2 weeks ago I climbed a mountain in the alps called Britehorn (in real life) which is next to Matterhorn.
This is a 4200m mountain (13,700ft).
There was a Cessna (I think 172) flying about 2000/3000ft above us.
I tried to do the same thing on MSFS over the same mountain (using an Extra 300) but the plane handling and engine becomes incapacitated at about 10,000ft.
Is this really what happens to an aircraft like that at that altitude?
A quick google search would have braught up, that an Extra 300 has a service ceiling of 16000ft ~ 4900m … so yes that is accurate … you can not fly a Extra 300 2000m higher than the peak of the Britehorn
When the aircraft was really 2000-3000m heigher it most likly was no small GA aircraft. Another Example, a Cessna 172 have a service ceiling of just about 13500ft ~ 4100m
It is also, AFAIK, a legal requirement to use oxygen at those altitudes (above 10,000’) in an unpressurised aircraft, if you are there for more than 30 minutes - and it would take you longer than that to get there I suspect. I believe there is a Wishlist request to incorporate the symptoms of hypoxia into the sim.
It’s a big ask for a 172, maybe it was the bigger brother Skylane which has a bit more muscle plus a Turbo option. Do people run Kodiaks or Caravans in the area? Would make more sense to run Turboprops at those kinda altitudes. I’ve tried running pistons above 10,000 in sim and they really suck for speed and climb performance but you do get really good fuel economy. No surprise that even an Extra would struggle.
It takes forever to get to 8000 feet in a 172 trust me… The highest I have been was 9000 in a 210.
Above 10000 feet as others mentioned you can become hypoxic. Also up in those altitudes the AOA of the aircraft can put you into ‘coffin corner’. Fly safe.
Which is high for a carburator C172, one with a fuel injected engine can go higher if it has enough power, there have been more than one engine version. Of course a Diesel Austro version can climb even higher, 20000ft if I remember correctly. There are several of them flying around in Austria and Switzerland.
Then, a C172 looks similar to a C182, could have been one. Could have been loaded. Could have been… …
Yeah… if you live in the city, barely ever open your windows and always breath that smog and never leave the couch…
It’s a legal requirement to carry oxygen but it’s not always a physical necessity. Oxygen requires red blood cells to be retained and if you have enough of them you can go higher than that with ease. Like the OP who even climbed the Britehorn (more than I’d ever do) I’m totally used to go to altitudes of 10000ft or more in the Alps and I can (physically) fly at 15000ft for a good while without the need to use auxiliar oxygen. If you’re sitting still it requires active breathing though, not recommended if you fly an airplane. But you won’t fade out within few minutes like some sims have attempted to simulate. If MSFS did that now… oh lord, please not… dizziness at 12k, black screen at 14…
Non-acclimatized humans can fly as high as 20,000 feet for brief periods without outright debilitating hypoxia. Allied pilots during WW1 (who mostly did not use oxygen, though British developed a system for testing pilots for resistance to hypoxia) flew at such altitudes, especially to intercept high flying German recon planes that did have an early oxygen system. The open cockpits and lack of heaters ensured they wouldn’t stay at such altitudes for too long though. Since they only periodically visited such altitudes rather than staying there for days at a time, I don’t think they actually build any significant acclimatisation like a mountaineer would.
My guess is that it was likely a Cessna 182 which has a ceiling of 19000 feet, at least for the turbocharged variants. The 172 has a ceiling of about 14000 feet, and it takes close to an hour to climb to that altitude. It’s way higher than anyone would ever realistically climb that plane. Typically a 172 would rarely ever be taken above 10000 feet.
Entirely possible. Max altitude for say a 172 JT-A Turbodiesel (which exists in the sim as Mod and is identical external model to a piston 172 when viewed in multiplayer or AI) is 18,000 feet. It will hold performance envelope up to that altitude, vs. piston needing mixture and carb heat optimization. I’ve flown the JT-A in the sim on a Kansas USA to Norway ferry flight at 17,500 so it’s not a paper spec to be sure.
Supplemental oxygen is required, but of course O2 starvation not simulated.
