Touring Pilot travel woes....
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sale, Australia
Age: 80
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I reckon you'd have a parachute stashed away somewhere if any one does! It'd prolly be one from D-Day
Settle for Korean War vintage. 
Mmmmm.... still old.
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Tacoma, WA
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One time I had my paintball guns compressed air tank in my check in bags, which was prefectly legal at the time as long as it was empty (I havent checked the laws these days, but im guessing it is not allowed).
Well of course I got called in to have a little chat, and to my complete surprise, they were in the room trying to figure out how to get the tank back together after disassembling the valve. I expressed my extreme displeasure and pointed out that had the tank had any air pressure in it whatsoever, the valve would have shot out like a bullet towards the person who was no doubt looking right at it
. On top of that these idiots were trying to put it together upside down. I was livid, but there was really nothing I could do but move on and be glad that at least they brought me in to ask me how to fix it.
Well of course I got called in to have a little chat, and to my complete surprise, they were in the room trying to figure out how to get the tank back together after disassembling the valve. I expressed my extreme displeasure and pointed out that had the tank had any air pressure in it whatsoever, the valve would have shot out like a bullet towards the person who was no doubt looking right at it
. On top of that these idiots were trying to put it together upside down. I was livid, but there was really nothing I could do but move on and be glad that at least they brought me in to ask me how to fix it.
G'day all
it's the same in Oz. I fly accross the country for work, to be fair, Quaintass arn't to bad, it makes things better being a Gold FF. I fly to the bush with mickey mouse airlines, they have a new policy of 10kg's per bag!!!!!!! I have to fly with one bag with Quaintass weighing 22kg's and over then split the contents in 3 bags. Helmets in bags labled FRAGILE etc are crashed or left in the rain by Mickey mouse airlines. The return is even worse as we just make the conection from MM airlines to Quaintass. We have to grovel to the QF staff to let our bags be checked in as we make it back in with less than 30 mins so bag check in has closed. 99% of the time we the bags on the QF flights, if not it's a full days travel with shuttle flights to get home.
Bring on retirement
it's the same in Oz. I fly accross the country for work, to be fair, Quaintass arn't to bad, it makes things better being a Gold FF. I fly to the bush with mickey mouse airlines, they have a new policy of 10kg's per bag!!!!!!! I have to fly with one bag with Quaintass weighing 22kg's and over then split the contents in 3 bags. Helmets in bags labled FRAGILE etc are crashed or left in the rain by Mickey mouse airlines. The return is even worse as we just make the conection from MM airlines to Quaintass. We have to grovel to the QF staff to let our bags be checked in as we make it back in with less than 30 mins so bag check in has closed. 99% of the time we the bags on the QF flights, if not it's a full days travel with shuttle flights to get home.
Bring on retirement
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: F8 and Be There
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Epiphany is right. It's the sheer inconsistency. Try carrying cameras... Got my entire camera kit spread out across a table on the way out to Sweden a couple of years back. Everyone giving me a hard time about how much my carry on weighed. That's despite the last time the same bag and same camera kit were no problem. I drew the line at the guy wanting to swab the inside of the mirror box of a Canon 1DS with that explosive detecting fluid.... "Whoah there feller. You going to buy me a new one?" His colleague stepped over and stopped him.
Return flight from Stockholm, via Amsterdam and on to Durham TV. Missed the first part flight due to heavy snow and train delay. But there's a three hour layover at Schipol so I can buy another ticket for the first part, make my connection, right?
"You've missed your flight, ticket isn't transferable"
"Yep. Can I just buy another ticket for the next flight to Schipol and then pick up my place on the Schipol / DTV conection?"
"No, that flight is fully booked"
"Yes, but it's not though is it? I'm not going to be on it, therefore, I can just take that part of my original ticket, happy to pay an admin"
"We can't do that"
"Why not"
"That flight is fully booked"
"Yes, but it's not though is it, because I was booked on it, but right now I'm standing here...."
Rinse and repeat....
Eventually gave up, Scandinavian were great, ticket desk heard the conversation, did me a deal into Manchester. Before boarding, I nipped to security, showed him the camera bag, video tripod, crash helmet (we'd been filming cars on frozen lakes) etc.
"How much of this do I need to check?"
"Nah, just carry it on"
"Really?"
