Maybe in foreign countries or freighters, where nobody cares or is watching it may happen, but in the cockpit of a major airline in the US I have never seen it or even heard about it...
Ive seen it in the cockpit of US airliners for 3 different airlines. (1 a major)
It is NOT illegal by regulation. When smoking was banned on Pax jets, the cockpit was specifically exempted. Check the reg. Some companys added a note in their operating manuals that created the reg, but its not a federal rule for the cockpit, but can be a company rule.
from what I've seen and been told (hangar talk wise) it seems the older your pilot group the better chance you may have of seeing someone smoke in the cockpit. I know of one boeing size airplane charter operation that has many early retirement "older - good ol' boys" that tend to do this alot. I've been told of shorts guys back in the old Suburban days that smoked - easy their, just open the window. Few ABE guys used to do it from time to time in the dash but you had to regulate the out flow valve just right and only get 1 or 2 puffs before putting the cig out. kind of a waste.
i was on a jumpseat on a 727 and was asked by the captain if i minded.....when i said no all three pilots lit up, it was hilarious. they popped the window on the runway after landing to clear the smoke. it was a passenger airline back in 2000
When I was a costar at a 121 supplemental flying freight, we did a lot of MAC trips over the pacific rim with heavy crew for CRAF. (Travis-Hickam-Anderson-Kadena-Clark). We had 2 flight crews and a mechanic and EVERBODY smoked. At any given time there were at least 2 cigs burning in that cockpit, day and night. Most miserable trip I ever flew, and I was a smoker then.
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