Flying in light aeroplanes

[ollieholmes]

I am wondering if anyone with a shunt has flown in a light aircraft and if they encounterd any problems. My girlfreind has been offerd a flight in a helicopter by a good freind of mine and i was wondering if that would be a problem.

I have contacted the CAA (UK governing assosiation for civil aircraft) and they where of no help at all.

I did contact ASBAH and they said it will be fine as long as the aeroplane stays below 4,000 feet.

I did contact the British Disabled flying assosiation and they said the same as ASBAH.

The aircraft does not have a pressurised cabin and will not be doing aerobatics.

[Dodger67]

Its not a problem. Friends with HC shunts have often flown with me and my Dad up to 8000 feet unpressurised and it has absolutely no effect at all.
In most of the interior of South Africa the ground is at 4000 feet and higher!

[ollieholmes]

Thank you. Thats good to know.the airfield here is only like 400ft above sea level.

[Dodger67]

Not related to hc, but just a word of advice - don't fly with blocked nose/sinuses, even in a pressurised plane.

[ollieholmes]

I have learnt that lesson the hard way. A trip in a gorgous Miles Gemini was spoiled by a blocked nose and a sore throat.

[eng188]

I have flown in a Cessna 172, but was told it was just at 1,000 feet, from Boeing Field over downtown Seattle, and then back. No problems and quite a kick, too! Interesting to know that shunts can malfunction due to pressure problems, though. I'm 32 and learn something new each day.

[Dodger67]

I have several thousand hours (as a passenger) in a Cessna 182 and a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 - the best light single in the world!
Add to that a handful of airline flights in Boeing 737's.
I don't have a shunt myself but a few friends who do have also flown with us without any problems. In fact nobody even bothered to wonder if it might even be an issue at all.

[ollieholmes]

I guess i just whant to be on the safe side. I know the guy who will be flying is a highly experianced pilot and i have no problems flying with him.

If i get any decant photos i may post them.

[ollieholmes]

I have several thousand hours (as a passenger) in a Cessna 182 and a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 - the best light single in the world!
Add to that a handful of airline flights in Boeing 737's.


Sorry i prefer the Beechcraft 35 Bonanza. Espesialy that V tail. Or some of the classic de Haviland moths. Or the good old Chipmunk.

[lolathechecker]

can you not fly in a normal passenger plane? my job requires me to travel by plane sometimes, and i was planning on taking the baby. is that a bad idea with her shunt?

[Dodger67]

Hi Lola

Actually Ollie and I have come to the conclusion that it is a complete non-issue, and even more so in a pressurised plane. So you have nothing to worry about.

A "normal" plane to you most definitely is not normal to me and Ollie. Once you become used to flying in small planes, airliners are torture! :sign0020:
I prefer small planes where I can see where I am going, know the pilot personally and know what he/she is doing.:peace:

[eng188]

I live in Pennsylvania. My parents live in my native California. Other family resides in Seattle, Cleveland, St. Louis and Vancouver, BC. I am very used to airliners, both full-size (Boeing, Airbus, etc.) and commuter (Bombardier Dash 8, RJ's, etc.). Never any problems as long as I know where the bathrooms are. I'm not sure the pressurization of the old De Havilland (now Bombardier) Dash 7's that I used to fly from Chicago to Muskegon, MI. But I always seemed to do OK. I have a right side VP shunt from 1988.

[ollieholmes]

This has turned into a very interesting little discussion. Thank you everyone for your contribution.

[ollieholmes]

Hi Lola

A "normal" plane to you most definitely is not normal to me and Ollie. Once you become used to flying in small planes, airliners are torture! :sign0020:
I prefer small planes where I can see where I am going, know the pilot personally and know what he/she is doing.:peace:

My idea of a 'normal' aeroplane is something like a Piper Pa28 or a Cessna 172/182. Not what most people would class as a normal aeroplane.

[lolathechecker]

ok, thank you guys!:3a:

[mommy2cnj]

Since I don't get to be here daily and see these posts (some of which were posted close to a month ago), just thought I'd post while I'm here. I do not know much about aircraft other than a plane's a plane (I'm sure someone's gonna jump on that, lol) and a helicopter's a helicopter (hehe). However, I just wanted to make mention that my daughter, who has a VP-shunt, had to be flown life-flight. She obviously was ill at the time; unfortunately, they ended up taking her life-flight rather than ambulance due to the amount of construction.....they didn't want to take any risks, but she was not in distress, nothing like that...she was awake the whole time. I think she enjoyed the trip more than I, since when they buckled me in next to the pilot, they made me take note of the button on the floor and said, "DON'T, under any circumstances, touch that!" :help: I was pretty much a nervous wreck the whole 30-minute flight. Turned out, it was a communications device....when I needed to respond to the pilot, I had to push the button *great sighs*. :sign0021:

[ollieholmes]

A plane is an aeroplane untill you stick the wings on the top of the fuesalage and they then rotate faster than that fuesalage. Then it is a helicopter and unsafe as the saying goes. :p

I have the grestest of respect for the guys who do the medical flying, it cant be nice at times but i am sure it has its rewards. I did meet someone last year who flew the Air Ambulance and the tales he had we could write a book on.

[Dodger67]

Nobody is allowed to chat to the pilot (except for the controllers or co-pilot if there is one) during takeoff and landing. Its often called the "sterile cockpit". Helicopters are generally so noisy inside that an intercom is essential - even to talk to the person sitting right next to you, not to mention the nececcity for hearing protection.

Helicopters don't actually fly! The noise and turbulence that helicopters make with their thrashing and whipping is just so offensive to the earth that it simply rejects the chopper!

[mommy2cnj]

Now that I look back on that voyage in our lives, I can grin about it (not quite laugh just yet)! I didn't learn what the button was for until I heard the pilot communicate with the nurse, asking how she was doing (through headphones, of course). After the nurse said she was laughing, doing fine, etc., the pilot looked over at me and said, "Did you hear that, Mom? She's having a good ole' time back there!" I looked at him nervously and he motioned to push the button so I could respond to him. He would let me know when or when not to communicate with him. It was a pleasant experience for the most part.....other than the nervousness, as well as the dizziness from ascending and descending. :puke:

[ollieholmes]

Now that I look back on that voyage in our lives, I can grin about it (not quite laugh just yet)! I didn't learn what the button was for until I heard the pilot communicate with the nurse, asking how she was doing (through headphones, of course). After the nurse said she was laughing, doing fine, etc., the pilot looked over at me and said, "Did you hear that, Mom? She's having a good ole' time back there!" I looked at him nervously and he motioned to push the button so I could respond to him. He would let me know when or when not to communicate with him. It was a pleasant experience for the most part.....other than the nervousness, as well as the dizziness from ascending and descending. :puke:

They do say you need 3 hands to fly a helicopter, best not to distract the pilot.