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Naimanator

Traveling with rig through Reykjavik Iceland Airport?

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I'm heading to Switzerland in a couple of weeks and I'll be flying Icelandair through Reykjavik to Zurich. I plan to take my rig with me in my carry-on luggage. I will be removing the hook knife and placing that in checked luggage, and I have the FAA card and x-ray card from Vigil for the AAD. I'm just wondering if anyone has taken a rig through Reykjavik and if they encountered any troubles with security or customs personnel.

Thanks!

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In my experience, going from the US is not a problem. The problem is when you're originating in the EU, or going through second security check in Europe (both Germany and UK do that, even if you're on a transfer flight, never leave the demarcated security zone and have gone through the security check before boarding your originating flight). Unlike the TSA, which has actual, consistent and enforced rules for skydiving rigs, the European security officers don't actually work to any particular standard, and there's no appeal process of any sort. I've had supervisors explicitly refuse to intervene when individual officers made mutually exclusive decisions on gear, and I've seen 1 rig out of a group of 13 not pass through the UK check. I've had my rig refused "because it has cables and springs" (I'm not making it up), and I've had my forgotten hook knife refused whilst the person in front of me was let through with a 45cm pair of metalworking pliers because "it's work tools".

Most likely, you'll have no problem whatsoever boarding the plane in the US, at most they might want to see your x-ray card and do an explosive swab, but you run the risk of not being able to make it back (and have no way of predicting when it's likely to happen). My personal recommendation is to check it in, tie pull up cords around the handles, and leave little notes on your handles and the AAD labelling them as emergency safety equipment and asking the personnel not to fuck with them without your being present. That's what I've been doing, and I've had much less (ie. none) grief than trying to fly from Europe with the rig as carry on.
"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

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Hi , i traveled Düsseldorf - Barcelona - Düsseldorf with my Rig in the Cabin , in Düsseldorf was it easy the first security woman was not sure about taking a rig in the cabin then she asked her co-worker and he said all is fine.

The way back from Barcelona to Düsseldorf was a bit moredifficult , the securityman couldnt speak a lot of english (much more worse than me ^^) , he just said many times : What ist it? Open it ! I said no there is no chance that i open it and i showed him the cypres xray card and some other documents but he didnt understand what is it , then i showed him fotos in facebook where i fly my canopy , he was not real interested and he rattled on my rig and the handles (i puttet shoestrings on my handles) after the 5. or 6. Time he sayed open it i just tooked my rig and walked away hahaha but then this idiot followed me , then he said show me the card again (cypres) and then he said ok have a good flight. That was very stressfull... 1. July i fly again to Barcelona nd i think i put my rig in the check in luggage but im very afraid that my suitcase can get lost and i loose some 1000 euro ... both ways are stressfull traveling with skydiving gear ... I will gibe you news when im back from empuriabrava ;-)

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