FlightSafety International and Mayo Clinic have joined forces to offer hypoxia awareness training.

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research is working with FlightSafety’s simulation and courseware developers to design a training programme that can be conducted without the need for hypobaric chambers. Training equipment designed by Mayo will be installed within FlightSafety’s learning centres.

A hot topic at last year’s EBACE, hypoxia is defined as a lack of oxygen or the inability to use sufficient oxygen. Symptoms vary from person to person and usually progress in stages, from slowing down reaction times to errors of judgement and eventual loss of consciousness.

The course will include comprehensive physiological and ground school sessions, that cover FAA regulations and advisory circulars for high-altitude aircraft operations.

A Mayo-trained observer will monitor each person as they experience a gradual loss of oxygen up to a simulated altitude of 22,000 feet.