Refilling O2

Airports almost never supply O2. If at all, it is usually a based maintenance company that will offer this (difficult on weekends!). Even then, they might not have the right fittings for your (fixed or portable) system. And then it will usually cost something like 100€.

Therefore: never count on being able to get a fill-up when on a trip. So, what you must do is get a system that has enough man-hours even for the longest trip you might make. All the usual tips (cylinder size, oxymizers cannulas, O2D2) apply.

Customs and an instrument procedures have nothing to do with the FBO services per se.

You need to consult the services offered by the FBOs at the destination.

Yes, it’s really a problem … after asking for a year the maintenance shop now on my field has O2. The best advice is the O2D2 which extends the range of my small bottle up to 19 hours for two people … depending on altitude. The semi-professionals have their own bottle many times.

I know that some people simply take their cylinder with them to a local dive shop.

… or welding shop.

Have a look here – it describes my home based refill using a large rented cylinder.

The options generally are

• rent a big cylinder from a local gas supplier (what I do; I use welding oxygen – it’s all the same – and the welding gas depot asks no questions)
• use a scuba shop that sells trimix (specialist scuba; they often don’t like dealing with non-scuba people)
• have a “contact” at a hospital who can steal it (not kidding)
• get it refilled from a bizjet/turboprop service shop (needs unusual fittings; some discussion here and I never got around to sorting this out; very expensive)

Generally, there is no possibility of a refill in Europe away from base.

My method is the most convenient and I would never go back (especially after all the scuba shop hassles I had) but you must not be a banana-fingered orangutan otherwise you will kill yourself when the cross-threaded fitting comes off at c. mach 3

I’m not sure but I was told several times (by people who should know) that welding oxygen or oxygen from other industrial applications is not as dry as the one used in aircraft. This might have influence on corrosion. I also heard from other sources that this is not the case anymore …

I’d think a hospital is going to be a lot more concerned about O2 quality given the size of their installation…

All oxygen is manufactured using the same cryogenic process and has been for many decades. It is the most economical way to do it. If we had nuclear fusion or some other sort of “unlimited” energy then you would just get it by decomposing seawater, but that is awfully expensive.

The first thing that comes out is water so there is no water in oxygen. Well, water will be among the 0.1 to 0.01% or so of various impurities…

“Aviation oxygen” involves a paperwork process (a certificate of conformity, etc) because the vendor needs a certification path for everything he sells on under his Part 145 (or whatever) release authority, but the gas is the same. I would think a hospital needs a paperwork process too, not because its customers (the patients) need to see a release certificate, but as a litigation backstop / evidence of due diligence.

The gas is all the same.

I have been flying with oxygen from a British Oxygen Company welding gas depot for years. I used to pick up the argon for my TIG welder while I was there but argon costs much more