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Originally Posted by Joe Wooten
Why tobacco?
The smell of burnt black powder will overwhelm the smell of burning tobacco from the few who still smoke.....
Anyone who states differently is just one of those Nazi nannies who love to tell everyone what to do.
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Maybe because others don't want to breathe it, or have their kids have to breathe it??
Now one can launch into an argument about the unhealthy compounds in burned black powder rocket motors, and that the scent of burned BP contains sulfur dioxide and other harmful stuff and all that... but of course, if someone didn't think that was healthy for their kids, they could just not come to a rocket launch...
Then there's the fire hazard... tossed butts can not only start grass fires, but are littering and disrespectful to the property owner hosting the launch as well, and either would make the club look bad and possibly lose them their launch site. Not all smokers toss their butts, to be sure, but many do, and the temptation when outdoors is undeniable. Now one can launch into an argument about how the risk of a fire starting from hot particles expelled from rocket motors at launch, hot ignitor wires landing in the grass, and late ejections, land sharks, catos, or other malfunctions are much more likely to start a grass fire than tossed butts... which is undoubtedly true, but the more sources of ignition that are eliminated, the better. Also, the RSO/LCO SHOULD be watching the pad area after launches for signs of grass fires igniting, and stopping them ASAP. Nobody is watching tossed butts in the prep or parking area...
One thing is undeniable-- smoking sets a bad example for kids attending launches. Do kids see dozens of people a day smoking here, there, and yon?? Sure... BUT those are "random strangers" who have little/no interaction with the kids or impact on their lives. Having folks they interact with smoking does tend to be more influencing on the kids than random strangers.
At any rate, if the club says "no tobacco" or "no smoking" (personally I find chewing tobacco and spitting to be just as nasty as smoking) then one should abide by those rules, or find somewhere else to fly... Start your own cigar and rocket club, perhaps...
Later! OL JR
