Keep the pilot breathing

If an aircraft cockpit fills with smoke or gas, or suffers a sudden loss of air pressure, pilots may not have time to don an oxygen mask. BE Intellectual Property of Florida is filing patents (WO 03/005765) on a radio headset with a hinged visor that sits above the pilot’s forehead like a pair of fashionable sunglasses. If a sensor detects smoke, gas or loss of pressure on the flight deck, the visor flips down to cover the pilot’s eyes, nose and mouth. Bristles around the mouth and nose unit provide a partial air seal, which is completed by jets…