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Smoking
- Thread starter East
- Start date
:icon_rast Smoke?? SMOKING, you say ... ???
I used to smoke --- cigarettes, I mean. I started when I entered college (figured I wanted to grow up REAL quick) and I moved to 2-3 packs a day within two weeks and did it for 10 years. But then --- back-in-the-day there were more guys that smoked than there were those who abstained. And the non-smokers were not assholes about it --- unlike the chattering nazi anti-smoke "my rights" crowd of today. I have found that those who are intolerant of "smoke" usually dwell in a world of "smoke and mirrors". I guess you call that ... "ironic".
When I was afloat --- the "good stuff" was .10 a pack ... that's TEN CENTS A PACK (!!) --- onboard ship when we cleared the 3-mile limit. It was such a good deal, you couldn't afford NOT to smoke. You just couldn't pass up a good Navy deal like than ....
.... but I digress.
I even used to smoke in the cockpit. It wasn't right, but I did it. Especially when waiting my turn at night in marshall. It "relaxed" me ..... and it was not uncommon, in spite of the prohibitions and warnings against it. We were bullet-proof back then, you realize. The only problem was --- smoking NUKES your night vision --- something I learned much later in my Boat-flying career.
I was a good Boat pilot, but had to wear glasses at night (gee ... wonder why?). One night in preparation for recovery (and after my normal "calming" cigarette) --- I went for my glasses/cheaters which resided in the "cigarette" pocket in my flight suit (irony again, yes?) --- and prompltly dropped them to the deck under the ejection seat. I coudn't reach them. My B/N's eyes started to grow BIG in the dim red lights of the night cockpit as he began to grasp the potential downside of no glasses, night, the ship, and me. He used to be an A-4 driver, but lost his Aviator Wings ... at night .... at the ship. Sooooooo .... he could "see", he just couldn't "do" it. I could "do" it ... I just couldn't "see" .... the irony -- not smoke -- is so thick ... you can cut it with plastic utensils, yes???
"Hey, no problem", I said "got a spare pair right here --- uh-oh -- different flight suit --- no spare". I safed my seat, unstrapped and reached and stretched and reached -- in vain --- no glasses/cheaters. My B/N's eyes grew still larger --- perhaps to compensate for my less-than-satisfactory peepers ???
So down we came out of the stack when it was our turn ... with my B/N saying unsupportive things like ... "Oh, Jesus ... Oh, God". Really unsupportive, I thought at the time.
Like I said, I was steady at the ship --- but that night --- I boltered twice and finally trapped on the third attempt. My B/N had by this time become totally unsupportive and was even borderline hostile. After all the "normal" debrief items I went below and plopped down in the chair in my stateroom. I opened my desk safe and pulled out a bottle of Scotch and a fresh carton of cigarettes. I needed both .... but the more I stared at the carton through hair plastered down from the sweat .... the more clearly I began to see through that far-off "light bulb". I tore the carton of cigarettes to pieces and threw them in the shit-can. I then poured myself a stiff belt of Scotch --- I'm not a total fool, you know.
So ..... I quit when I was 28, on cruise, cold turkey --- it's NOT that hard. Anyone can do it. I "hurt" for about a week --- then the desire was gone and I've never had a cigarette since. I hate cigarette smoke today ... but I don't hassle "smokers" about it. I am a big boy and I can figure this out: I either go where smoking is allowed ... or I don't. That's my choice. I do enjoy good cigars ... sometimes I have 3-5 a week; other times zero in a whole month. Sooooo .... no visible addiction there ..... I seldom even think about them. Except when people talk about "smoking".
I seem to smoke "more" when in the "Territory" than on the "Rock" ... it must be the weather .... or the limes ..... or the sunsets. :icon_rast
I used to smoke --- cigarettes, I mean. I started when I entered college (figured I wanted to grow up REAL quick) and I moved to 2-3 packs a day within two weeks and did it for 10 years. But then --- back-in-the-day there were more guys that smoked than there were those who abstained. And the non-smokers were not assholes about it --- unlike the chattering nazi anti-smoke "my rights" crowd of today. I have found that those who are intolerant of "smoke" usually dwell in a world of "smoke and mirrors". I guess you call that ... "ironic".
When I was afloat --- the "good stuff" was .10 a pack ... that's TEN CENTS A PACK (!!) --- onboard ship when we cleared the 3-mile limit. It was such a good deal, you couldn't afford NOT to smoke. You just couldn't pass up a good Navy deal like than ....
.... but I digress. I even used to smoke in the cockpit. It wasn't right, but I did it. Especially when waiting my turn at night in marshall. It "relaxed" me ..... and it was not uncommon, in spite of the prohibitions and warnings against it. We were bullet-proof back then, you realize. The only problem was --- smoking NUKES your night vision --- something I learned much later in my Boat-flying career.
I was a good Boat pilot, but had to wear glasses at night (gee ... wonder why?). One night in preparation for recovery (and after my normal "calming" cigarette) --- I went for my glasses/cheaters which resided in the "cigarette" pocket in my flight suit (irony again, yes?) --- and prompltly dropped them to the deck under the ejection seat. I coudn't reach them. My B/N's eyes started to grow BIG in the dim red lights of the night cockpit as he began to grasp the potential downside of no glasses, night, the ship, and me. He used to be an A-4 driver, but lost his Aviator Wings ... at night .... at the ship. Sooooooo .... he could "see", he just couldn't "do" it. I could "do" it ... I just couldn't "see" .... the irony -- not smoke -- is so thick ... you can cut it with plastic utensils, yes???
