SAFA Skysailor Magazine

47 SPRING 2025 | September-October-November SKY SAILOR Estimated numbers put over 200 pilots present. Unfortunately, a pilot died while attempting to launch, and Antoine Girard was prompted to write on Facebook about the lack of preparedness of some pilots to fly at these altitudes. The events of that day prompted the authorities in Chamonix and Saint-Gervais to ban top-landing within 600m of the summit . The rules around maximum altitudes and carriage of oxygen At present, under CAO 95.8 we can fly up to 12,500ft AMSL (FL125) without needing to carry a supplemental oxygen system. There is no guidance about how long we can stay up there before we need to carry and use a supplemental oxygen system. I would suggest you make your own de- cisions after you finish reading this article. For those flying under CAO 95.10 and CAO 95.32 – you are not permitted to fly at or above 10,000ft AMSL. Full stop. Currently our Operations Manual (V3.0 04/06/2025) states the following in 7.1.10 Operations at altitudes >10,000 Feet Above Mean Sea Level: A hang glider, powered hang glider, paraglider, or powered paraglider operated at a pressure altitude above FL125: 1) The pilot must hold an Oxygen Endorsement, and 2) The hang glider or paraglider must carry an approved supplemental oxygen supply system (91 MOS 26.43). For any period exceeding 30 minutes when the pressure altitude is continuously at least FL 125, there must be oxygen supply for each person on board the aircraft, for the entire period. However, this is not to say that all pilots will experience hypoxia onset at these altitudes; as with other physiological con- ditions, hypoxia onset is subject to many variables within the individual. Hypoxia – what is it? One factor that needs to be considered when flying at altitude is the condition of hypoxia. CASA defines hypoxia as: ‘A medical condition where the human body is deprived of an adequate supply of oxygen, leading to symptoms of light-head-