Can you take a handheld transceiver on a commercial flight?

[Yariv]

Hi all,

in preparation for a ferry flight I would like to bring along a few important items on the airline flight- CO detector, and a handheld radio. Has anyone taken these items on a commercial flight, either carry-on or checked luggage?

a quick search on TSA site shows that radios are ok in either checked or carry-on, but I don’t trust these results.

thanks,

Yariv

[Marc_B]

@Yariv I’ve flown with my flight bag with pulse ox, handheld radio, backup battery, cords, iPad, headset. No issues. Denver, Austin, DFW.

edit: I carried on and didn’t check. 

[LANCECASPER]

10 minutes ago, Yariv said:

Hi all,

in preparation for a ferry flight I would like to bring along a few important items on the airline flight- CO detector, and a handheld radio. Has anyone taken these items on a commercial flight, either carry-on or checked luggage?

a quick search on TSA site shows that radios are ok in either checked or carry-on, but I don’t trust these results.

thanks,

Yariv

Checked for sure. I can't see why not for carry-on.

[Yariv]

@Marc_B - they were ok with Aerox portable oxygen tank?

[Marc_B]

@Yariv Finger pulse oximeter. Measures oxygen saturation. 

[Yariv]

1 minute ago, Marc_B said:

@Yariv Finger pulse oximeter. Measures oxygen saturation. 

Sorry, missed that and read what I wanted to hear:-). 

[PeteMc]

I've carried on a Hand Held, nothing that says you can't.  There are Regs that say you can not OPERATE a transceiver, but nothing that says you can have one in your bag.

 

[Hector]

Same here. I have carried my flight bag with the hand held radio in the side pocket on a commercial flight and TSA had no issue with it at all.


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[PeteMc]

1 hour ago, Hector said:

TSA had no issue with it at all.

TSA probably doesn't have a clue!!!  The Cockpit Crew might... 

 

[201Steve]

121.5 let ‘em know to quit hitting pot holes and it’s time for a refill on my Diet Coke. 

[A64Pilot]

When I ferried aircraft I carried my portable avionics, radio, transponder, PLB, couple of handheld GPS’s etc. Only problem I ever had was the homeland security idiots clearing customs in ATL, never had an issue getting on. Of course you can’t turn it on when you can’t your cell phone etc.

You CANNOT carry an O2 bottle, not even in checked baggage, they stole mine, were supposed to ship it but never did. You can carry it if the valve is removed, which is easy on a SCUBA tank as they are machine thread, but our O2 tanks are pipe thread and your not getting that valve out without some kind of big vise or something and a really big wrench.

In their defense you could hide a really powerful bomb in an O2 bottle.

[Rwsavory]

Several years ago, I was AOG in the Chicago area with a broken steering link. It was going to be a while before we could get the part, so I took a taxi to O’Hare for the ride back home. I had my flight bag with me with GPS, radio, survival kit, including matches, fishing hooks, a Leatherman with saw blade, etc. I just cruised on through TSA. In my rush to get through the airport, I forgot I had the naughty things in the bag. I think it helped that I had a very expensive ticket and there was a separate line for first class. 

[Fly Boomer]

10 hours ago, Yariv said:

Hi all,

in preparation for a ferry flight I would like to bring along a few important items on the airline flight- CO detector, and a handheld radio. Has anyone taken these items on a commercial flight, either carry-on or checked luggage?

a quick search on TSA site shows that radios are ok in either checked or carry-on, but I don’t trust these results.

thanks,

Yariv

Lots of good answers above.  I would just add that you might want to give yourself a few extra minutes to get through TSA -- you might have some questions like "what is this, and what is it used for".

Also, TSA says no lithium batteries in checked luggage, so you should keep batteries in your carry-on.  I guess they figure if the battery bursts into flames, they can handle the emergency better if they can see it.  If something bad happens in the baggage compartment...

[A64Pilot]

In my case I was always getting on the aircraft with the avionics overseas, never had a problem then from Central and South America, never an issue.

It was the idiots in ATL that were the issue when I was getting off. Finally I had enough after trying more than once to explain what those radios in racks and all the wiring was and said Don’t all hijackers carry their own radios? She didn’t think that was funny, pretty sure I was put on some kind of list because for a couple of years I got “special attention”

The worse abuse I saw though was years ago when the no liquids thing was instituted. People getting off the International flights would get their duty free bottles of liquor, then after getting through customs etc go onto their next flight, where of course no liquids are allowed, so the expensive bottles of liquor were confiscated, they had huge piles of confiscated liquor, had large containers filled with it at the security check points. Think just maybe they should have been advised when they were buying it that if they had a connecting flight that it would be confiscated?

In Atl for some reason when you get in from an International flight you had to hand carry your checked bags from where it was dropped off across a room and put it on a conveyor belt for domestic flights. Apparently even though there were no signs saying you couldn’t but you’re not allowed to open the bags. I realized that stupidly I had left my truck keys in my checked bag and if they lost the bag of course I would be stuck, so I opened by bag and got the keys out, and they had a fit. So I threw it right back at them telling them that if they didn’t want me to open my bags, then why isn’t there a sign saying I can’t? I mean think about it, what idiot not only gave me access to the bags, but required me to drag them across a room?

I realize that you’re allowed to ship a firearm in checked baggage and you could get to one that way, so why are you required to carry your bags across the room? Seems stupid to me for them to allow you access to your bags?

