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G550 first officer laments the requirement to use oxygen continuously above FL410; especially when the comfort position of the mask is inoperative; believing that the automatic descent mode (adm) in the autopilot should eliminate the requirement for both pilots to be on oxygen.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1020223 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201206 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | RJTG.ARTCC |
| State Reference | FO |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Gulfstream V / G500 / G550 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Oceanic |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Oxygen System/Crew |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | First Officer Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 35 Flight Crew Total 19000 Flight Crew Type 3500 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural FAR Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
During high altitude cruise on an extended range international trip; the flying crew elected to stop using the O2 masks and to hold them in our laps because the mask 'comfort position' was inoperative and it was causing headaches and unnecessary fatigue to both crew members due to the tight fit. As soon as the aircraft was able to meet adequate fuel reserves at the destination; we descended to FL410 to complete the trip. The PIC was in the crew rest area during this time period. The FAA should consider a change to this rule as the corporate aircraft being manufactured now spend most of their time at or above FL410. The masks are not made to be used for so many hours at a time; many aircraft have an automatic descent mode (adm) in the autopilot and wearing the O2 masks increases flight crew fatigue on what are often extended duty days.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: G550 First Officer laments the requirement to use oxygen continuously above FL410; especially when the comfort position of the mask is inoperative; believing that the Automatic Descent Mode (ADM) in the autopilot should eliminate the requirement for both pilots to be on oxygen.
Narrative: During high altitude cruise on an extended range international trip; the flying crew elected to stop using the O2 masks and to hold them in our laps because the mask 'comfort position' was inoperative and it was causing headaches and unnecessary fatigue to both crew members due to the tight fit. As soon as the aircraft was able to meet adequate fuel reserves at the destination; we descended to FL410 to complete the trip. The PIC was in the crew rest area during this time period. The FAA should consider a change to this rule as the corporate aircraft being manufactured now spend most of their time at or above FL410. The masks are not made to be used for so many hours at a time; many aircraft have an Automatic Descent Mode (ADM) in the autopilot and wearing the O2 masks increases flight crew fatigue on what are often extended duty days.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.