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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: willndmb on July 13, 2005, 01:12:28 PM
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not sure if this is the right place
but has anyone taken their gear on a plane post 9/11?
do you carry it on or pack it up?
if you carried it on has there been much trouble getting through security?
what about stands
thanks
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Use the search function. This discussion has been had many times. ;)
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i have flown so many times after 911. and i never had a problem.
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Use the search function. This discussion has been had many times. ;)
i did
and most that came up were people saying i booked a flight
i am flying here
i didn't come up with much about the gear itself
but i will go back and search some different keywords
thanks jmerin
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carry your rig on, be friendly and explain to them that you are a professional audio technician and that you have a bag full of pro audio gear... do this before your bag even goes through the xray machine.
one piece of advice, never refer to a battery as a battery, call it a power supply instead... TSA people freak out about batteries
this may even be in the archive and if it's not it should be, it seems like someone asks this question every couple of months
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this is on page one, 4th link in the archive - a treasure trove of info.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=36124.0
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thanks guys
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This thread will help. Our Archive can answer a ton of questions.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=36124.0
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search turns up all kinds of QOTSA links when you use TSA as one of the keywords but it did return the following which was the earliest thread I could find on the subject:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=13306.0
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http://www.ecocharge.com/PDF_forms/transportationpolicy.pdf
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nice work gentleman
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I've also found that striking up a conversation immediately w/ the person that is checking your bad is a huge help. I usually start w/ the "how are you" then get the "wow this is really heavy" remark. I then follow that up w/ "yeah, it's pro audio gear, I do location sound recording, mostly concerts...I fly w/ this all the time so I'm getting really used to getting searched"...etc. Next thing you know they're so interested in what you do and think you are a friendly person. A couple of swipes w/ the explosive residue tester and I'm through. Ironically I think it's gotten BETTER post 9/11. The TSA folks seem more educated on what is and isn't allowed. I've had them question the batteries much more before 9/11 than after.
mitch
oh, and smaller airports are ALWAYS worse than larger ones in my experience.
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oh, and smaller airports are ALWAYS worse than larger ones in my experience.
IME, it depends on the nature of the city where the airport is located.
so far
Long holdups, swipe everything in bag, re-x-ray some things on their own:
Boston Logan Airport
PDX
Brief holdups (swipe a few things, let me through):
Chicago, Ohare
Oakland, CA
Boise, ID
No holdups:
SFO
DIA
MEM
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oh, and smaller airports are ALWAYS worse than larger ones in my experience.
IME, it depends on the nature of the city where the airport is located.
so far
Long holdups, swipe everything in bag, re-x-ray some things on their own:
Boston Logan Airport
PDX
Brief holdups (swipe a few things, let me through):
Chicago, Ohare
Oakland, CA
Boise, ID
No holdups:
SFO
DIA
MEM
No holdups:
Fort Lauderdale FL
Syracuse NY
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oh, and smaller airports are ALWAYS worse than larger ones in my experience.
i've had that experience too. my worst one was lafayette, la on a work trip. wow :)
i usually pull out the sla and the m148 into a separate bin (like with a laptop). they always do the explosive wipe and i'm on my way.
now when gina and i are together and we got a guide pup, taping gear, my computer, her computer, her video camera and camera gear ... that makes for a long trip through security :)
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easiest way is to tightly clutch the gear under your right arm, put your left arm out, palm facing forward, and run as fast as you can past the security guards ;)
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I've also found that striking up a conversation immediately w/ the person that is checking your bad is a huge help. I usually start w/ the "how are you" then get the "wow this is really heavy" remark. I then follow that up w/ "yeah, it's pro audio gear, I do location sound recording, mostly concerts...I fly w/ this all the time so I'm getting really used to getting searched"...etc. Next thing you know they're so interested in what you do and think you are a friendly person. A couple of swipes w/ the explosive residue tester and I'm through. Ironically I think it's gotten BETTER post 9/11. The TSA folks seem more educated on what is and isn't allowed. I've had them question the batteries much more before 9/11 than after.
mitch
oh, and smaller airports are ALWAYS worse than larger ones in my experience.
I think that is absolutely the best approach you can have, it will go a long way to making your search go smoothly if you're just friendly, calm, and patient. They deal with assholes all day long and I've found that most TSA employees appreciate someone who smiles and bullshits with them a bit.
I've had friends who have lost their cool (one had a dap1 pitched across the floor) and ended up in a back room for a few hours... don't fuck with them, they're in charge... like it or not :P
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easiest way is to tightly clutch the gear under your right arm, put your left arm out, palm facing forward, and run as fast as you can past the security guards ;)
:lol:
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Flying to NYC last March, I was questioned thoroughly and double-checked leaving Nashville. At JFK on the other hand I honestly could've had a bomb and I don't think they would've realized or cared...
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No holdups in:
Phoenix
or
Raleigh
I only had some mics, preamp, JB3, and a clamp in my bag with my clothes though.
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I've endured less scrutiny when my gear was in a hardshell case. ymmv
Back when I was running CM300s, I took all my crap including the CP4s thrown into a camera bag. They stopped short of a cavity search. Next time through the same airports with everything in a hardshell case with foam cutouts, they gave it a cursory look. One security guy grabbed the case so that it wouldn't slide down the rollers into the bin and mentioned that he "knows how expensive all this stuff is". Like anything else, not acting nervous will get you though a lot more quickly.
I've taken the 722 on several flights so I could use it to listen to shows. They scan it but have never asked about it.
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I routinely have my bag fully emptied when I go through SeaTac. Man, they go through everything! Not sure why: they just must be under extra pressure locally to be more thorough or something. Easiest so far has been the Chicago airports. I've just zipped through at both O'Hare and Midway.
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Atlanta is always easy. Dallas (where I live and fly from a ton) is usually easy although I did almost get arrested once. But that was only b/c the TSA lady was pointing at a car battery on this laminated sheet she had saying "batteries are not allowed" and I was calmly asking to speak to a supervisor b/c "this is not the same kind of battery and it is approved to fly and I have documentation from the manufacturer stating that it is ok for air travel." The TSA lady was going to get the supervisor but some dickhead cop that overheard the conversation felt like being a badass...telling me "I couldn't argue with these people, etc". I told him the same thing I told the TSA lady, they got a supervisor, she wrote the model number down, left for about 5min and came back and said it was indeed approved for air travel. Getting to look that cop in the eyes w/ a shit eating grin on my face was almost worth the hassle. That's the only trouble I've had in Dallas. Little Rock is a hassle. SFO and JFK are easy. LA generally isn't too bad. Missoula is slow, but they're just slow even you walk through w/ a bag t-shirts. NOLA isn't too bad. Overall I fly w/ my gear all the time, and 9x out of 10 I have no major holdup. They swipe the bag and the Apogee and my home built SLA, run it through the machine, and I'm on my way.
mitch
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No holdups:
Fort Lauderdale FL
Syracuse NY
thats me