The Atl Homeland security/ CBP were idiots, once they grounded every Delta regional jet, seems one of them used the angle of attack indicator to stand on so they could peer into the cockpit and look for contraband, well after a few failed the sensors on run up Delta grounded every one of course to investigate why suddenly there was a rash of angle of attack sensors.

I had one of them unknowing to me open my life raft that was in checked baggage, it was returned to me in a taped ball, because they didn’t even try to put it back into its bag.

 

[LANCECASPER]

Shortly after 9/11 I had a small fingernail clippers confiscated. 

"Take this airplane to Havana or I swear I'll cut your cuticles too short!!"

[EricJ]

15 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

Shortly after 9/11 I had a small fingernail clippers confiscated. 

"Take this airplane to Havana or I swear I'll cut your cuticles too short!!"

I used to have a really slick little pocket knife that had some nice tools in it, like a nail file and a cutter.   It was tiny and super useful.   TSA took it many years ago.    I'm still sad about that.

[Fly Boomer]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

Shortly after 9/11 I had a small fingernail clippers confiscated. 

"Take this airplane to Havana or I swear I'll cut your cuticles too short!!"

Like most security organizations, they don't really know what to do, so they do everything they can think of, and then try to feel good about it.

[AIREMATT]

13 hours ago, Fly Boomer said:

Lots of good answers above.  I would just add that you might want to give yourself a few extra minutes to get through TSA -- you might have some questions like "what is this, and what is it used for".

Also, TSA says no lithium batteries in checked luggage, so you should keep batteries in your carry-on.  I guess they figure if the battery bursts into flames, they can handle the emergency better if they can see it.  If something bad happens in the baggage compartment...

Remember Valujet in the Everglades that had tires in the cargo hold that burned when a bundle of live oxygen generators that were supposed to be empty oxygen generators were activated?

Lithium batteries have the same effect on burnable items if they have a thermal runaway.

In the belly, you can’t do anything to stop it because the fire suppressant doesn’t cool and surround the batteries to keep them from burning everything in their proximity. Kind of like an EV catching fire and the fire department spraying water on it periodically while they let it burn for hours to let it burn itself out. Burning metal doesn’t go out with water sprayed on it very well unfortunately.

[PeteMc]

3 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

Shortly after 9/11 I had a small fingernail clippers confiscated. 

But NEVER the knitting needles!!!  I just shook my head every time the TSA agent waved them through.

 

 

[N201MKTurbo]

My old laptop bag had a compartment where I threw all my loose change. I must have gone through security at least 100 times with that bag. One day I was cleaning it out and found an ANA steak knife in with the change. It had gone through security for at least 5 years. 

[PeteMc]

32 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

My old laptop bag had a compartment where I threw all my loose change. I must have gone through security at least 100 times with that bag. One day I was cleaning it out and found an ANA steak knife in with the change. It had gone through security for at least 5 years. 

It didn't take 5 years, but easily could have been 50 or so trips through security when at one event someone needed an odd older adapter of some type.  Though I probably had one and started pulling everything out of my computer bag.  In one of the pockets kind of folded under the pocket behind it I found my serrated pocket knife that I couldn't find for quite a while.  

 

[GeeBee]

22 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

n Atl for some reason when you get in from an International flight you had to hand carry your checked bags from where it was dropped off across a room and put it on a conveyor belt for domestic flights. Apparently even though there were no signs saying you couldn’t but you’re not allowed to open the bags. I realized that stupidly I had left my truck keys in my checked bag and if they lost the bag of course I would be stuck, so I opened by bag and got the keys out, and they had a fit. So I threw it right back at them telling them that if they didn’t want me to open my bags, then why isn’t there a sign saying I can’t? I mean think about it, what idiot not only gave me access to the bags, but required me to drag them across a room?

That is because you are required to claim your bag from an international flight to create a chain of custody for Customs. If your bag contained contraband and you did not claim it, Customs has little to no case against you. They already know what is in the bag, they want to know if you will claim it as your own. Equally so, it allows Agriculture with their dog to sweep your bag as you take it across the hall. That Beagle as cute as he is, has busted a lot of people. LOL!

[Brandt]

11 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

Shortly after 9/11 I had a small fingernail clippers confiscated. 

"Take this airplane to Havana or I swear I'll cut your cuticles too short!!"

My friend who was an AA pilot had his pocket knife confiscated on his way to captain a flight.  He told TSA they could have it, but needed to know if they also wanted him to go get the fire axe from the cockpit?

[neilpilot]

Years ago I parked my M20E in the Dominican Republic, and carried my flight bag over to security for an airline flight back to Miami.  Security inspected my flight bag, and had no issue with my handheld transceiver, GPS, headset and various other accessories.  However, they did confiscate several spare batteries I carried for my flashlight.  I think the agent had no use for my expensive pilot gear, but could use some extra batteries.  

[wombat]

1 hour ago, Brandt said:

My friend who was an AA pilot had his pocket knife confiscated on his way to captain a flight.  He told TSA they could have it, but needed to know if they also wanted him to go get the fire axe from the cockpit?

When travelling for the Army on contract flights, we all carried our weapons, with ammunition.  M4's, M9's, etc.  But they made us take our multi-tools out of our pockets and put them in our luggage.