Simviation Forums

Okay, this may seem like a really off-base and ridiculous question but are pilots in Europe or somewhere else abroad allowed to smoke on the flight deck? My pilot friend at Air Canada said no but I was watching a video at flightvideo320.com and saw a pilot smoking. Anyways, here is the link the the video: http://flightlevel350.com/viewer.php?id=3520&rating=yes The part where the pilot is smoking is about 4 minutes 11 seconds in. It's a good video so I would download it anyways.

Hmm.... you'd think that'd be a definite no.. but when you think about it, the no-smoking thing is an FAA/CAA (the Canucks basically copied our rule book) thing, and may not apply to Europeans.

Yeah, but you seriously have to check out this video, it's pretty funny. It's basically a video recording from the flight deck of an Alitalia MD-11

...sorry, hit enter on accident...anyways it's basically a video recording from the flight deck of an Alitalia MD-11 and during the decent in VHHH the pilot is smoking, or that is at least what it looks like... I mean you see puffs of smoke... But, still I am convinced the pilot is smoking and the only conclusion I can come to is that the Chinese don't prohibit smoking on planes that are flying through their airspace. Regardless, I still find it hard to imagine an airline allowing it's pilots smoke on the flight deck.

I can't comment properly without watching the vid which would take all day on dial-up. Note the date of the recording - April 15, 1995. This was before smoking on board passenger airliners was generally banned. I don't know if the crew were affected by the same regulations as the passengers. I'm assuming that smoking on the flight deck would be discouraged by any responsible airline.

the no-smoking thing is an FAA/CAA (the Canucks basically copied our rule book) thing

The British CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) regulations (now JARs Joint Aviation Regulations affecting the whole of Europe) are just as stringent, if not more so, than the US FARs. The regulations are set out in basically the same format but there are some fundamental differences. Canada has its own Air Transport Board, apparently now called Transport Canada. This issues its own CARs which while based on FARs & JARs simply confuses things even more. Unfortunately the FAA & CAA/JAA never saw eye-to-eye on some things & I doubt they ever will. It would be so much easier for everyone if the same regulations applied on an international basis.

In recent years I've noticed an increasing number of aircraft in the UK are certified & maintained under FARs instead of JARs. This complicates things even further & makes it more expensive instead of making things easier. It's about time they all got together & agreed on one set of regulations covering the whole world. Having dealt with the various authorities for many years I don't see this happening any time soon.

Sorry, meant CARs, not CAAs.  I know nothing about the British regs.

I watched a programme on the telly a few weeks ago about the A380 and there was a clip from inside the cockpit when the test pilots are checking it all out and the conversation runs thus...

"So where's the ashtray in this thing?"

"You don't get ashtrays these days."

"What? So where am I going to put my chewing gum?"

"You'll just have to stick it under your seat like everyone else..."

Russian pilots sometimes smoke in the cokcpit... The reason that there is a cockpit door is to keep the smouke out of the non-smoking passenger cabin

Okay so I sent I forced my pilot friend to watch this video and this is part of his e-mail back:

Tyler, I am not familiar with CAAC's current regulations in terms of smoking and non-smoking flights but assume, after watching that video, if smoking is prohibited it is definitely not enforced; if smoking is allowed it is definitely not advocated. I've been poking my nose through the pilot's lounge in T2 and still cannot find anyone that knows, even if they have actually flown to China...[edit]... I guess, at least amongst N. American pilots those regulations are fairly ambiguous. Also, remember, those are Alitalia pilots in that video so they do as they wish.