Traveling with gear.

[skittles_of_SDC 0]

When traveling with your rig do you check it or take it carry on?

[NealFitz 0]

depends what airline you travel on can be checked in as sports baggage- some airlines allow it as check in into the passenger cabin if it meets size requirements. if you do this, bring your xray card with ya showing the details of your AAD. but usually its ok in the hold of the aircraft (make sure your aad is off first )

Dudeist Skydiver #170
You do not need a parachute to skydive, you only need one to skydive again

[pilotdave 0]

I always always always carry on. Never had any problems, even flying international. Well, I was over the weight limit for carry-ons on Swissair (by a pound or so). But they eventually let me on when I started asking about insurance for checked bags.

Dave

[druvaughn 0]

I travel with a rig once a month or so, domestic US flights. Always carry on with Spirit or USAir.

Haven't had an issue at SWF, LGA, MYR, ILM, Syracuse or Albany.

I have found they don't look at my AAD X-Ray card, but I always have it with me.

Both the FAA and UPSA have docs that are nice to have that address carrying on your rig. Sorry I can't point you directly to the links but both are easy to find on those sites.

Enjoy the trip.

Best,
Dru

-
-
"Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical."

[tigra 0]

The few times I have traveled with my rig, I carried it on. I have one of those wheeled travel bags that just barely qualifies as carry on size, and my rig plus a jumpsuit fits in there pretty well. (A more traditional gear bag is usually too big and bulky.) Of course, with all the new rules its better to ask first and/ or be prepared to check it if you have to.

I've heard some horror stories about airport security wanting to open reserves and stuff. When we went to Mexico for a boogie a couple of years ago, it helped that we were getting on a charter flight full of skydivers. By the time we went through security, they had already seen a whole bunch of rigs and didn't even bat an eye at ours!

[rhys 0]

I (we) used to carry on our rig/s. Until august 2006 when some idiot tried to blow up a plane with liquid explosives. Since then we have had nothing but trouble, almost missed a flight due to this. I would suggest checking you rig if you are on a tight schedule or have little time between connecting flights.

It really comes down to the opinion of the person you are dealing with at the time, it is incredible what comes out of some whuffo's mouths!

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[Danger 0]

I check the rig. Camera helmet bag goes carry-on.

[NWFlyer 2]

http://www.uspa.org/membership/travel/rigs.htm#tsa

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1147.shtm

Read both of those. Print out the TSA page, and carry it with you. If you have an AAD, if you don't already have one, get a copy of the x-ray card from your manufacturer. Those should be available for download on their websites or you may be able to ask them to send you a copy.

I always carry my rig on, and I've traveled quite a bit with my rig in the U.S., and a few times to Canada. The only times I've been forced to check it are coming from Canada (Toronto, specifically) back into the US on Air Canada, and that had to do with carry-on weight restrictions (10kg/22lbs) not the fact that it was a rig. I have a rolling case that is the largest carry-on size and my rig just barely fits in it.

I've never actually had any problems, although sometimes I've come close. I'm guessing here based on memory:

25% of the time - the rig goes through the x-ray and is not pulled off the belt.
60% of the time - the rig goes through the x-ray and is pulled off the belt for secondary screening and the screener and/or supervisor just wants to swab the rig and it's a quick process and we're done. Sometimes you even get to have a fun chat about skydiving or it might be the first real rig they've seen outside of training and they're really excited.
14% of the time - the rig goes through the x-ray and the screener doesn't know what they're looking at and you think it's going to go badly ... till they call the supervisor over and the supervisor says "Yeah, so what. It's a parachute. Swab it."
1% of the time - the rig goes through the x-ray and I have to talk someone off of some sort of ledge. But it's generally not a major deal if you're able to remain calm and polite and have a conversation (as much as you want to throttle people).

Once, in Boston, I had a set of screeners overreact to my AAD and the way they described it to their supervisor, he felt it wasn't something that he wanted to allow as a carry-on. I tried to show him the AAD card and he wasn't interested and was going to make me check the rig. But once he put the rig back through the x-ray himself and looked at the picture, he scoffed and said "You're fine."

Another time I had a supervisor ask me for my "orders." I had to let her know that I was under no one's orders... that I did this for fun. She came the closest to wanting me to open my reserve, and in fact pointed out in the TSA letter that she did, indeed have the right to do so. I mentioned that I'd have to get an FAA certified rigger to repack the reserve for me, and that ended that debate.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[grannyinthesky 0]

I flew with mine for the first time last month and checked it. Not too much later, I hear my name being called over the loud speaker. It turns out the person inspecting it didn't know it was a parachute and stared opening it. Fortunately, he started with the pin on the main and not the reserve. I wasn't a happy camper!!!!!

