Thanks for the early replies. You have no idea how helpful this is to me -- it is very distressing to have to deal with the front-end of the company. It is not pleasant to have somebody imply that you are crazy. I also appreciate the opportunity to talk to experts directly.
Originally Posted by
Sink r8
Hi CardioMD,
[snip]
Rest assured we either a) have an out where we can descend promptly to 10,000ft, or b) have supplemental oxygen so that we can reach 10,000 before you run out of oxygen.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you how much more common slow depressurizations are than the rapid kind, but I would guess it's ten times more common. The latter seems to make its' way on CNN, while the former doesn't.
With that being said, I'm sorry you're getting poor answers when trying to confirm something you know is ture. I assume it's deflection from layers of lawyers, surrounded by layers of incompetent fools, protected by layers of ignorant CSA's. The whole thing is run by greedy, incompetent, ignorant executives in the background.
Thanks - I have thought about this since (from a medical point of view) and given the rapid descent, I question why they invest in the masks at all, other than for you guys in the front (given the insidious nature of hypoxic changes in judgment, etc.) given how rare decompressions are. It seems that a few minute descent from 39k feet would most likely not hurt anybody healthy enough to fly; if very rapid decompression we might go unconscious and wake up with a headache.
The funny thing is, there are many parallels between our industries. During and after the incident the pilot was honest, forthcoming, and straightforward, which gave everybody trust. The airline corporation's actions are cagy and builds resentment and suspicion. After any procedure, I tell the patient everything that happened and what we did, and will answer any and all questions they have even if the procedure was complicated by any number of factors -- patients appreciate honesty and understand that not everything can be straightforward. I have been indirectly told to never say anything about a patient's surgery by "defensive medicine" experts. I don't agree with this.
I'd guess a very similar dynamic.