No Smoking Placard

[SkyHog]

Another of those "I'd never do it, but is it legal" questions.

In an airplane, say, a C172, there is a placard that says "No Smoking." If one owns this airplane, are they bound by that placard.

If they are required to abide by the placard, could they remove it, or would that be considered tampering with a placard?

 

[T Bone]

I think it's perfectly legal to smoke in a private plane. Absurd, but legal. (Check Harley's post in the classified section). I know one guy who was complaining of cigarette butts and the smell in one of the schools 152's where I trained. Very discourteous to the other renters to say the least.....

I doubt the placcard is an issue, but I've been known to be wrong on occasion

 

[silver-eagle]

The POH would list all the placards that should be in the plane. But while you're looking for that, do you have ashtrays and lighters? If so, then it is probably not original equipment.
That said, I wouldn't want smoking in any of my vehicles/airplanes. But then, I'm a nonsmoker.

 

[Skip Miller]

In an airplane, say, a C172, there is a placard that says "No Smoking." If one owns this airplane, are they bound by that placard.

You are not bound by the placard unless it is listed on the Type Certificate Data Sheet as required equipment.

-Skip

 

[mikea]

Smoking, ashtrays and actually having a lighter in the lighter was common up to the 80s. Smoking EVERYWHERE was common up until the 80s. Granny Clampett smoked Winstons in her pipe on "The Beverly Hillbillies." Fred Flintstone smoked, too.

My plane had the ashtray on the passenger side replaced with a metal plate that's labeled to show the up/down/latch for the door handle. (It's wrong by the way. It almost burned me on my checkride.) The pilot side ashtray was filled with once-fragrant cachet some time around 20 years ago.

I think somewhere in there it became obvious that smoking in a plane might be a fire hazard.

Can't you get a placard that says, "If must you smoke, please step outside."

 

[wsuffa]

You are not bound by the placard unless it is listed on the Type Certificate Data Sheet as required equipment.

-Skip

Or the AFM, or other FAA approved data.

 

[Len Lanetti]

N.B. smoke is not good for the gyros.

Len

 

[SkyHog]

I would never smoke in a plane. It seems blasphemous. I was more curious about when a placard becomes official. Thank you for mentioning the TCDS, I totally didn't think about that.

I should point out - when I was younger, and my father got stationed in Italy, when we flew over, as soon as we left US Airspace, the pilot turned off the no smoking light.

Everyone started to light up at that point, and then the Duty-Free cart came around. Good times.

 

[poadeleted20]

You are not bound by the placard unless it is listed on the Type Certificate Data Sheet as required equipment.

...and I know of no aircraft in which a "No Smoking" placard is required, so if it's your plane, and you want to smoke, take it down, because it's legal to do that and smoke in the plane. But even though it's legal, the very good reasons posted by others as well as the crud it leaves on the windows, the stink that can never be removed (unless you're going to keep the plane until you die and don't care about the estate sale income for your heirs), the safety hazard if you should drop a lit cigarette while flying (my Aunt still has the scars from an auto accident when she was 16 that happened when she dropped a lit cigarette on her leg while driving -- and that's a car, not a plane) and the potential for damage to upholstery (also a resale issue) should make any aircraft owner or pilot think twice about smoking or permitting smoking in his plane.

 

[Ken Ibold]

My smoking placard: If you are smoking, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action.

 

[fgcason]

Smoke = Fire = Halon. Do you really wish to be the source of smoke in my plane?

Someone (I forgot who) posted this on the old AOPA board way back when...

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

Smoke = Fire = Halon. Do you really wish to be the source of smoke in my plane?

Someone (I forgot who) posted this on the old AOPA board way back when...

(If you smoke, please step outside) That wouldn't be funny if someone actually did that. So you'd better know your passengers well.

 

[fgcason]

(If you smoke, please step outside) That wouldn't be funny if someone actually did that. So you'd better know your passengers well.

Think about it... If someone did that they're not anywhere near smart enough to remain in the gene pool in the first place. Problem solved. Evolution can be so efficient sometimes.

 

[PoAdeleted5]

deleted.

 

[Ed Guthrie]

...and I know of no aircraft in which a "No Smoking" placard is required, so if it's your plane, and you want to smoke, take it down, because it's legal to do that and smoke in the plane. But even though it's legal, the very good reasons posted by others as well as the crud it leaves on the windows, the stink that can never be removed (unless you're going to keep the plane until you die and don't care about the estate sale income for your heirs), the safety hazard if you should drop a lit cigarette while flying (my Aunt still has the scars from an auto accident when she was 16 that happened when she dropped a lit cigarette on her leg while driving -- and that's a car, not a plane) and the potential for damage to upholstery (also a resale issue) should make any aircraft owner or pilot think twice about smoking or permitting smoking in his plane.

I suspect better than half of us have illegally removed the ashtrays from our aircraft's interior. Based on the current Part 23 regs I suspect legally removing the ashtrays would result in a required "No Smoking" placard.

§ 23.853 Passenger and crew compartment interiors.
For each compartment to be used by the crew or passengers:
(a) The materials must be at least flame resistant;
(b) [Reserved]
(c) If smoking is to be prohibited, there must be a placard so stating, and if smoking is to be allowed -
(1) There must be an adequate number of self-contained, removable ashtrays; and

 

[Tom-D]

I suspect better than half of us have illegally removed the ashtrays from our aircraft's interior. Based on the current Part 23 regs I suspect legally removing the ashtrays would result in a required "No Smoking" placard.

§ 23.853 Passenger and crew compartment interiors.
For each compartment to be used by the crew or passengers:
(a) The materials must be at least flame resistant;
(b) [Reserved]
(c) If smoking is to be prohibited, there must be a placard so stating, and if smoking is to be allowed -
(1) There must be an adequate number of self-contained, removable ashtrays; and

Thanks ED I knew I had read it some where, I just didn't have time to look it up.

SO you can yank the trays, stick up a sticky note saying "No Smoking" and the placard IS REQUIRED.

NO 337 required cause,,, they come out without use of tools, or dissasembly, that's a minor mod.

 

[Henning]

I would never smoke in a plane. It seems blasphemous. I was more curious about when a placard becomes official. Thank you for mentioning the TCDS, I totally didn't think about that.

I can't even begin to count how many I've smoked in planes. It's kinda challenging with an open cockpit.

 

[Ghery]

I can't even begin to count how many I've smoked in planes. It's kinda challenging with an open cockpit.

Kind of like smoking a pipe while riding a motorcycle? Don't ask me how I know.

 

[sere]

My 65 Cherokee has a cigar lighter, 5 ashtrays and not a single cupholder.

There is evidence of use of the ashtrays too.

Odd how different the world is now.

When I was a kid in Texas, nobody ever wore a seatbelt in a car. It was also entirely legal to drive while holding and drinking from an open container of beer. We kids rode all the time in the open back of my dad's pickup truck.

Such a different world.

As I also recall you also had to be able to drive 65 mph down the road and toss your empty beer can out the drivers window and have it land in the back of the pickup to get your drivers licence.