Smoking Pilots

[Freightdog75]

How is it legal for a company(Alaska Airlines) to not hire someone on the basis of being a tobacco user or not? That sounds to me like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

As far as being a smoker............Yup, I'm one. I fly 95% of the time single pilot so who cares about what I look like and smell like. When it does matter I always have gum/mint and don't usually wear the coat that I went to the bar in the night before.

FD75

 

[trainerjet]

How is it legal for a company(Alaska Airlines) to not hire someone on the basis of being a tobacco user or not? That sounds to me like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Feel free to go ahead and sue. I'm sure you're not the first to think of it. This policy has been in effect for years and years.

 

[Freightdog75]

I'm not saying I would sue them, but with the sue-happy country that we're living in I'm suprised that no one has tried to go through with it.

FD75

 

[belchfire]

What a bunch a new age bull $hit! Any
of you buttwholes that are ranting about
clean air refuse to drive cars because of
what they do to the air? How bout this...
you are on an aviation wibsite, dipstick!
How many airplanes have catalitic
converters!!! Quit flying your airplane
around because of what they do to the
environment and I will listen to your idiotic
"eww, you are polluting my air with your
cigs" bull$hit! All the smokers in the planet
don't affect as much air as much as the man
made machinery does, so get off of it unless
your sole means of transport is a bike...and
look up the environmental costs of producing
that bike are before you come back! (and the
Nike factory in Malasia for that part).

There is nothing that pisses me off as much
as a feel good liberal telling someone that
they can't do something because it offends
them. What a crock of fuquing $hit! I wear
leather and eat beef and want to see you
puke when I send a stream of baccyjuice
on about a fifteen foot arc over the ramp!

All yall are full of frigging double standards
and it pi$$es me off! If I see you I will light
up the biggest, stinkiest stogie I can find till
you start practicing not doing any harm to the
air, trees, groundwater (let's see ya not crap
for the rest of your life) scorpions,
cockroaches, blackwidows, cyotes (after it
drags your kid off) brown recluses, gnats,
mosquitoes, blah blah and etc.

Is that a real fur you're wearing???

I'm a member of PETA...People for the Eating
of Tasty Animals!

 

[w4mch]

A personal story about a pilot that smoked.

I got hired in 1980 by a company called Mississippi Valley. I took my new hire oral & flight check from the then director of training. During the oral, I was asked to recite from memory the cap panel lights on the Shorts 330. I got all but one of them and stoped. The director of training said, very good, but you are one short, then proceded to light a cig right in front of my face. "Um, Fire" I said, trembling. Correct! was his response, Lets go flying!

Fast forward about 20 years, to a 12 month sim check in the CRJ at ACA. My former mentor and I have been friends all this time and today we are paired together as co-captain training partners. I'm psyched, as since for the last decade we have both been senior captains and never got to fly together. Unfortunately for my mentor, the sim session is not going well. His attention to the profiles is off, and he is edgy. During the break (outside the building so he can smoke) he tells me he hasn't been well lately and apologises for not doing well. No problem I say, we will get through the ride together or come back to it another day.

Several weeks later I'm sitting in the crew lounge and a junior FO walks up to me. Do you know captain so and so? Sure do, been buddies for years, whatzup? Well, he is really missing things flying and told me to watch him closely as he doesn't feel well, should I go to pro standards on this? Um, yes, lets see what we can find out, I'll talk to capt X, you go to pro standards.

The next week I find out that my buddy, who has smoked all his life has lung cancer and is retiring immediately, years before the manditory age. My friend was buried less than 18 months later.

In a perfect world I would be going to his retirement party right about now. Instead, I went up a number years too early. All of his 401K money was spent fighting the cancer and for his last year of living expenses, leaving his wife pennyless.

Think about this guys, and leave the cancer sticks out of your life.

 

[bailout]

>>How many airplanes have catalitic
converters!!! <<


You are OBVIOUSLY a smoker because that was the stupiest comment I have read. I don't know of ANY turbine aircraft that burn "gasoline" that require the chemical burnoff from a catalyc convertor.

