Supplemental Oxygen

The SR20 POH lists only one manufacturer of “approved” oxygen systems - Mountain High Equip. & Supply in Salt Lake City - and lists three models available from them. Further, the bottle must be strapped in the right front seat. As far as I can tell, the system is completely portable, that is, it is not -installed- in the airplane in any way.

So, I’m just curious as to why anyone would have to use an “approved” system, or why there is one to begin with. Is there some regulatory issue which would prevent someone from using a system that is not “approved” by the manufacturer? As the portable systems aren’t actually installed in the airplane, I can’t imagine what difference it would make, other than the personal preference of the consumers.

Just curious…

The following is wild guesswork, so it’s worth what you paid for it.

The SR20 is certified to 17,500 ft, an altitude requiring oxygen. I’ll guess that a service ceiling that high requires some kind of certified oxygen delivery under part 23.

As for the right seat, this is presumably so that the pilot can monitor and control the oxygen flow rather than leaving it up to Uncle Ralph in the back seat.

Of course you want the thing securely strapped down, as having a 2000 PSI oxygen bomb loose in the airplane is just not a good thing.

Any comparable system really ought to be OK, though I suppose an overly agressive ramp check could spell trouble. It’d be an interesting point of law as to whether they could give you grief for having the thing in the plane if they can’t demonstrate that you were using it (or needed to)–after all, you could just be transporting it. Of course, all those cannulas strewn around the cabin might give you away!

Might be worth asking Cirrus if they could add an AFM supplement for a couple of the most popular systems, such as the Aerox.