Keeping lungs breathing in oxygen-starved environments while aloft in the wild blue yonder, Mountain High Equipment and Supply in Redmond offers a specialized inventory of custom built-in and carry on aviation oxygen systems and support accessories for private pilots, hang gliders, sailplanes and high-altitude adventurers around the globe. Story by Jeff Spry CBN Feature Writer
Innovation Reigns at Mt. High Equipment & SupplyKeeping lungs breathing in oxygen-starved environments while aloft in the wild blue yonder, Mountain High Equipment and Supply in Redmond offers a specialized inventory of custom built-in and carry on aviation oxygen systems and support accessories for private pilots, hang gliders, sailplanes and high-altitude adventurers around the globe. Story by Jeff Spry CBN Feature Writer
Founded in 1985 by pilot and engineer Patrick McLaughlin and his wife, Susan, the company is best known for its innovative EDS products, an exclusive electronic “Pulse-Demand” adaptive oxygen delivery machines. Their premium devices and equipment have been targeted to not only the personal-built aircraft market, but have also been designed to meet and exceed many minimum requirements detailed by SAE, AIRs, ARPs and the FAA.
The soaring story behind their company’s success is a true pairing of inspiration, perspiration and practical necessity.
“I’ve always thought there would be a hell of a future for this product if given the proper attention and dedication,” said Patrick. “We have two facets to the company, the revenue generating portion where we innovate devices for the general aviation industry, and the research and development projects with various organizations like the Department of Defense. So that’s been a vital aspect of the business because it shows we’ve garnered the attention and respect of a broad spectrum of the industry.”
Avoiding the starvation of precious oxygen to the brain and its obvious dangers is the focal point of Mountain High’s industry-standard delivery systems. Hypoxia is the hazardous physical condition induced by inadequate concentrations of oxygen in the bloodstream and organs. The notorious peril of hypoxia is the person’s total unawareness of his deteriorating faculties, which strangely enough, may be perceived as a distinct feeling of euphoria. Prolonged exposure to moderate or severe hypoxia may result in permanent brain damage, memory loss and death.
“Patrick is a hang glider pilot,” said Susan. “And as gliders got more sophisticated and people could fly higher and longer, he figured out there was a demand for pilots to use portable oxygen due to the altitudes and it progressed from there. He saw an urgent need for a light system to mitigate the hypoxia situation.
“So he designed, built and started selling pre-filled, disposable, hand-held cylinders of oxygen that held 18 minutes worth of air out of the trunk of an old Mercedes. He also saw that same need for sailplanes, where people were using cast off medical equipment or stuff from vintage airplanes that was heavy and cumbersome.”
Being an engineer and an electronics person, Patrick came up with the revolutionary idea of having an electronic system that could sense your breathing and administer oxygen as you inhale, rather than flowing all the time.
“It’s a conserving device,” Susan explained. “One that enables pilots to fly longer at high altitudes with less oxygen on board, which saves weight and increases the efficiency of their aircraft due to that weight reduction.”
These life-saving, supremely crafted products were initially developed in their Salt Lake City home’s basement before outgrowing that space and moving to Central Oregon in 2000.
The McLaughlins chose Redmond to base their blossoming operations because Salt Lake had become an area focused mostly on tourism and large industry and didn’t cater to small businesses.
“It was hard to find a network of fellow businesses to grow. Patrick had been to Redmond often to attend the Lancair Fly In for high-end kit plane enthusiasts. Lancair was our customer and we were familiar with the area. It had a good airport for shipping and receiving and there are a lot of little machine shops near that do the custom work we require, like circuit boards and small parts and all those things are available here. This area is very aviation friendly with a lot of resources and people to network with.”
Mountain High’s client base is international so they don’t rely on local businesses to support them, which, in a way is good because they’re somewhat insulated and not affected by the local economy, but can still support the small companies that help supply them.
“That has been one of the more surprising things here in Central Oregon,” said Patrick. “Older retired persons in the region come in on certain jobs, part-timers who are really technically minded people who want to help supplement their incomes, and that allows us to fill the void when larger orders come in.”
With orders flowing like the fine currents of air through their prime hoses and cylinders, Mountain High currently employs sixteen persons and that number has stayed steady over the years.
“By virtue of our technology we import cash to the area,” joked Patrick. “How many companies out there can say they do that?”
Mountain High holds the rights to several exclusive patents, both pending and granted, for their Pulse Demand technology.
“This allows us to pretty much have a corner on the electronic oxygen delivery units,” Susan said. “We do the final assembly and testing right here at our Redmond facility. The circuit board components are outsourced to Jodeco, a neighborhood gem here in Redmond, and hardware parts are manufactured locally too, so to a great degree it’s a real Central Oregon product.”
Moving forward, Patrick’s firm is constantly innovating their technology and obtaining patents where applicable.
“Every time I lay down my head I think of some other problem to solve or something to fix,” he added. “Further enhancing and developing innovations for these precision oxygen delivery and pressurization systems for clients and military applications is an extremely rewarding endeavor. We’ve turned into a little technology think tank house and that is very exciting. With my lifelong love for medicine and human physiology, I’m now able to use those disciplines in what I’m doing.”
Susan is thrilled with their interesting lifestyle and deep pool of awesome customers.
“These are enthusiastic people and you develop relationships with them,” she said. “They fly in and we see them at air shows around the country. As our product line becomes more sophisticated, our customer base has broadened and it’s exciting to see it change over the years. Coming to Redmond was an excellent decision and we hope to be here for many more years.”
Mountain High Equipment and Supply2244 SE Airport Way, Suite 100, Redmond www.mhoxygen.com
541-923-4100.