And as far as your clean air defense, how would you feel if I put a hose on a dump truck and routed it right into your face while I stomped on the pedal? Gee, would you complain? Would you like it? Hey its a free country right? Why couldnt I do this? Because I respect that you might want to breathe clean air.

Fur coats? Hmm, when was the last time someone wearing a fur coat caused health problems to the non fur coat wearer?

Our government has made several good steps (although in typical slow fashion) towards cleaner burning vehicles, etc. If you drive anything newer than a '95 vehicle than you are doing your part.

Cigs were the same way, no one knew (gen pop that is) they were harmful back in the 70s, but now that we know the gov is taking steps to rectify that situation, just like vehicles.

So go cry liberal to someone else. Fast forward twenty years when you cant breathe and then say, hmm, it was my chioce and I'm GLAD I smoked. So go light up. Proven fact, every cigarette takes 6 minutes of your life. Here, let me buy you a carton.

 

[easy spirit]

I flew with a chain smoker. Alwyas hiding puffing away just before departure time and just about the first one out when the MCD was opened.

God that guy could get grouchy towards the end of a 2 hour flight!!! DAMM. Do yourselves and us a favor and QUIT!!

 

[Magneto]

What a bunch a new age bull $hit! Any
of you buttwholes that are ranting about
clean air refuse to drive cars because of
what they do to the air?
There is nothing that pisses me off as much
as a feel good liberal telling someone that
they can't do something because it offends
them. What a crock of fuquing $hit! I wear
leather and eat beef and want to see you
puke when I send a stream of baccyjuice
on about a fifteen foot arc over the ramp!

All yall are full of frigging double standards
and it pi$$es me off! If I see you I will light
up the biggest, stinkiest stogie I can find till
you start practicing not doing any harm to the
air, trees, groundwater (let's see ya not crap
for the rest of your life) scorpions,
cockroaches, blackwidows, cyotes (after it
drags your kid off) brown recluses, gnats,
mosquitoes, blah blah and etc.

Why don't you tell us how you really feel.

BTW, doesn't Orenstein smoke? HA!

 

[Tim47SIP]

Mrhat

Firstly, there is NO evidence that second hand smoke does any harm to anyone, it will not hurt you. May annoy you but it wont hurt you. So lets stop with the BS now. You can walk into one of those smoking lounges once a day for the rest of you're life and you wont develope cancer from it.

(On a side note, If I were you, I'd avoid leaving the country because the rest of the world arent PC and they dont impose their views on the smokers. This is the only country in the world that smokers are treated like criminals.)

Well dood, you are "dead" wrong on both accounts. Just a little bit of research will set you in the right direction. Both of these subject are well documented.

 

[Palerider957]

www.thetruth.com

Check it out.

 

[Snakum]

It is the right of every American to kill themselves in whatever manner they see fit. If they wanna smoke ... have at it. I don't care, as long as they're considerate of the smell and the butts. I smoke sometimes, but not regularly, and I always try to wash up and hit some chewing gum afterward, and I am very conscious of what I do with the left-overs (I field-strip them and throw the filter in the trash). You guys on the soapbox remind me of the do-gooders who gave us helmet laws.

Remember ...

There are lies, d@mn lies, and statistics. Live and let live, and quit whining about things that really aren't any of your business, fer Christ's sakes.

Minh

 

[TonyC]

It is the right of every American to kill themselves in whatever manner they see fit.

That sounds great, but it's not exactly true.

First, there are laws that prohibit many manners of death.

Second, inasmuch as some behaviors cost society as a whole, society has a right to voice an objection. Off the top of my head I can see two ways that smoking costs society as a whole. First, the burden imposed on the government in dealing with the results of smoking is passed on to the taxpayer -- US. (I'm not happy with that arrangement, but that's another subject.) Second, the burden imposed on insurance underwriters is passed on to the policy holders that pay increased premiums or enjoy reduced benefits.

So, while it is legal for a non-minor to kill himself by smoking, it is not a right. As with any such issue, the will of the majority may be imposed on all through legislation that might restrict or prohibit smoking.

If they wanna smoke ... have at it. I don't care, as long as they're considerate of the smell and the butts. I smoke sometimes, but not regularly, and I always try to wash up and hit some chewing gum afterward, and I am very conscious of what I do with the left-overs (I field-strip them and throw the filter in the trash).

I appreciate your consideration. I imagine that if all smokers were as considerate as you, this thread would not exist. Apparently, the originator of this thread was disgruntled not so much by the fact that some people smoke as he was that a particular smoker had been quite INconsiderate in leaving the hotel room in a stinky mess. (Reference the closing words of his fourth point.)

I think we'd all be happy if smokers were just considerate, as you claim to be, of non-smokers. (OK, well, MOST of us would be happy with that, some folks refuse to be happy.) That seems to be all the poster really wants.

You guys on the soapbox remind me of the do-gooders who gave us helmet laws.

The arguments to "the right of every American to kill themselves in whatever manner they see fit" apply the same.

 

[belchfire]

Bailout

Stupidest thing? well my friend, check the
exhaust system of deisel engined trucks
since about 95...converters, dude...and
jet fuel is just clean deisel fuel.

The referance to the furs goes with most
of these kind of arguements...you won't
let anyone infringe on your right to do
anything you want...since you are morally
superior (like ted kennedy's gun
in the bedside drawer while trying to keep
the rest of us from having one). Yet as
soon as something offends you you will
rant and rave and try to outlaw the
offending behavior.

You and yours will be leaders
of the next political party in this country.
An organization fit to lead these United
States of the Offended to death by
inane lawsuits...the Whiners!


PS. I quit smoking. Someone has to live
long enough to fight the new age bs!

 

[blott]

You ever stop to think whats in most of your tap water? Would you have thought 15 years ago you could sell "clean" water in a bottle for $1.00? Why is a gallon of gas cheaper than a gallon of water?

Most of you are talking about "non-smokers" rights-what about the smokers rights?

You all eat organic foods? Think about all the chems. you are ingesting.

What's that "haze" layer I see over cities? Smog? What's this BS about driving newer cars(lower emissions?) whats "lower" mean-is that like being stabbed twice instead of three times?

Where does most of the de-icing fluid go?

I'm not worried about a little second hand smoke, I'm worried about shooting myself when I'm torn up and trying to clean my gun.

B

 

[belchfire]

Blott

Thanks! Thats what I was trying to say!

 

[bailout]

>>Stupidest thing? well my friend, check the
exhaust system of deisel engined trucks
since about 95...converters, dude...and
jet fuel is just clean deisel fuel.<<

Ok, that was a little harsh. But as an F.Y.I., its not the fuel in this case causing the CO, or NOx, its the combustion process of a reciprocating engine that causes this, not a Turbine. Long story, for another board.

I could care less if people smoke, as long as "MY" air isn't full of smoke. And when smokers complain about whining nonsmokers smelling the smoke, I lose it.

 

[Swass]

I was right, Palerider is a crusader.

 

[FSB99]

just curious, those of you so objectionable to pilots smoking, are you also that vehement against drinking in bars and restaurants? i don't mean in uniform, or anything. i'm more worried about, and in more danger from somebody having a few too many in the bar and plowing into me, than i am about second hand smoke and nasty breath.
in the cockpit, i'm just as offended by a bad cologne, or a nasty plate of chinese food, or tuna fish. but eventually, the smell dissipates.

lighten up, guys.

 

[belchfire]

So you don't want to smell tobacco
smoke...okay! Clean air is a much,
much bigger issue.

But why the clean indoor air acts
like CA and NY? Let the consumers
choose a smoking or non-smoking
establishments...not make all rest-
raunts, taverns etc all nonsmoking
by government fiat...the individual
should have the right to choose!

And helmet laws...then governor of
WA Booth Gardener over-rode a vote
of the people repealing helmet laws
promising (among other things) lower
insurance rates...guess what, my
insurance went up...

there are four kinds of lies, you need
to include political promises.

 

[60driver]

I just want to say "thank you" to all pilots who smoke.
You are helping us move up the seniority list a little faster every year and opening more positions for new pilots. Keep up those medical leaves and early retirements.


Need a light?