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JJohnson

The ignorant TSA Nazis

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This past week I had to fly out to North Carolina for business. No rig with me, but I did get to experience the new f*cknuts TSA monkeys. I AM NOT impressed. A bunch of low wage self-important know everything idiots. I'll start at the begining:

1) I got time to kill at O'hare, so I duck outside to smoke. In the little heated corral are THREE TSA monkeys. None of them are young idiots, all are men. One appears to be a supervisor of some sort. I strike up a conversation with them and explain I am a skydiver and ask what their experience or knowledge is with sport parachutes and carrying them onboard aircraft.

2) After much talk between them, none of them can come up with anything other than, " Well if it came through my station I wouldn't find anything wrong with it."
So right now it appears as if it is a matter of their personal preference.....

3) Sitting off to one side is a 500 pound waste of space who opens up his mouth...for something other than the intake of food (I know, he can't help it he probably has a gland problem)
He pipes in and says that parachutes are strictly against their SOP (standard operating procedures for you civilians). The other three quickly chime in that Fred (the fatass) knows everything if anybody does.....I congratulate Fred on knowing a cool acronym, and agree with him that I don't think TSA people wearing parachutes would be good SOP. But what about FAA regs? What do they say about parachutes.
Fred can't come up with anything other than his own official knowledge.

4) Latter on while boarding I get the "random" inspection. HAHAHAHA. Like I wasn't expecting it. The barely English speaking monkey going through my briefcase is so upset that I'm not smuggling something, proceeds to tell me that I can't carry on more than one book of matches. There were three in my briefcase. So I told her fine, throw two out....like I friggin care. I got a lighter and only resort to the matches if I can't get the plane burning with my Zippo. HAHAHAHAHA

I remember reading long ago, somewhere..where it said that the only person allowed to refuse a parachute as a carry on item is the pilot of that aircraft. I know I have seen this in writing and I swear it was in the FAR's.
Anyone got this? I think it is pretty much the only protection we have in bringing rigs through security. It was the only advice fatass could give me, as he said that a copy of the FAA regs would be the only way that HE would allow one to pass. So if you get a TSA person that actually can read, it might work.
BTW, I looked up TSA's website and parachutes are not restricted. But they can always cover that by claiming the list on their site is not updated or all inclusive. I think the FAA regs would be better.
Regualr matches were not limited either..........

JJ
JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

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I know this is correct...but where is it in writing? I've been pouring over the FAR's and TSA's website and cannot find it.
I seriously think that if it is in the FAA regs, carrying a copy of it would pretty much shut the TSA people up.

JJ
JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

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Your right Jeff....the captain does have the final say so on what can and can not be on His/Her airplane...



To a point. I'm pretty sure, for example, that a pilot can not allow you to bring your own gun on board.

Federal law trumps FAR's. More specifically, what the TSA THINKS is federal law trumps the FAR's. Welcome to the new reality.

_Am
__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

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A bunch of low wage self-important know everything idiots.



That's generally been my impression of them, and I'm a sweet girl who tries to see the best in people.

I've found them to be breathtakingly ignorant, assholes, or both. I really don't want to ever try to carry my gear on board again after the last time I tried. I was told I couldn't carry my (mainless) rig on the plane a) because I might pull a D.B. Cooper and b) the "compressed gas" in the Cypres was forbidden. No amount of explaining would placate these jerks, who really just seemed glad to have found something. "We stopped a bad guy today! Probably saved the lives of everyone on that plane!"
Skydiving is for cool people only

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The impression I was getting was that nobody there really knew shit. Something in writing, by the FAA would certainly be the best ammo we could currently have. And I KNOW I have read that bit specifically about parachutes and the pilot and I swear it was in the FAA's stuff.
According to the tubby TSA dude, it would be what he based his decision on at the time....what the FAA said and if the airlines said okay. Until some communication occurs between the USPA, FAA and TSA I think it's going to be hit and miss for us jumpers.
The matches thing was a prime example. If they are unaware of their own prohibited items, they are going to make whatever choice they think is rioght at the time.
According to TSA's website a corkscrew is LEGAL to take onboard. I am pretty confident that you would have that confiscatated immediately.

JJ
JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

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Hey you guys, They were ignorant a little bit with me in Palm Springs, CA last weekend but I still got my rig onboard after one of the TSA supervisors said to let me through as the parachutes are OK and that Cypres is non hazardous and airliners have plug-type doors etc. These people (X-Ray Screeners) did not want to see all the paperwork I had from the USPA and Cypres. I called the TSA security director for Palm Springs on Tuesday. He said that after the work that USPA has been doing with TSA guidelines for transporting parachutes are coming form TSA withing the next two weeks. End of Story.


Chris

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>I remember reading long ago, somewhere..where it said that the only person
>allowed to refuse a parachute as a carry on item is the pilot of that aircraft.

Uh, no. The ticket agent, security screener, heck, even an airport cop can tell you you can't take something on the plane. The pilot is the final authority; if he says no there is no recourse. But you can't get the TSA to listen to them, whether it's a parachute, trombone, oxygen tank or a pair of snowshoes. Their job, right or wrong, is to keep certain items from getting through the security checkpoint, and that job does not include checking with the pilot.

Putting my rig in a bag and just sending it through seems to work 90% of the time for me. It's always a crap shoot.

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