Can you take a handheld transceiver on a commercial flight?

[dkkim73]

1 hour ago, wombat said:

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.

Ah, the bureaucratic mind. Even if you find a reasonable individual, you can see the mental strain that discussing it causes them. 

Notice something else? The little rules always accrete, and never get pared back. 

Seen it in medicine, seen it in government/mil. This is a big reason IMO to resist adding rigid rules in every organization you touch. There is always an excuse to keep it ("security", "liability", "safety" [love that one]...)

And to keep it on topic (ish): I recently tried to test my new Sentry Plus on a commercial flight. I admitted to some trepidation as I got some funny looks from the other passengers  And you never know when to joke in those situations, esp. these days. "I'm remotely controlling the plane, where do you want to go?"

 

[A64Pilot]

4 hours ago, GeeBee said:

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!

I figured it had to be a chain of custody, but it makes no sense.

Being that you moved it and not them you can’t claim that they did and put the drugs inside

Except “they” did move the bags, that’s how they got to the room.

I think maybe it’s just easier for them, the bags come to the room, you put them on one conveyor to be picked up at the baggage pick up, you can’t take them because you have to walk through the terminal

Or you put them on the conveyor for connecting flights.

I did take my bag once that had my tools in it, no problem until I had to go through security again to go through the terminal and they started removing tools they thought was dangerous like screwdrivers. I had to go back like a fish swimming uphill and put the bag on the conveyor for the baggage pick up. The fact that I wasn’t getting on a flight was of course irrelevant, I guess I could have slipped someone a screwdriver.

Flew to Cyprus to help in their Annual, once there they pulled me off and were real concerned I was carrying soft lead diving weights in my carry on. I explained I was going to dive the Zenobia and that I didn’t put them in checked bags because Inwould exceed the weight limit, but as carry ons aren’t weighed I wouldn't. 

I don’t have a clue what they thought you could do with bags full of #9 birdshot though, how could that be a weapon?

It got even more interesting the next day when I went to get my security pass the next day. They wanted ID, so as I was getting a pass as a mechanic I gave them my mechanics license. They got concerned with that, ended up going to see the supervisor who went and got a guard, he looked at the card, then me. Finally he demanded to know why my license had a picture of someone else on it. That confused me for a sec. but I remembered that Orville and Wilbur Wright’s pictures were on it. I laughed and told him it was their pictures and got a stern look as he had no idea who that was.

I explained but I don’t think he was pleased.

[A64Pilot]

2 hours ago, wombat said:

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.

I remember walking around the airport in El Paso on coming back from the field, we stopped there for fuel, thought nothing of it until I noticed were were getting strange looks, we all had our weapons of course, pilots M-9’s and Enlisted were carrying their M-16’s.

Just seemed normal to us.

I guess the public was curious why the Army was wandering around in the airport armed. This was years before 911.

When flying Commercial to pick up new Apaches and bring them back to Ft. Hood we carried our helmets and survival vests of course. We had to leave the flares at home, but the big Kbar knife was fine, before 911

Army contract flights are different, different rules apparently, the couple of times I deployed that way we all were armed, knives included, no ammo though or we weren’t issued any anyway.

[Will.iam]

TSA is not the sharpest by any means. Was going to travel back home after a trip and had a bottle of water in my flight bag. Did not matter that i had my flight badge said i had to be in uniform, so i went back to the restroom put on my uniform and then he proceeded to let me through with my bottle of water. They have to be not the brightest or they would quit and get a job that paid better.  

[GeeBee]

3 hours ago, wombat said:

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.

One time I as carrying a charter of Indiana National Guard just back from the Sandbox. We landed in Indianapolis and for some reason they had to go through TSA. They had their weapons with them and the TSA insisted this Sergeant put his SAW through the X-Ray. I burst out laughing and the TSA guy said, "Well there could be a round in the chamber". I said, "The cycle the bolt and if there is a round it will eject, you're not going to see a round on that X-ray inside the receiver of a SAW.". They don't listen.

[GeeBee]

2 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

I figured it had to be a chain of custody, but it makes no sense.

Being that you moved it and not them you can’t claim that they did and put the drugs inside

Except “they” did move the bags, that’s how they got to the room.

I think maybe it’s just easier for them, the bags come to the room, you put them on one conveyor to be picked up at the baggage pick up, you can’t take them because you have to walk through the terminal

Or you put them on the conveyor for connecting flights.

I did take my bag once that had my tools in it, no problem until I had to go through security again to go through the terminal and they started removing tools they thought was dangerous like screwdrivers. I had to go back like a fish swimming uphill and put the bag on the conveyor for the baggage pick up. The fact that I wasn’t getting on a flight was of course irrelevant, I guess I could have slipped someone a screwdriver.

Flew to Cyprus to help in their Annual, once there they pulled me off and were real concerned I was carrying soft lead diving weights in my carry on. I explained I was going to dive the Zenobia and that I didn’t put them in checked bags because Inwould exceed the weight limit, but as carry ons aren’t weighed I wouldn't. 

I don’t have a clue what they thought you could do with bags full of #9 birdshot though, how could that be a weapon?

