I know we all get tired of hearing this,
but since good old 9/11 and the creation of
the Homeland Security Administration,
anything that contains circuit boards, wires,
antennas, and switches and doesn’t look
like a laptop or cell phone is going to get
the security folks wound up. I know it
sounds crazy, but it’s the price we pay to be
protected.
The best way to combat this situation is
to be as up-front as you can and ship as
much as possible way ahead of time.
Airplanes, helicopters, radios, support
equipment, and spare parts can all be crated
and shipped either by air or ground way
before your arrival.
That way, all the security checks are
done behind the scenes and not while
you’re waiting in a long line at the airport.
Under most circumstances, your model
stuff will be there waiting for you when you
arrive so you can get right to playtime.
If you fly with gas or glow engines,
you’ll need to consider fuel. Fuel is not
easily or cheaply shipped in this country, or
any other for that matter, so to eliminate
those headaches, you should consider
buying fuel where you fly and either use it
all or leave it there.
As an example, this past year, most of
the helicopter World Champs contestants
used fuel supplied by US manufacturers
instead of shipping their own fuel from
home. We did have a couple of teams that
tried to ship fuel from home and, as you can
TRAVELING ACROSS THE country or
internationally with your models is not
nearly as time-consuming or trying on the
nerves as traveling with kids, pets, or
extended families. But they can pose their
own set of problems and often leave you
scratching your head wondering why and
what for.
Technically Speaking ...
Greg Hahn
Technical Director
[email protected]
imagine, the timing was off, and so was the
price.
If you fly using electric power, the
batteries can be just as big of a problem as
liquid fuel if not more. Under normal
conditions, Li-Poly batteries are not
allowed to be unattended in the cargo hold
of aircraft, cargo or passenger. Only under
special circumstances and by specially
licensed handlers can these batteries be
shipped by air or sea as unattended cargo.
If you plan to travel with your Li-Poly
batteries, they must essentially become your
pet and stay with you at all times. In other
words, you can carry the batteries on the
airplane with you but they cannot be in
checked baggage.
As I said earlier, be as up-front and open
as possible. You’ll need to pull the batteries
out of your briefcase and let the security
folks look them over when going through
the line; you’ll get through much quicker.
Trust me, a Li-Poly battery under X-ray
looks like a problem!
Returning from Japan, I once tried to get
a new O.S. .46 glow engine through
customs in Detroit. I was tired, wanted to
get home, and forgot to take it out of my
briefcase, and under X-ray an O.S. .46 can
sure look like a gun! Made for quite an
interesting afternoon, trying to show you
couldn’t get a bullet to fire out of a .46
glow engine.
Travel safely and have fun. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/02
Page Numbers: 139
