Topic: Flying with Recording Equipment

[Brian Skalinder]

I searched and searched and searched and couldn't find a thread in the Archival Info forum on flying with gear, so...

Thanks to everyone who's chimed in over time on the various threads about flying with gear.  Some rough notes from those threads:

• Allocate extra time to get through security - I've had it take anywhere from an extra 5min to 60min
• Remain calm and act professional at all times
• Carry on your gear - mics, pre, ADC, recorder, batteries, cables, shockmounts, etc.  Do NOT check it.
  
• TSA / the airline may or may not require you to check your stand, depending on the airport, personnel on duty, airline, etc.  Bottom line:  be prepared to check it.  IME, they won't allow you to ship the stand loose, it requires packing of some sort.  Most shipping supply shops will carry cardboard tubes that work well for packing stands.
• If discussing gear or answering questions, refer to your batteries as "power supplies", not "batteries"
• Leave the bat...I mean power supplies disconnected
• Carry Material Safety Data Sheets for your (ahem) power supplies.  For SLAs, you can find them here:
• Powersonic MSDS PDF
  
• EcoCharge MSDS PDF
  
• Panasonic MSDS PDF
  
• If your manufacturer isn't listed, you should be able to find the MSDS on their website
• Let the security personnel know up front your bag of "professional audio recording equipment" is usually flagged for a follow-up check after running it through the X-ray machine - I find this helps set them at ease and also suggests you've been through this before and that it's totally routine for your gear

[spyder9]

Below is a nice mic stand case for flying.  Hand made for Native American Indian flutes, but can be made for any length.  Plastic tubes, hand stitched nylon wrap, with padding.  Raven is the one I'm going to order, as pictured below.  A little pricey, but well made, with plenty of room to toss in clamps, bungys and what not.  Good investment if you fly alot with your equipment.  Checking it at the desk would be a relief.

http://oregonflutestore.com/home/of1/smartlist_24/protective_flute__cases.html

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

I haven't had problems in the past, but on my return trip from Jackson, WY the screeners would not let me through with my Eco-charge EC-90.  I had no Issues leaving Cleveland Hopkins, but it was a no go on the return trip.  I had the documentation from Eco-Charge but it still wasn't enough.  I'm thinking I might have been ok if I had it padded in a small Pelican Case, but I couldn't get a straight answer. They got hung up on line 2 "The batteries need to be properly packaged for protection against short circuits and secured in a rugged outer package".  I had the battery in it's padded carrying bag and it was packed in clothes in my carry on, they wouldn't accept it in my check baggage either.  As a last resort I placed it in a Fed-Ex drop box in hopes that it might get back home.  To save the hassle next time I might have a ground shipping plan in place if the airline or security will not let it through.

[spyder9]

I haven't had problems in the past, but on my return trip from Jackson, WY the screeners would not let me through with my Eco-charge EC-90.  I had no Issues leaving Cleveland Hopkins, but it was a no go on the return trip.  I had the documentation from Eco-Charge but it still wasn't enough.  I'm thinking I might have been ok if I had it padded in a small Pelican Case, but I couldn't get a straight answer. They got hung up on line 2 "The batteries need to be properly packaged for protection against short circuits and secured in a rugged outer package".  I had the battery in it's padded carrying bag and it was packed in clothes in my carry on, they wouldn't accept it in my check baggage either.  As a last resort I placed it in a Fed-Ex drop box in hopes that it might get back home.  To save the hassle next time I might have a ground shipping plan in place if the airline or security will not let it through.

Telling them they are power supplies, not batteries, goes along way with the TSA.

http://www.ecocharge.com/PDF_forms/transportationpolicy.pdf

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

I haven't had problems in the past, but on my return trip from Jackson, WY the screeners would not let me through with my Eco-charge EC-90.  I had no Issues leaving Cleveland Hopkins, but it was a no go on the return trip.  I had the documentation from Eco-Charge but it still wasn't enough.  I'm thinking I might have been ok if I had it padded in a small Pelican Case, but I couldn't get a straight answer. They got hung up on line 2 "The batteries need to be properly packaged for protection against short circuits and secured in a rugged outer package".  I had the battery in it's padded carrying bag and it was packed in clothes in my carry on, they wouldn't accept it in my check baggage either.  As a last resort I placed it in a Fed-Ex drop box in hopes that it might get back home.  To save the hassle next time I might have a ground shipping plan in place if the airline or security will not let it through.

Telling them they are power supplies, not batteries, goes along way with the TSA.

http://www.ecocharge.com/PDF_forms/transportationpolicy.pdf

Yes, but the link you provided, which is the documentation I had, cleary states that it is a Sealed Lead Acid Battery Sysyem.  I personally referred to it as a "power supply".  The TSA in my case brought it down to United and asked if they would allow it in my carry on or check baggage, United told me I needed to find an alternate way to transport the battery and that they considered it "hazerdous material" reguardless of the provided documentation.

It just arrived yesterday from Fed-Ex, I dropped it in the Fed-Ex drop box and it probably left on the next United flight the next day.  I'm guessing their packages don't go through as much if any screening at all.  It cost a few dollars, but I'm very happy to see that it made it.

[keepongoin]

I haven't had problems in the past, but on my return trip from Jackson, WY the screeners would not let me through with my Eco-charge EC-90.  I had no Issues leaving Cleveland Hopkins, but it was a no go on the return trip.  I had the documentation from Eco-Charge but it still wasn't enough.  I'm thinking I might have been ok if I had it padded in a small Pelican Case, but I couldn't get a straight answer. They got hung up on line 2 "The batteries need to be properly packaged for protection against short circuits and secured in a rugged outer package".  I had the battery in it's padded carrying bag and it was packed in clothes in my carry on, they wouldn't accept it in my check baggage either.  As a last resort I placed it in a Fed-Ex drop box in hopes that it might get back home.  To save the hassle next time I might have a ground shipping plan in place if the airline or security will not let it through.

Telling them they are power supplies, not batteries, goes along way with the TSA.

http://www.ecocharge.com/PDF_forms/transportationpolicy.pdf

Yes, but the link you provided, which is the documentation I had, cleary states that it is a Sealed Lead Acid Battery Sysyem.  I personally referred to it as a "power supply".  The TSA in my case brought it down to United and asked if they would allow it in my carry on or check baggage, United told me I needed to find an alternate way to transport the battery and that they considered it "hazerdous material" reguardless of the provided documentation.

It just arrived yesterday from Fed-Ex, I dropped it in the Fed-Ex drop box and it probably left on the next United flight the next day.  I'm guessing their packages don't go through as much if any screening at all.  It cost a few dollars, but I'm very happy to see that it made it.

The TSA people you dealt with should be given 30 lashes and have their pay cut. 

Their paperwork CLEARLY states that any sealed battery, including SLAs are safe to travel on a plane.  Any battery that unsealed is not permitted, even in an electric wheelchair. 

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

The TSA people you dealt with should be given 30 lashes and have their pay cut. 

Their paperwork CLEARLY states that any sealed battery, including SLAs are safe to travel on a plane.  Any battery that unsealed is not permitted, even in an electric wheelchair. 

It also states "The batteries need to be properly packaged for protection against short circuits and secured in a rugged outer package".  Next time I'll have it in a Pelican Case so they have little to question.

I had the battery in the soft zipper pouch that comes with it.  Despite what the paperwork states, the airline and or the TSA have the right to deny whatever they please.  If you ever run into a situation like this, I'd suggest keeping your calm regaurdless of how rediculous their decision is, with a few strokes of a key pad you could be easily flagged in the nice new TSA passenger database.

[oniontaper]

glad this subject is being tossed around

what type pf category does the Wally-world type of Li-on fall under here for MSDS reasons.

i will be traveling by plane here shortly and want to make sure i have the proper documentation for the equipment i have.

it seems that the MSDS that are provided here describe a different type of power supply then what i am using, and i am afraid that if i was carrying a MSDS that described in detail the appearance of a battery that looks nothing at all from the one I am carrying that anything i said from that point on would lose all credibility, not to mention the fact that i look like a hippie extremist who is likely to be profiled halfway in line

here are a few pic's of the batt.. ahmm...."power supply's" to make sure were clear on what type I'm using

TIA
Jesse

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

glad this subject is being tossed around

what type pf category does the Wally-world type of Li-on fall under here for MSDS reasons.

i will be traveling by plane here shortly and want to make sure i have the proper documentation for the equipment i have.

it seems that the MSDS that are provided here describe a different type of power supply then what i am using, and i am afraid that if i was carrying a MSDS that described in detail the appearance of a battery that looks nothing at all from the one I am carrying that anything i said from that point on would lose all credibility, not to mention the fact that i look like a hippie extremist who is likely to be profiled halfway in line

here are a few pic's of the batt.. ahmm...."power supply's" to make sure were clear on what type I'm using

TIA
Jesse

I think my problem was that I had a Sealed LEAD ACID (SLA) battery, they said if it were a something like a camera battery or alkaline, NiMH or NiCD rechargables wouldn't have been an issue.  Lead Acid batteries ARE hazerdous material, the other problem with them is they are virtually impossible to see inside when sent through the scanner.  I highly doubt you'd have a problem with the Li-ion battery. 

[Brian Skalinder]

Thanks to Damon for this list of permitted / not permitted objects on planes, per the TSA:

http://taperssection.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=47428.0;id=15350

Though it doesn't address our gear specifically (mic stands, etc.), it's easy to see why often people have trouble getting mic stands on as carry-ons.

[thoman8r]

• TSA / the airline may or may not require you to check your stand, depending on the airport, personnel on duty, airline, etc.  Bottom line:  be prepared to check it.  IME, they won't allow you to ship the stand loose, it requires packing of some sort.  Most shipping supply shops will carry cardboard tubes that work well for packing stands.

FWIW, I've flown with my mic stand several times and have never had a problem checking it without a box.  They just stick a luggage tag on it and it usually comes out with the oversized items at the baggage claim.

[snuffyus64]

They also gave me a problem with some sla batteries.

[funkoff13]

Thanks to Damon for this list of permitted / not permitted objects on planes, per the TSA:

http://taperssection.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=47428.0;id=15350

Though it doesn't address our gear specifically (mic stands, etc.), it's easy to see why often people have trouble getting mic stands on as carry-ons.

they dont even allow a bic in the checked luggage....surprising.  i think i have been in violation of this.

[danlynch]

I packed both of my big li-ion batteries in the checked bag.  The carry-on was the rest of the big rig, mics in the wooden boxes, apogee mini-me, cables, Microtrack, etc.  When the bag was scanned at JFK, the security guy was not even looking at the screen, he was talking to someone on his left.
In Iceland, the guy said "electronic equipment?" and I said "yes" and he said "ok".  That was it.

[travelinbeat]

I've encountered a problem once when I stuffed my tiny Dynamic Audio Card's into my Timberland shoe (in hopes that the shoe would help protect the mics from the rest of my luggage.  The British version of TSA tore open my whole bag and inspected the mics pretty closely before letting me through.  Apparantly the X-Ray machine revealed wiring insde of a shoe and that was enough to spook them.  The moral here is don't chuck your gear in your shoes!

[funkoff13]

fyi




http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/24/tsa.incidents/index.html

From Mike M. Ahlers
CNN
     
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Police across the country should be on the lookout for what could be "dry runs" for a terrorist attack, the Transportation Security Administration advised after series of suspicious incidents occurred at U.S. airports.

 
Blocks of cheese were found in a bag with a coil of wire and tubes, the TSA said.

 1 of 2  An unclassified advisory, sent July 20 from TSA to law enforcement agencies, raised the possibility that recent activity could be "pre-attack security probes."

CNN obtained the advisory from a government source.

The TSA downplayed the significance of the advisory in a statement released to the media following its leak.

The TSA said it was one of more than 90 bulletins sent to police in the past six months "with the intent to provide as much information as possible to our front line officers."

"There is no intelligence that indicates a specific or credible threat to the homeland," the TSA said.

The advisory details four incidents from the past 11 months in which screeners found unusual objects with items that could mimic bomb components in passengers' checked or carry-on bags.  Watch how cheese was made to look like a bomb »

In one case last September, a couple in Baltimore, Maryland, checked a plastic bag with a block of processed cheese taped to another plastic bag containing a cell phone charger. Earlier this month in San Diego, California, a passenger checked a bag containing two ice packs covered in duct tape. The ice packs had clay in them instead of the normal blue gel.

