Personal Cabin Pressure Alarm

Compact instruments, similar in appearance to common personal pagers, have been proposed for warning aircraft crewmembers that cabin air pressure has decreased to a potentially dangerous level. An instrument of this type, called a "personal cabin pressure monitor and warning system" (PCPMWS), implements a warning protocol consistent with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements for commercial flight crews to (1) use supplemental oxygen after a 30-minute exposure to a cabin pressure altitude between 10,000 and 12,000 ft (about 3,050 and 3,660 m), or (2) immediately when the cabin pressure altitude exceeds 12,000 ft. The PCPMWS would provide both 10,000- and 12,000-ft warnings. The elapsed time between these two warning altitudes could also serve as an indication of the rate of decompression, and thus of the urgency of the situation.