Posted by Kendall Raine on November 13, 2001 at 17:22:42:
In Reply to: Re: diving and flying question for MHK posted by Chris on November 13, 2001 at 15:46:02:
Three ways to reduce the N2 load:
1) Do good deco
2) Surface deco or interval
3) Substitute another gas for N2 e.g. O2 or He or both.
The better the deco and the less the initial N2 in the mix, the less surface decompression necessary to clear. It's a balancing act with no absolutes. If you're not completely clear, are you more likely than the guy next to you to get hit if the cabin pressure drops? Maybe. Not all the crew on the 777 got hit, only some did. They were all clear at the start. DCI is funny that way. The fact is the air deco models typically clear you to fly in well under the 12-24 hour limits. Any computer which doesn't has the algorithm padded. The DAN limits are by necessity conservative and based on bends cases from all sorts of divers doing all sorts of silly things to themselves. Where is the "real line?" I don't know. I think it moves. What works works.