R
EVISION
:
-
D
ATE
:
12/29/04
P
AGE
:
22
Copyright
2004 Glasair Aviation, LLC Arlington, Washington All rights reserved
The most common symptoms of hyperventilation are tingling
sensations around the mouth followed by tingling of the hands, legs,
and feet, dizziness, faintness, hot and cold sensations, muscle spasms,
nausea, sleepiness and, finally, unconsciousness. If the symptoms
persist, discontinue use of oxygen and consciously slow your breathing
rate until symptoms clear, and then resume a normal breathing rate.
Normal breathing can be aided by talking aloud.
Alcohol
Common sense and scientific evidence dictate that you must not fly
while under the influence of alcohol. Even in small amounts, alcohol
produces a dulling of critical judgment, a decreased sense of
responsibility, diminished skill reactions and coordination, decreased
speed and strength of muscular reflexes, decreases in efficiency of eye
movements during reading, increased frequency of errors, constriction
of visual fields, impaired night vision, loss of efficiency of sense of
touch, decrease of memory and reasoning ability, increased
susceptibility to fatigue and decreased attention span, decreased
relevance of response and increased self-confidence with decreased
insight into immediate capabilities.
Tests have shown that pilots commit major errors of judgment and
procedure at blood alcohol levels substantially less than the minimum
legal levels of intoxication for most states. These tests further show a
continuation of impairment from alcohol up to as many as 14 hours
after consumption. The body metabolizes ingested alcohol at a rate of
about one-third of an ounce per hour. Even after the body completely
destroys a moderate amount of alcohol, a pilot can still be severely