PLT OF C182 FLIES ABOVE 12500 FT WITHOUT SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN. PAX EXHIBITS SIGNS OF HYPOXIA AND A LOWER ALT IS REQUESTED.

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I HAD FILED FOR 13000 FT TO GET OVER TOP OF CLE AIRSPACE WITHOUT HAVING TO GO WAY OUT OF MY WAY AND AVOID THE AIRSPACE ALTOGETHER. THIS WOULD BE MY FIRST TIME FLYING ABOVE 10000 FT AND HAVING THE ABILITY TO DO SO. AFTER MY DEP OUT OF DUH I WAS GIVEN CLRNC BY TOL TO 11000 FT FOR APPROX 10 MINS. ZOB THEN GAVE ME CLRNC UP TO 13000 FT MSL TO CRUISE. ABOUT 40 MINS INTO THE FLT; MY PAX NOTED HIS HANDS WERE TURNING BLUE HOWEVER THERE WERE NO OTHER SIGNS OF HYPOXIA. AT THAT TIME I HAD REQUESTED DSCNT TO A LOWER ALT FEARING HYPOXIC CONDITIONS WERE SETTING IN. WE WERE CLRED TO DSND TO 11000 FT BY ZOB AND WERE TOLD TO CONTACT BUF APCH FOR OUR FINAL DSCNT INTO 9G0. AFTER CONTACTING BUF APCH WE WERE CLRED TO 5000 FT. BEFORE REACHING 5000 FT WE WERE CLRED DOWN TO 3000 FT AND THAT SYMPTOM HAD DISAPPEARED. IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER I HAD RETURNED FROM MY TRIP THAT I LEARNED I HAD VIOLATED A RULE BY MY SUPERIOR AT WORK. THE CAUSE OF THE PROB WAS DUE TO INEXPERIENCE OF FLYING AT HIGHER ALTS WHERE THE SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN RULES TAKE EFFECT. NOTHING HAD KEYED ME IN TO GO ON SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN AT ALT BECAUSE I'VE NEVER HAD ANY ACTUAL EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST PLACE. IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE; I WOULD SUGGEST ACTUAL SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN TRAINING IN THE PVT PLT LICENSE COURSE. TO ME; EXPERIENCE IS KEY TO PREVENTING MISTAKES LIKE THIS ONE. TO BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH OPS AT HIGHER ALTS; I AM GOING TO SEEK ADDITIONAL TRAINING IN FLT PHYSIOLOGY AND THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN. I WILL RECEIVE LOGGED DUAL INSTRUCTION IN THE AIR AND ON THE GND AS WELL AS ANY TUTORIALS THAT MAY BE AVAILABLE; INCLUDING ANY FROM THE AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION.