Anyone traveled with rig since hightened security?

[kansasskydiver 0]

Just curious if anyone has flown with their rig since the new security level. Any problems? What airline, airport etc.

I'm flying United on Monday and there are 3 of us traveling with rigs, just curious if it's gotten any worse or just the same

chris

<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

[quade 3]

Follow the travel recommendations on the USPA web site and you -should- have very few problems.

If you do have problems, remain calm and ask to speak with a TSA supervisor. If you continue to have problems, remain calm, do what they ask you to do which may include opening everything including your reserve, take names and report the situation to Ed Scott at the USPA as quickly as feasible.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kansasskydiver 0]

Thanks for the advice, I've got all my paper-work in order, printed off the documentation from the TSA.gov site and have my membership card and cypres card ready as well. Just curious if anyone had run into any troubles. I personally haven't before, but know others have, especially when traveling in a group the security screeners were known to freak out when it's a number of rigs and not just one...

hopefully that all got straightened out, just more concerned about code orange now as the security level

<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

[kansasskydiver 0]

bump... anyone gotten to eloy that flew and carried on their rigs? any trouble in the airports?

<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

[CDRINF 1]

Flew out of KCI to Phoenix on Saturday on America West. Zero problems! My wife's totebag got more attention than my rig.

CDR

[kansasskydiver 0]

Thanks Chris that helps a lot as we'll be flying out of KCI in the afternoon

Have fun everyone at the boogie!

<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

[DanDruff 0]

Just went to Ohau with my rig last week. had 2 security check points each way, had no problems what so ever. Most security personell just thought i was crazy, and they asked all kinds of skydiving questions, it was not nearly as bad as i thought it was going to be. you should have no problems.

[TaeKwonDoDo 0]

I went to eloy (via PHX/SWA) from SJC last week and had no almost no issues on the way there... I didn't have the rig bagged up cause it was easier to just throw it on my back and carry my and my wife's luggage... so it was obvious to everyone what I was carrying on (got a lot of weird looks though as I boarded the plane).

The TSA guy at X-RAY at SJC wanted to swab it was all (the ADD looks like a modified explosive device in the x-ray, the tech told me - but the guy had seen it before so they just swabbed it and I was on my way).

The way back was a different story though as some brand-new dumb-assed USTA "Kid" wanted to impress his boss and coworkers -

I had made it through X-Ray in PHX and most of the TSA staff was just joking along with me about my "fear of flying" and then this Kid says to me, "Whoa whoa whoa...I gotta check this out for one of those CO2 thingy's. You can't fly it on a plane if it has one of those CO2 thingy's in it. I need to inspect it again. We may have to open it too..."

What the phuck is a "CO2 thingy?"

So he sent it through X-Ray again and then had the chem checker swab it. Meanwhile I gave the Super there the USTA letter (which suprisingly enough, he had never seen before).

It all went well, but that but-head kid really pissed me off (and I think a few of his co-workers were actually laughing at him). What really scares me though is that this kid would probably let Osama walk right through while he's busting someone else's balls (out of ignorance).

Bring the letter, Bag the rig if you can.

- Jeff

"That's not flying, it's falling with style."

[TitaniumLegs 8]

Quote

What the phuck is a "CO2 thingy?"

The CO2 cartridge question has been a bigger issue for jumpers than explosives, and probably the only bigger issue we've had was SWA and the CYPRES battery, which I won't go into now.

Some military equipment has a cartridge for the flotation gear. At some point in the murky past, some genius read about it and assumed that all or most rigs have a cartridge. The regulations in many airline baggage policies, including SWA list "parachute - without cartridge" as a permitted device.

Your flotation gear is not permitted in checked or carryon with the cartridge installed, but that should not affect the rest of your rig getting on the plane.

If bonehead junior TSA boy had looked at the x-ray properly, he would have seen that there was no cartridge, since they show up clearly. If he did more than x-ray the rig again, he needs some serious training.

We had the same problem with SWA/PHX a couple years ago. That seems to be the worst airport and airline for these problems, which is odd considering how much of the stuff they should see being the major airport servicing Eloy.

(>o|-<

If you don't believe me, ask me.

[Zeemax 0]

ahhhhhhhhhhh thats what she was talking about! Last time i went through DC, they screened my bag as normal, but the op was obviously new.

She stoped the belt and called someone over who told what it was and it was nothing to worry about.

The bag came out then the belt stopped again. Another TSA op came over and asked whose bag it was, i said, if your looking for the rig its in this bag, and pointed at mine.

She looked at me, almost pissed off, and said.. no... not that bag, unless your carrying a co2 cylinder. I said no, and she said, on your way then.

I couldn't work it out. So thanks for clearing that up

Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies