When do the oxygen masks deploy in the passenger cabin?

When do the oxygen masks deploy in the passenger cabin?

• A. They deploy automatically during depressurization or can be deployed by crew if needed.
• B. They deploy only after the plane reaches cruising altitude.
• C. They deploy only when passengers manually pull them.
• D. They do not deploy unless the captain authorizes it.

Answer: (A)

When cabin pressure is lost, oxygen must be available immediately, so the passenger oxygen masks are designed to deploy on their own. Sensors detect the pressure drop and trigger the mask panels to open, dropping the masks so anyone can don one right away. The oxygen in each mask is supplied by onboard generators that start when the mask is used, so once a mask is pulled, oxygen flows. Crew can also initiate oxygen deployment if needed, such as in targeted situations or to ensure oxygen is available even if automatic deployment hasn’t occurred for some reason. This makes the system robust: it doesn’t wait for a pilot’s instruction to protect passengers. That’s why the automatic deployment during depressurization, with the option for crew to activate it manually when necessary, is the correct framework. The other statements aren’t accurate because masks deploy automatically in a depressurization, not tied to cruising altitude, not only when passengers pull them, and not contingent on captain authorization.

When cabin pressure is lost, oxygen must be available immediately, so the passenger oxygen masks are designed to deploy on their own. Sensors detect the pressure drop and trigger the mask panels to open, dropping the masks so anyone can don one right away. The oxygen in each mask is supplied by onboard generators that start when the mask is used, so once a mask is pulled, oxygen flows.

Crew can also initiate oxygen deployment if needed, such as in targeted situations or to ensure oxygen is available even if automatic deployment hasn’t occurred for some reason. This makes the system robust: it doesn’t wait for a pilot’s instruction to protect passengers.

That’s why the automatic deployment during depressurization, with the option for crew to activate it manually when necessary, is the correct framework. The other statements aren’t accurate because masks deploy automatically in a depressurization, not tied to cruising altitude, not only when passengers pull them, and not contingent on captain authorization.