AviationBanter - View Single Post

**Mxsmanic**

writes:

If the smoking or drinking were to eventually cause a problem that could
become incapacitating, and that takes lots of years, the problem would
would be cause to fail the medical.

Both can be immediately incapacitating.

If one develops cardiovascular or respiratory problems, they fail the
medical because they have cardiovascular or respiratory problems, not
because they smoke.

Because the FAA doesn't care if you smoke, no matter how much it increases
your risk of sudden or subtle incapacitation. But smoking raises your risk of
heart attack and makes you more likely to be incapacitated at altitude.