Guess they didn't mind if you had a smoke.

[Paul Krumrei]

[gary1954]

This is actually a flying scene cut from the movie "Reefer Maddness"

[Paul Krumrei]

NOT

[gary1954]

Paul, It really, really is, a great photo, and you know I was just kiddin'.

[Paul Krumrei]

I really really know you were kidding......

I thought the same thing when I seen it. Puff Puff give give.

[ww2John]

The three guys in the cockpit didn't inhale...

[gary1954]

Thats because the crew in the ole cockiepit, have opened the valve on the oxygen tanks, which the crew chief had filled with nitrous oxide a half hour before departure, they fixin' to "take Off" .

[Jesse C.]

A Rave in the Sky?

Nice pic

[sdennison]

Happened all the time. Pop used to tell me of his smoking in the P-47 in particular. He did smoke 4 packs a day and lost the mission to COPD...

Product of the times I think.

[Mr Widgeon]

Cozy, isn't it.
Although the regs generally prohibited smoking in flight most airplanes built back then had ash recepticles.

[Warbird Kid]

I remember watching "Ghost Squadron" -A pretty good CAF documentary. And at one point in the video there’s an original B-17 pilot (Must've been in his late 70's) behind the controls, talking to the camera crew and calmly smoking a cigarette! Remember this around 92-93! Any more info on this or something like it?

[K225]

Its funny with all the concerns about smoking around aircraft anyone ever hear of an actual incident involving smoking. Despite all the warnings at airshows etc. you still find people smoking. This summer at a local show we were talking to a vetran about his experiences it wasn't until he walked away we realized he had a smoke in his hand. Old habits die hard!

[JDK]

Although the regs generally prohibited smoking in flight most airplanes built back then had ash recepticles.

Very interesting point...

I think that would've actually been most American aircraft of the period.

Smaller US airliners may have had them fitted, British ones, often being made of doped fabric over wood, didn't, AFAIK. The all metal Short C Class flying boat airliner made great play of having a 'smoking deck' in the advertising.

I think I recall references to British pilots coming across the Lockheed Hudson (1939) and the Consolidated Liberator and finding much that was new or strange, including ashtrays in the cockpits. I'll have to check, now, you've got me wondering.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the vast majority of adults smoked, and thus it was harder to enforce any no-smoking requirements; however there's plenty of large signs on hangar wall; from old photos I know the French and German for 'don't do it'!

I can only recall two major incidents involving smoking and aircraft, and refuelling in each case; but the cost and mess as well as death and injury on those rare occasions means it strikes me as one to avoid.

Cheers,

[Obergrafeter]

RAUSCHEN VERBOTEN! or something like that on the hangar wall

[gary1954]

Back in the last century when I was in the Army working on Hueys, we had a guy in our platoon that loved to smoke cigars....he walked between two Hueys, one of which was being refueled....he said he did it all the time..the "Only" place he would not smoke was in the hangar.