It got even more interesting the next day when I went to get my security pass the next day. They wanted ID, so as I was getting a pass as a mechanic I gave them my mechanics license. They got concerned with that, ended up going to see the supervisor who went and got a guard, he looked at the card, then me. Finally he demanded to know why my license had a picture of someone else on it. That confused me for a sec. but I remembered that Orville and Wilbur Wright’s pictures were on it. I laughed and told him it was their pictures and got a stern look as he had no idea who that was.

I explained but I don’t think he was pleased.

No, they want to document you tried to take it in the country. Customs can move contraband all over the place and it is not a crime. You try to move it on US soil and it is a crime. You are instantly "trafficking". Here are a few other tips. When you present yourself before CBP, you may have a US Passport, but you are not a US citizen until he says you are, by accepting your passport. You are "persona non grata" for those few minutes. Equally so, you are the agents case and no one, not even his superior can take you away from him/her. This dates back to the days when Customs officers got a cut of the collected duty. He/she can relinquish you for instance to "secondary" but if he/she takes you into custody, you are his/her real until they relinquish you either by resolving your case and sending you off to holding.  

In addition as you remember prior to the construction of concourse F and the International terminal there was no baggage X-Ray on that end of the field, so if you were connecting they wanted you to place the bag on the conveyor as it went straight to your connecting concourse. That is why you could not open your bag and add contents.

ATL has a total seal on the SIDA area now. This was due to employees trafficking contraband, mostly guns. 

[skydvrboy]

Personally, I like to pull up LiveATC.net on my phone and listen in to the pilots that way.  I've had other passengers ask me about it but never crew.

I also often take my GPS and use it to track our flight on my iPad.  The only time a flight attendant ever complained was when I stuck it to the window for better reception. 

[N201MKTurbo]

11 hours ago, skydvrboy said:

Personally, I like to pull up LiveATC.net on my phone and listen in to the pilots that way.  I've had other passengers ask me about it but never crew.

I also often take my GPS and use it to track our flight on my iPad.  The only time a flight attendant ever complained was when I stuck it to the window for better reception. 

I stick my stratus up to the window all the time. The flight attendants never give me grief about it. Once there was a guy two rows up doing the same thing...

[wombat]

Thread drift to a funny story....

I was flying down to Miami from Seattle this summer on an airline and one of the FAs had a medical emergency (She ended up being fine) so we diverted.     Sudden descent and loud noise in the cabin as they started dumping fuel.   One of the pilots gets on the radio and says we are diverting to Boise.

I get on my iPad and watch our progress as we approach and land at Bozeman. As soon as we are on the ground, everybody gets on their cell phones and starts making phone calls to loved ones, telling them we are at Boise.  I corrected a few of them, but quickly gave up.   It was pretty funny.

[EricJ]

5 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I stick my stratus up to the window all the time. The flight attendants never give me grief about it. Once there was a guy two rows up doing the same thing...

That's some serious aviation nerd flex right there. 

[N201MKTurbo]

57 minutes ago, EricJ said:

That's some serious aviation nerd flex right there. 

Airline flights are boring. It keeps me busy. 
 

I have a profile in ForeFlight for an A320. I just have to be careful not to accept those flights when updating my logbook. 

[Pinecone]

On 12/15/2023 at 10:21 AM, A64Pilot said:

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?

They TELL you to put your duty free liquor in your checked back once you collect the bags, before you recheck them.

The reason you have to pick up your bags is for customs.  In the old days, Immigration and Customs were two separate agencies.  So you saw the Immigration officer to enter the country.  Then you picked up your checked back and then went through Customs, where they MAY inspect your bag.

[Pinecone]

On 12/16/2023 at 3:34 PM, GeeBee said:

In addition as you remember prior to the construction of concourse F and the International terminal there was no baggage X-Ray on that end of the field, so if you were connecting they wanted you to place the bag on the conveyor as it went straight to your connecting concourse. That is why you could not open your bag and add contents.

I put duty free liquor in my bag transiting ATL many times before they built terminal F.

[Pinecone]

I use Flight Aware to get the flight planned route on my iPad, then click the Show in Fore Flight and it opens FF with the flight plan.

Then I just use it to follow my flight.  No need for a Stratus in a window seat.

[amillet]

3 hours ago, Pinecone said:

I use Flight Aware to get the flight planned route on my iPad, then click the Show in Fore Flight and it opens FF with the flight plan.

Then I just use it to follow my flight.  No need for a Stratus in a window seat.

I don’t see how to “show in ForeFlight”. Do you need a premium account to do that?

[N201MKTurbo]

17 hours ago, Pinecone said:

I use Flight Aware to get the flight planned route on my iPad, then click the Show in Fore Flight and it opens FF with the flight plan.

Then I just use it to follow my flight.  No need for a Stratus in a window seat.

With the Stratus, you get traffic and weather. Much more fun.

[Pinecone]

2 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

With the Stratus, you get traffic and weather. Much more fun.

True, but only for Domestic.

 

[Pinecone]

16 hours ago, amillet said:

I don’t see how to “show in ForeFlight”. Do you need a premium account to do that?

No idea.  I do have a low level subscription with Flight Aware.

[EricJ]

35 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

True, but only for Domestic.

 

Stratux works in the US and Europe, at least.