Terrorists could be testing the system, or could be conducting repeated operations to desensitize security officials, the bulletin says.

"The unusual nature and increase in number of these improvised items raise concern, and TSA personnel should continue vigilance for groupings of ordinary items that look like IED (Improvised Explosive Device) components," the bulletin says.

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TSA: Fears about passenger taken off plane unfounded
At least three of the four incidents involved U.S. citizens, the advisory says. While "initial investigations do not link them with criminal or terrorist organizations," the bulletin adds that "most passengers' explanations for carrying the suspicious items were questionable, and some investigations are still ongoing."

The bulletin also details a case from June in which a passenger in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had a carry-on bag with items resembling IED components, such as a wire coil wrapped around a possible initiator, an electrical switch, batteries, three tubes and two blocks of cheese.

And in November, a passenger in Houston, Texas, checked luggage that contained a plastic bag with a 9-volt battery, wires, a block of brown clay-like minerals and pipes.


The bulletin is titled "Incidents at U.S. Airports May Suggest Possible Pre-Attack Probing." It is labeled "For Official Use Only."

"We constantly feed intelligence and training information to our officers and the law enforcement community and this is one example of such information sharing," the TSA said in its statement

[jerryfreak]

sounds like a lot of discussion here can be boiled down to what has already been stated:

leave yourself extra time for the unexpected. I have flown dozens of times, pre-and post 9/11 with a rig, and my homemade li-ion batteries from 2002 that im still using are a bit on the sketchy-looking side.

i always make sure i have enough battery to power the rig, to turn the lights on and demo that it actually is a battery and a thing with lights.

usually batteries are :
a. heavy
b. cheap and replaceable (relative to other electronics)

so i try to check em

I took my gear bag out of my backpack for the first time last weekend, and didnt even get a hand-search, as they were 'less confused' when it came down the pipe

[Stagger]

I had my best encounter yet leaving O'Hare for Raleigh last spring. The normal routine is that the run my bag through and then swab it for bomb residue (I'd hate to know if they could swab it for any other residue what kinda trouble I'd be in). This trip (my last one with SLAs) they run it through the scanner then the guy at the other side askes me if its mine and when I reply yes, he tells me to have a nice day. I ask him if they are going to swab my bag and he says, "No, we don't trust you anyway." 

[krowllaw]

Couldn't find any information from the last decade, I'm sorry if there is and my search skills are sub-par.  Any updates or experience traveling with recording equipment and a mic stand in the modern era?   I intend on carrying on both but would appreciate a link to any threads I missed about it or any advice I'll need.

Thanks!

[DavidPuddy]

Couldn't find any information from the last decade, I'm sorry if there is and my search skills are sub-par.  Any updates or experience traveling with recording equipment and a mic stand in the modern era?   I intend on carrying on both but would appreciate a link to any threads I missed about it or any advice I'll need.

Thanks!

It's usually not an issue but they may make you check the stand depending on size. You may have to demonstrate that the gear works for TSA.

[BradleyJY15]

I have only flown with mic stand a few times.  But am doing it next week and looked into Southwest policy.  I plan to check my stand.  I have a soft bag from Manfrotto.  I will wrap the stand in clothes to cushion the bag as must as possible. I will claim it as a musical instrument.  For Southwest, this has 2 advantages: 1-it flies free 2-you can try to bring it onto plane if it fits overhead (as previously said, I am just going to check, but they will let you bring on if it can fit and claimed as musical instrument).  Hope this helps, every airline will be different.

[rocksuitcase]

^^^^^^^
re the stand and covering it clothing etc. If you have an old lawn chair, the bags often can be used to fit stands which are not huge.

[krowllaw]

Thank you for the replies!

[DavidPuddy]

^^^^^^^
re the stand and covering it clothing etc. If you have an old lawn chair, the bags often can be used to fit stands which are not huge.

There's a lacrosse stick bag that voltronic posted about which fits the Manfrotto 1004 stand, if you have that one.