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BEECHCRAFT
Section X
Safety Information
worries,
and
family
problems
can be important
contributing
factors.
If you are
tired,
don't
fly.
HYPOX/A
Hypoxia,
in
simple terms,
is a
lack
of sufficient
oxygen to keep the brain and other body tissues
functioning
properly.
There
is
a
wide
individual
variation in susceptibility
to hypoxia. In addition
to
progressively
insufficient oxygen at higher altitudes,
anything interfering
with
the blood's ability to carry
oxygen
can contribute
to
hypoxia (anemias, carbon
monoxide,
and
certain
drugs).
Also,
alcohol
and
various
drugs
decrease
the brain's
tolerance
to
hypoxia.
Your body has no built-in alarm system to let you
know
when you
are not getting enough oxygen. It
is
impossible to predict
when
or
where
hypoxia
will
occur
during
a given flight, or how
it
will
manifest
itself. Some
of the common symptoms of hypoxia
are
increased
breathing rate, a light-headed or dizzy
sensation,
tingling
or warm
sensation,
sweating,
reduced
visual field,
sleepiness,
blue coloring of
skin, fingernails, and lips, and behavior changes. A
particularly
dangerous
feature
of hypoxia
is an
increased
sense of
well-being,
called euphoria.
It
obscures
a person's
ability and
desire
to be critical
of himself, slows reaction time,
and
impairs thinking
March, 1981
10-59
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