Battery Update
As of late, there has not been anything new on the shipping or carrying of LiPo batteries, but to refresh memories and keep everyone up to date, here are the facts.
Anytime loose LiPo batteries are shipped anywhere in the U.S., they must travel by ground-only transportation. They are not permitted on air shipments of any kind unless accompanied by a person, whether carried as cargo or otherwise.
If you are traveling by air with an electric-powered model, the model without batteries installed can be easily shipped, but the batteries must be carried by you and only in your carry-on bags. They are not allowed in checked baggage.
When going through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint, you should have the batteries out for inspection. Screeners must get a good look at them; otherwise you may spend extra time explaining what they are and why you have them.
International shipping is the same for personal modeling items. If you are shipping unattended batteries overseas, you will need a shipper that will send small items by boat. Shipping LiPos by air is not permitted from the U.S. on any carrier.
Often batteries can be shipped into the U.S. but cannot be shipped back out of the country. This has complicated world competitions held in the U.S.: foreign competitors can ship their batteries into the country, but unless they personally carry them back, the batteries may have to remain here because they cannot be sent back unattended.
The latest carrier to ban overseas air shipments of LiPos, whether installed in a unit or loose, is the United States Postal Service, which brings them in line with the other air carriers.
Rule Book Cycle Update
The 2013/2014 rules cycle is underway. The initial round of voting has been completed and is ready for posting, and the cross-proposal phase is starting. Overall proposal count is down compared with the last cycle, but there are significant changes in the works for some of the CL books, and there are always many changes in RC Scale Aerobatics.
If you are a competitor, you may want to keep tabs on what’s happening with the rule book. Consider contacting your district contest board member to make sure that person is working for the changes you’d like to see.
I’ve included the two main links to the current proposals and the voting sheets that are posted. Remember, all current Open members are able to make proposals and are encouraged to participate in the rule book procedures.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
