Why do fighter pilots wear those masks with hoses attached?

Question

The air inside the plane is too thin?

Answer 1

Now let a fighter pilot answer you. The cockpit of virtually all fighters are pressurized, just like an airliner. We are talking about a warplane, however. It is likely to take unfriendly fire and the canopy could be cracked, holed or completely blown away. You go into combat with the mask on and oxygen flowing in case you lose pressurization.

Answer 2

Fighter Pilot Mask

Answer 3

Keeping oxygen available is a useful safety precaution for extreme situations, such as military pilots might encounter. As a rule, jet pilots in pressurized aircraft don't have to wear masks, but there are exceptions (for example, above a certain altitude, one pilot must put on an oxygen mask if the other leaves the flight deck for any reason, in some cases). Pilots of small single-engine unpressurized airplanes can profit from oxygen, too, if they are flying above 5000 feet or so, but many don't bother unless they are high enough to be legally required to use oxygen. Above 5000, night vision starts to deteriorate if you don't have an oxygen supply, although there usually aren't any other symptoms until you go a lot higher. The problem is worse for smokers. Above 12,000 feet or so, pilots are required to use oxygen in an unpressurized airplane. Not far above that, everyone is required to use oxygen.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why do fighter pilots wear those masks with hoses attached?
The air inside the plane is too thin?

Answer 5

Yes, Bill, it's oxygen. Even during the second world war fighter pilots flew higher than was good for them, and needed the oxygen to keep them alert. High gravitational loads during fast turns also creates a need for more oxygen, too.

Answer 6

You hit the proverbial nail on the head. Fighter jets routinely fly at 35-45K feet altitude; the air up there is very thin, so breathable air has to be supplied. It's usually more oxygen-rich than sea-level oxygen, to give the pilot's brain plenty to work with, and give him/her every possible advantage.

Answer 7

It supplies oxygen and removes carbon dioxide, it helps the pilot breath.

Answer 8

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so they don't die in higher altitudes due to lack of sufficient oxygen

Answer 9

Ok a Flight Stick Actuator answered now Let the Rivet Knocker Tell ya.

Ray is RIGHT.

Answer 10

Above 10,000 ft you need fresh oxygen to breath. In a commercial airline, the cabin is pressurized so you can breath the oxygen that is pumped into the cabin. In a jet fighter the cabin isn't pressurized, so you have pressurized oxygen pumped through the mask.