"Hey, no problem", I said "got a spare pair right here --- uh-oh -- different flight suit --- no spare". I safed my seat, unstrapped and reached and stretched and reached -- in vain --- no glasses/cheaters. My B/N's eyes grew still larger --- perhaps to compensate for my less-than-satisfactory peepers ???
So down we came out of the stack when it was our turn ... with my B/N saying unsupportive things like ... "Oh, Jesus ... Oh, God". Really unsupportive, I thought at the time.
Like I said, I was steady at the ship --- but that night --- I boltered twice and finally trapped on the third attempt. My B/N had by this time become totally unsupportive and was even borderline hostile. After all the "normal" debrief items I went below and plopped down in the chair in my stateroom. I opened my desk safe and pulled out a bottle of Scotch and a fresh carton of cigarettes. I needed both .... but the more I stared at the carton through hair plastered down from the sweat .... the more clearly I began to see through that far-off "light bulb". I tore the carton of cigarettes to pieces and threw them in the shit-can. I then poured myself a stiff belt of Scotch --- I'm not a total fool, you know.
So ..... I quit when I was 28, on cruise, cold turkey --- it's NOT that hard. Anyone can do it. I "hurt" for about a week --- then the desire was gone and I've never had a cigarette since. I hate cigarette smoke today ... but I don't hassle "smokers" about it. I am a big boy and I can figure this out: I either go where smoking is allowed ... or I don't. That's my choice. I do enjoy good cigars ... sometimes I have 3-5 a week; other times zero in a whole month. Sooooo .... no visible addiction there ..... I seldom even think about them. Except when people talk about "smoking".
I seem to smoke "more" when in the "Territory" than on the "Rock" ... it must be the weather .... or the limes ..... or the sunsets. :icon_rast
nkawtg said:
No ... not dip ..... this is the groce/gross thing what/that Professional Baseball players doing on the field..... it's called ... "scratching".
We lost an F-18 off the TR during Desert Storm. He was seen/heard coming off target and going feet wet with no damage but never made it back to the carrier. Radar tapes later showed that he tooled off into space at a high altitude. He was known to smoke in the cockpit. The best guess that was he turned off his O2 to burn one and passed out.A4sForever said:
A4sForever said:No ... not dip ..... this is the groce/gross thing what/that Professional Baseball players doing on the field..... it's called ... "scratching".
It ain't just baseball players either. Football players have been known to scratch, or "adjust our pads", and spit too. But then again, maybe it's just expected of us because we're so manly.
Our Hueys had ashtrays in them from when smoking in flight wasn't a problem.
I am gonna go out on a limb and bet that the UH-1Y probably won't have them though
I am gonna go out on a limb and bet that the UH-1Y probably won't have them though
HueyCobra8151 said:
We did not have the luxury of built-in ashtrays in the A-4 nor A-6 .... so we used the screw-off bottom of our goose neck flashlights as the duty buttkit (ash tray) . Worked like a charm. Innovation and American ingenuity ....
Schnugg said:Used to be you could smoke anywhere anytime on the boat...then it was just the work spaces...then just maint. control...then only on a designated smoking sponson at set times. There used to be smoky poker games late nights before a port call. No more. Alas, the good old days...
I don't smoke and am glad I never started. A fine cigar on occasion, yes. But that's few and far between.
Our av phys doc told us a heavy smoker has enough CO in his system that it's as if he lives at 10k' to begin with. Makes you much easier to become hypoxic. The RBC has an affinity for CO before O2.
Cheers,
G
Smokers have a couple of problems WRT altitude....Decreased ability of the lungs to process O2 due to both long term abuse and acute CO toxicity. CO effects will burn off in about 1-2 hours. Somewhat on the same issue, folks who accumulate lactic acid via exercise will be a bit less able to process O2 much in the same manner as acute CO toxicity. Both lactic acid and CO form a very strong chemical bond with hemoglobin which oxygen cannot displace.....time is your friend here as well. Best to not fly at night unless you cease athletic activity (and/or quit smoking) about 1-2 hours prior.
That being said, I think I will go have myself a Macanudo Vintage '93 and some Gentlman Jack.
A4sForever said:
I picked up smoking almost 2 years ago while doing a study abroad in western Russia. The most expensive stuff was either Malrboro, Winston, or Lucky Strikes, all 12 rubles a pack. (at the time, the exchange rate was roughly 30 rubles to the dollar). The cheapest stuff was as low as 3 rubles, but when someone lit that up across the room, it smelled like someone lit a roll of dog crap on fire. But I digress. I was in country for all of just over a month. I started smoking on day 2, and went cold turkey the day we left for the airport. I was going through just over a pack a day, even though I wasn't smoking more than half of em myself (with college aged Russian kids, cigarettes were better than hard currency), about 3 days after I stopped I developed that hard cough, and it stuck with me for 3 weeks. Since then, I've had one week of particular stress over which i finished a pack, and again had to deal with the coughing, but I managed to kick it completely. As A4's said, it's hard mentally, but it's doable if you can just manage to keep yourself occupied enough to not think about that next smoke.