"Sure no problem, is Scandinavian are OK with it, I am"
"Really, you mean that?"
"Yep, I'll sort it"
Seems to me that flying out of the UK, it's a nightmare. Flying into the UK, I rarely have a problem with carry on.
I love flying, but F**k me, I hate airports.....
Return flight from Stockholm, via Amsterdam and on to Durham TV. Missed the first part flight due to heavy snow and train delay. But there's a three hour layover at Schipol so I can buy another ticket for the first part, make my connection, right?
"You've missed your flight, ticket isn't transferable"
"Yep. Can I just buy another ticket for the next flight to Schipol and then pick up my place on the Schipol / DTV conection?"
"No, that flight is fully booked"
"Yes, but it's not though is it? I'm not going to be on it, therefore, I can just take that part of my original ticket, happy to pay an admin"
"We can't do that"
"Why not"
"That flight is fully booked"
"Yes, but it's not though is it, because I was booked on it, but right now I'm standing here...."
Rinse and repeat....
Eventually gave up, Scandinavian were great, ticket desk heard the conversation, did me a deal into Manchester. Before boarding, I nipped to security, showed him the camera bag, video tripod, crash helmet (we'd been filming cars on frozen lakes) etc.
"How much of this do I need to check?"
"Nah, just carry it on"
"Really?"
"Sure no problem, is Scandinavian are OK with it, I am"
"Really, you mean that?"
"Yep, I'll sort it"
Seems to me that flying out of the UK, it's a nightmare. Flying into the UK, I rarely have a problem with carry on.
I love flying, but F**k me, I hate airports.....
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: around and about
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Engineers too!
Not so very long ago (but before 9/11) I had an extremely urgent requirement to travel to East Africa with my (smallest of the three I own) tool box, and an Allison 250 Turbine, and IT had to have its own seat.............
LHR isn't easy at the best of times, but just think of the HMRC headaches (since I would be bringing back the duff one, so S/Ns wouldn't match), never mind the aggro of trying to get an internal combustion engine complete with a fuel system its own seat, next to me, and on an overcrowded flight, and even business class was full up.
Well, thinking about it now, they couldn't allow the working class, reeking of Jet A1, and his 'toys' into that cabin, now could they? Even if Business was empty. Silly me for even considering it
I'll spare you the nauseating details, but it was a trip from hell - outbound. I recall took me something like 5 hours to get all the processes completed, which is a real bummer when the check-in desk doesn't open until 2 1/2 hrs before the flight............
It was murder - outbound. But my passenger and I made it to Nairobi. Coming back I was prepared to overnight at the check-in lounge place, thingy. Never had a problem just found a suitably switched on security chap who was summoned when I presented myself c/w 'luggage', and it was a dream. I showed my LAE licence at every opportunity (as I had done at LHR, where it cut no ice whatsoever). He even summoned a porter for me to carry my luggage, and this porter had friends in low places and got me to a bar with drinks at VERY sensible prices.
As I said it was a long time ago......... but can you imagine now?
Just for thoughts about teh past. Nostalgia again!! - VFR
LHR isn't easy at the best of times, but just think of the HMRC headaches (since I would be bringing back the duff one, so S/Ns wouldn't match), never mind the aggro of trying to get an internal combustion engine complete with a fuel system its own seat, next to me, and on an overcrowded flight, and even business class was full up.
Well, thinking about it now, they couldn't allow the working class, reeking of Jet A1, and his 'toys' into that cabin, now could they? Even if Business was empty. Silly me for even considering it
I'll spare you the nauseating details, but it was a trip from hell - outbound. I recall took me something like 5 hours to get all the processes completed, which is a real bummer when the check-in desk doesn't open until 2 1/2 hrs before the flight............
It was murder - outbound. But my passenger and I made it to Nairobi. Coming back I was prepared to overnight at the check-in lounge place, thingy. Never had a problem just found a suitably switched on security chap who was summoned when I presented myself c/w 'luggage', and it was a dream. I showed my LAE licence at every opportunity (as I had done at LHR, where it cut no ice whatsoever). He even summoned a porter for me to carry my luggage, and this porter had friends in low places and got me to a bar with drinks at VERY sensible prices.
As I said it was a long time ago......... but can you imagine now?
Just for thoughts about teh past. Nostalgia again!! - VFR
