V

vic syracuse

Well Known Member
OK, I thought I would ask the RV oracle. :) Has anyone packed RV parts into their carry-on luggage and made it through airport security in the US? I am traveling every week and sure would like to take the stack of parts that need deburring and work on them while in the hotel room/apartment.

Vic
 
I haven't but I am going to guess that every airport screener is like every FSDO (different) in their requirements.

Bottom line is what ya gonna do with the part if you get it through the outbound leg but the return home guy says no.
 
Check baggage only .....
They won't want you to debur the crew :D
Extra charge for the extra weight ....

Honestly, sounds like a great idea to me.
 
I've done it

I was traveling nearly every week for a year. I've taken parts with me to work on in the hotel room, when time permitted. I haven't had too much trouble with the parts. I took the horizontal ribs with me. I just threw them in a backpack.

Put the tools in your checked luggage.

I found it more useful to scan the manual and plans, then read through them at the hotel.
 
Wow, and sometimes we're impressed with an RV build in an apartment or single car garage! :) I never considered one build "on the road".
 
Been there, done that

I work (Vancouver) about 1.5 hours flight from where I live (Fernie) and commute weekly. I keep my RV-4 near Vancouver and have been redoing the panel, adding a quadrant, and a few other little things. My tools are mostly in my shop at home. I have taken my panel and a number of other parts and pieces of raw aluminum as carry on baggage each direction a few times. I expect it helps that I am a familiar face to the security folks, but I have never had a problem. Whenever I pack along a few tools I check my bags - never can get the tools through as carry on though I have tried a few times.

Managed to get a case of oil through once as checked baggage - I had the security folks pulling out their manuals and reading them, finally determined that if the airline okayed it (which they did) it could go.

Of course this is in Canada, but the security rules seem to be the same as the US.
 
I tried to take a swivel deburring tool through carry-on security at DFW a few years ago. Bought it at Avery while on a business trip to Ft. Worth. The TSA guy even knew what it was, (said he used to work on aircraft). But I still had to go back out and check it through. Funny thing was, I forgot I had the deburring BIT in my coat pocket (you know, the really sharp part). It went throught the x-ray with no further comment. Shouldn't be any problem if you check the stuff. YMMV
 
70 lb trailer hitch worked

2 years ago when we were living in Okinawa I checked a 70lb trailer hitch from Milwaukee through Narita Japan and on to Okinawa. I couldnt find a hitch anywhere in Japan.

Back then one of the 'suitcases' could weigh 70 lbs. Now the limit is 50lbs. I just wrapped it up with the brown packagesing paper, made a handle out of the boxing tape and checked it on. No problem at all.

I did have to through out some fuel stabalizer I tried to check through once. So as long as its not hazardous cargo I'm sure youll be fine.

Good luck
 
Airplane Parts

I carried a Continental IO-470 cylinder on one time....

Get this. I live in Texas. My engine man is in Georgia. I had low compression on an old model Cessna 210 and shipped one of the cylinders to the engine man to have new valve guides put in.

I had a trip to GA planned anyway, so I figured why spend the money on shipping when I could just check it with my checked baggage for free. I boxed it up, and took it to the airport.

The guy at the ticket counter asked what it was, and I (foolishly) said "an overhauled airplane part". He said, "OH, sir, we aren't allowed to check that on board an aircraft....it might have fuel residue on it...." I said "if I shipped it FedEx, they would put it on board an aircraft.....". Didn't matter.

Sooooooo....... I decided to check my carry on bag, and just CARRY the cylinder on. I sat it on the x-ray belt, it went in the front, and came out the back, I grabbed it, and headed to the gate. NO QUESTIONS....NO PROBLEMS!!!!

I've found that if you say "airplane part" it throws up red flags for some stupid reason. If you call your parts an "art project" .....you shouldn't have any problems. And the bonus is, if you're deburring in a hotel room, you don't even have to sweep up the metal shavings!!! :p

CDE
 
I had a Sears 3/8 rachet wrench...

...taken from us at the checkpoint... I had bought it a week earlier and put it in my wife's purse...:)

Apparently they think you might take the plane apart....:rolleyes:

So - be careful with tools as a carry on.

PS ... they let me take it to Airport customer service and they gave me a padded envelope to mail it back to our house....:)
 
Gary, I am bulding a 10. My sons say I have a problem, so I guess we need to start a help group for addicted airplane builders. :) I'm sure I will have lots of company.
I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I actually find building airplanes therapeutic (except the fiberglass parts!) and a break from the normal stresses of work. And as Paul Harvey would say... "the rest of the story" is that we miss our 10!

Vic
 
Building on the Road

I built some of my RV-8 while flying missions in and out of Iraq. Sometimes on the turn in Balad, Iraq, I would bring a part with me and work on it. It was great for passing the time. After a week long trip I would bring the parts home and install them on my airplane. I also did the same thing if I had long layovers with my airline Job. There is nothing like being productive while away from home.

Patrick
 
Whacha buildin' now?

Vic,
Your signature doesn't give us a hint of what you are working on now. Curious minds in Cleveland want to know :)
BTW it was minus 15 degrees here the other day. . .come on now, fess up, don't you miss the Northcoast ? ? ? :rolleyes:
Regards,
Bernie Ockuly
Strongsville, Ohio
RV7A, N914E, 530 hrs, 1,140 landings, 1,203 rolls, 106 gallons of smoke oil, since 9/11/05
L.G.I.T.W.
 
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