by Brent Blue, M.D.

Higher, faster and farther are some of the capabilities pilots who use personal airplanes for transportation are always seeking. Often, to get that performance, we’ll add a turbocharger, a second engine, pressurization and maybe even bite the financial bullet and start flying behind one or between two turbine engines. Tip tanks, oxygen bottles, electronic oxygen saturation monitoring devices and some liquid refreshments help us stay at altitude once we get there. While this equipment can make the higher altitudes easier to reach and safer to stay in, our bodies may not be as happy there as our airplane. …