putting the butt end of the hose in your mouth is not very effective because you will breathe through your nose.

Sparky



Yep but you do know how many actually do this.......very few. Other than common joke of past cocaine use shredding your nasal passage, I've never figured out why more people don't use it this way. Cool factor?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
tetra316

***

Quote

When I use the cannula I run it behind my ears, not behind my head, then under the chin strap



That is the way a Cannula was designed to be worn. Putting the butt end of the hose in your mouth is not very effective because you will breathe through your nose.

Sparky



Yep but you do know how many actually do this.......very few. Other than common joke of past cocaine use shredding your nasal passage, I've never figured out why more people don't use it this way. Cool factor?

My guess is that no one has taken the time to explain it to them. I did big ways almost exclusively and can’t remember ever being briefed on the right way to wear a cannula. I knew how because I was a Fire Dept. PM for a number of years.

Sparky
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
mjosparky

******

Quote

When I use the cannula I run it behind my ears, not behind my head, then under the chin strap



That is the way a Cannula was designed to be worn. Putting the butt end of the hose in your mouth is not very effective because you will breathe through your nose.

Sparky



Yep but you do know how many actually do this.......very few. Other than common joke of past cocaine use shredding your nasal passage, I've never figured out why more people don't use it this way. Cool factor?

My guess is that no one has taken the time to explain it to them. I did big ways almost exclusively and can’t remember ever being briefed on the right way to wear a cannula. I knew how because I was a Fire Dept. PM for a number of years.

Sparky

The big ways I've been to in the last couple years have started showing all the ways to wear one. But habits are hard to break. I've don't think I've ever seen an organizer use a cannula either.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
A few notes here:

1) If you are going to sleep or are at risk for losing consciousness (i.e. you are doing jumps above 25,000 and have an O2 system problem) a cannula is a very good idea for the simple reason that it works whether you are paying attention or not. It also requires less care on exit if you use a helmet mounted system.

2) Sticking it in your mouth gets you a little more oxygen for two reasons:

-Less dead space to be cleared during breathing

-Shorter run of larger diameter hose; less backpressure.

Skydiving oxygen systems are not flow controlled; they work via a "calibrated orifice" (fancy term for describing a manifold with a hole in it) but that only works if all hoses have the same resistance and the manifolds are the same pressure everywhere. If they don't, the person with the longer/narrower hose gets less oxygen. In practice this doesn't matter too much because the systems are set up to give way more oxygen than people need. But if someone is at the back of an Otter with a narrow manifold, and they have cascaded two hoses to get to the back seat, and they are using a cannula - the flow can become pretty minimal.

The above is a good reason to have the LAST person in the plane, with the longest hose, tell you whether the flow is sufficient. (For most jumps up to 20,000, if you can feel O2 coming out of the hose, the flow is sufficient.)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
billvon

A few notes here:

1) If you are going to sleep or are at risk for losing consciousness (i.e. you are doing jumps above 25,000 and have an O2 system problem) a cannula is a very good idea for the simple reason that it works whether you are paying attention or not. It also requires less care on exit if you use a helmet mounted system.

2) Sticking it in your mouth gets you a little more oxygen for two reasons:

-Less dead space to be cleared during breathing

-Shorter run of larger diameter hose; less backpressure.

Skydiving oxygen systems are not flow controlled; they work via a "calibrated orifice" (fancy term for describing a manifold with a hole in it) but that only works if all hoses have the same resistance and the manifolds are the same pressure everywhere. If they don't, the person with the longer/narrower hose gets less oxygen. In practice this doesn't matter too much because the systems are set up to give way more oxygen than people need. But if someone is at the back of an Otter with a narrow manifold, and they have cascaded two hoses to get to the back seat, and they are using a cannula - the flow can become pretty minimal.

The above is a good reason to have the LAST person in the plane, with the longest hose, tell you whether the flow is sufficient. (For most jumps up to 20,000, if you can feel O2 coming out of the hose, the flow is sufficient.)



Thanks, that's some good information I hadn't considered. But what about how you actually breathe? I know I breathe naturally through my nose so if I have the hose in my mouth I feel like I have to concentrate on breathing through my mouth instead of my nose. Or does this not matter as you absorb the oxygen anyway?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Another option that I used to use was to have the tube to the cannula be just long enough to reach the front of my (Oxygn) helmet. I'd add a connector there on the inside, and then run the tube through the vents in the front of the helmet to the connector.

When it's time to go, just pull the tube, it'll come out of the connector, leaving the cannula in place, with only stuff in my face mask.

Worked well. I'm a big believer in cannula as the preferred method, for the reasons that Billvon gave.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0