"safety first... and What the hell.....
safety second, Too!!! " ~~jmy

POPS #10490

[skittles_of_SDC 0]

Thanks everybody for your insights. Has anyone that has checked theirs had a problem with the pins being accidentally pulled out or dislodged in the hold. I mean if you've ever seen how they store cargo... *shudders*.
A few of you have mentioned your rigs are just small enough to go carry-on which kinda worries me because, well containers sized for 210's aren't exactly small.

[pilotdave 0]

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25% of the time - the rig goes through the x-ray and is not pulled off the belt.

That's more like 90+% of the time for me. I've had them back the machine up and have someone else take a look at the x-ray, but I don't think I've ever had them actually take the bag off the machine and look at it, let alone swab it. At most I've gotten "is that a parachute? Thanks! We've never seen one before!"

Most of the time my rig doesn't get any more scrutiny than my bag of dirty laundry (on the way home, of course). I always wonder if they're so well trained that they instantly know to let it through, or if they're so poorly trained that they don't notice there's anything funny about that bag.

Dave

[millertimeunc 0]

Same story here. 90+% of the time, they don't even slow the conveyor belt down. Try bringins some knitting needles on, however, and you're getting a cavity search!

The best things in life are dangerous.

[NWFlyer 2]

Seems to vary airport to airport. Sea-Tac (which, being my home base, represents, roughly half of that data) used to be pretty much an automatic swab. Lately they seem to be moving more and more into the "ignore" category. But for all practical purposes, the difference between ignore and "pull it off and swab" is 2 minutes. I've found the overwhelming majority of screeners very respectful and careful when handling the rig - most don't even pull it out of the suitcase to swab it.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[humanflite 0]

Get prepared for a surprise if you travel to or in the uK then folks
Several airlines (easy jet is the first that springs to mind) have forbidden parachutes to be carried as hand luggage and they HAVE to be checked into the hold with main luggage.

When (when ive got my own as opposed to rental gear) I do eventually fly with my own rig I think I will repack it on arrival ... 'just to be sure' it hasnt been touched.

[skittles_of_SDC 0]

How are you supposed to save your ass if the fuselage rips open and there is catastrophic depressurization and the plane starts to go down? I guess you gotta break into the hold dig around for your rig, get back out to the hole and then jump.

[Kerrida 0]

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How are you supposed to save your ass if the fuselage rips open and there is catastrophic depressurization and the plane starts to go down? I guess you gotta break into the hold dig around for your rig, get back out to the hole and then jump.

I have been planning to use something like that as explanation to my SO when I tell her again that I wanna go jump out of a plane.

"But think about it.. if I know how to jump, I'll be prepared when I'm flying for business and something happens..."

Of course at the time I'll find something wittier and more amusing to say, but well, gotta find some way to make her grin about the idea. Amuses me that she's worried about skydiving safety, when we both helped run a Skycoaster wherein it's two carabiners keepin ya from the ground. She's the one that even got me to ride it for the first time.

However, after all the reading I've done now, I'm much better prepared to discuss the safety issues with her. So pretty much just like we refute people's fears of Skycoaster being entirely unsafe (of course there's risk involved), I should be able to do the same here.

Overall though, I'm enjoying this thread since I was curious about this myself. If I get to the point of having my own rig, I'd definitely feel much better having it as carry-on than stowed away.

[kelpdiver 2]

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A few of you have mentioned your rigs are just small enough to go carry-on which kinda worries me because, well containers sized for 210's aren't exactly small.

I've yet to have trouble with my 210/220 Wings, though in this new environment of charged luggage, its weight and size potentially could be trouble.

Who has been flying a lot since this crazy policy went in? What's happening with the carryon scene?

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

Quote

A few of you have mentioned your rigs are just small enough to go carry-on which kinda worries me because, well containers sized for 210's aren't exactly small.

I've yet to have trouble with my 210/220 Wings, though in this new environment of charged luggage, its weight and size potentially could be trouble.

Who has been flying a lot since this crazy policy went in? What's happening with the carryon scene?

Carry-ons are where they're not charging ... yet. I have a Wings with a 210/218 and as stated earlier it'll fit into a legal size roller suitcase; another option is a backpack or duffel that's of legal dimensions, but I find the roller bag the easiest to schlep and allows me to have my shoulders free to toss a laptop bag over.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[iamsam 0]

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Get prepared for a surprise if you travel to or in the uK then folks
Several airlines (easy jet is the first that springs to mind) have forbidden parachutes to be carried as hand luggage and they HAVE to be checked into the hold with main luggage.

I flew easyjet to Spain a couple of months ago, out from Luton returning to Heathrow with my rig as carry on. It was in a rig bag so no easyjet staff actually got to see it, but I can't see anything on their website prohibiting parachutes as carry on. The only time I've checked it in was after being sent back at the x-ray machine having been told it was the airports policy not to allow them as carry on. Probably because ryan-air was giving them a bung for doing so as this was at a relatively small airport after a boogie so lots of skydivers = lots of sports baggage allowance extra charges.

fuckers

but what do I know