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.