Masks? HAZMAT suits? Free-flowing vents?

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pietromarx
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Masks? HAZMAT suits? Free-flowing vents?

Post by pietromarx »

Anyone taking passengers, friends, or others in their airplanes these days? If so, what precautions are you taking?
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Steve
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Re: Masks? HAZMAT suits? Free-flowing vents?

Post by Steve »

Family members only, and I live with them anyway. I have turned down a couple of friends who wanted to fly... :(
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CFIDave
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Re: Masks? HAZMAT suits? Free-flowing vents?

Post by CFIDave »

When I've given sales demo flights with one other pilot onboard, I require the following:
1. Each pilot wears his/her own headset.
2. Both pilots wear masks full time.
3. Open fresh air vents all the way, so pilots don't breathe each other's "exhaust" (yes, this makes a DA40 cockpit noisy). Don't use DA42/DA62 RACC (recirculating air conditioning) system.
4. Wipe down interior surfaces unless plane hasn't been flown in a few days (virus doesn't live on surfaces longer than that)
5. Try to limit demo flights to no more than 30 minutes to minimize potential exposure time (potential for infection = viral load x exposure time).
And I try and get a sense from talking with the pilot beforehand about how well they've practiced social distancing.
(I've turned down flying with some pilots because of this concern.)

Fortunately I don't have to take these precautions when flying my aircraft with family that I live with.
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Boatguy
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Re: Masks? HAZMAT suits? Free-flowing vents?

Post by Boatguy »

CFIDave wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 8:07 pm 2. Both pilots wear masks full time.
3. Open fresh air vents all the way, so pilots don't breathe each other's "exhaust" (yes, this makes a DA40 cockpit noisy).
2. So you slip your microphone in between mask and mouth? I always have trouble with my mask fogging my glasses. I fly with progressive sunglasses so they're not really optional. How do you address fogging?

3. My wife took one of the small spray bottles that we get from our optometrist which generates a fairly fine spray, and filled it with water. While in flight we experimented with different vent settings in a DA40. First we took the little eyeball vents on the roll bar and pointed them aft. Then with both vents open the mist clears almost immediately straight aft. With just one vent open the mist migrated to the side that was open before moving aft. With no vents open it lingered quite awhile.

So, both vents open moves air through pretty fast.
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Re: Masks? HAZMAT suits? Free-flowing vents?

Post by CFIDave »

Boatguy wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 10:47 pm2. So you slip your microphone in between mask and mouth? I always have trouble with my mask fogging my glasses. I fly with progressive sunglasses so they're not really optional. How do you address fogging?
Boom microphone attached to headset goes on the outside of the mask. You can still talk and be heard over the intercom/radio OK.

And with the air vents on the instrument panel wide open and pointed right at your face, with all that airflow there's very little potential for glasses to fog, especially once you're flying.
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