Anyone had TSA confiscated your LED flashlight?

[brightnorm]

Flying with flashlights

I've found it useful to print out dealer web pages illustrating and naming all my carry on lights. This immediately calms suspicions because Security sees that they are legitimate commercial products. Since mods use commercial bodies as hosts the same principle applies.

I wouldn't carry on lights big enough to be seen as striking weapons. The Tigerlight presents special problems because of its suspicious looking innards.

As a final touch I made up a "CPF ID card" that looks official enough to answer questions like "for what purpose do you carry so many flashlights"? It once elicited interest from a security person who didn't realize that he was a potential Flashaholic.

 

[d'mo]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

Any chance we can see this ID card?

 

[Viper]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

While Airport Security has never given me a problem, I think the manufacturer sheets would be a good idea. I don't know if a CPF card will do anything.

Only 1 time did airport security really hassle me, it was a young rookie trying to "make a big deal" out of a Voltmeter. It had wires plugged into a box with a needle on it, so he had to call the "supervisor". This was in Denver.

The supervisor was shaking his head like it was never going to get past the checkpoint. After 10 minutes, and older retired guy said "hey, that's a voltmeter" and I was allowed to go through.

 

[brightnorm]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera. I'm open to suggestions.

Brightnorm

 

[Screehopper]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

Not exactly flashlight related, but related to airport security. I went on a business trip recently and for the sake of argument I went to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) to see the most up-to-datePermitted and Prohibited Items List.

My question is what is the difference between matches and safety matches? The latter is allowed in carry-ons.

Also, what's the difference between razors and safety razors? The latter is also allowed in carry-ons.

I asked the workers at the security stands and they couldn't answer the questions nor could the manager-type answer them.

Joey

 

[trailstoride]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

I believe "matches" refer to the strike anywhere matches. Safety matches require striking against a friction pad, as in a paper book of matches.

I'm not sure about a safety razor - guessing it would be like a shaving razor refill where just the tips of the blades are exposed for shaving.

 

[FlashlightOCD]

Re:

The old barbers razor looks somewhat like a folder pocket knife and could definitely be used to hurt someone.

Older razors came in seperate blade and shaver packs, the raw blade could be dangerous.

Safety razors are the common single-unit items like the "BIC" razors you buy in your grocery store, pretty hard to use it as a weapon.

 

[sotto]

Re:

I always thought it was funny you could take a BIC lighter and a can of hairspray on board. Makes one hell of a torch (and I don't mean flashlight). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[SarcoBlaster]

Re:

I'm going to be flying sometime in August (not an international flight if that matters) and would like to take my SureFire 6P and L4 into the plane with me. Would that pass the checkpoints? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[IlluminatingBikr]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

[ QUOTE ]
brightnorm said:
Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera. I'm open to suggestions.

Brightnorm

[/ QUOTE ]

Do you have a scanner?

 

[FalconFX]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

Do you have a scanner?

Clean, and effective...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[brightnorm]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

[ QUOTE ]
FalconFX said:
Do you have a scanner?

Clean, and effective...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I do but how would I transfer the images to CPF?

BN

 

[brightnorm]

Re:

[ QUOTE ]
SarcoBlaster said:
I'm going to be flying sometime in August (not an international flight if that matters) and would like to take my SureFire 6P and L4 into the plane with me. Would that pass the checkpoints? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[/ QUOTE ]

I've found it useful to print out dealer web pages illustrating and naming all my carry on lights. This immediately calms suspicions because Security sees that they are legitimate commercial products. Since mods use commercial bodies as hosts the same principle applies.

Brightnorm

 

[FalconFX]

Re:

Brightnorm,

www.imagestation.com...
free registration and storage...

 

[IlluminatingBikr]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

I can't wait to see this CPF card! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif Maybe we should make them for all of the CPF members. That would be way cool. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Tree]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

[ QUOTE ]
Screehopper said:
Not exactly flashlight related, but related to airport security. I went on a business trip recently and for the sake of argument I went to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) to see the most up-to-datePermitted and Prohibited Items List.

My question is what is the difference between matches and safety matches? The latter is allowed in carry-ons.

Also, what's the difference between razors and safety razors? The latter is also allowed in carry-ons.

I asked the workers at the security stands and they couldn't answer the questions nor could the manager-type answer them.

Joey

[/ QUOTE ]

Just tell them it's a "safty" flashlight. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Monsters_Inc]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

I carried my Scorpion on an international flight recently. At a search, I was told to sit down, take off my shoes/clothes while the customs officer stood between myself and the table on which my carry-on bag was placed to be searched. I couldn't see what he was doing most the time, but I did notice he had unscrewed the head of the Scorp to check its insides, and I saw him proceeding to screw the head back on not making sure the threads align and just generally being careless. Resulting in a now unevenly worn thread on a $40 light.

Bottom line - don't travel if you're not white and middle-class.

 

[Graham]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

Hmm.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. Call me paranoid, but isn't there a chance that carrying around a page apparently printed from a flashlight makers website, make you *more* suspicious? I mean, if you're just carrying an innocent little flashlight, why would you go to the trouble of printing out this page and carrying it around with you? Maybe you expect trouble? But then why would you expect trouble if you're not doing anything suspicious?

If I were the security person, I'd be thinking, "Wait a minute, why is this person carrying around this paper, as if he expects to be stopped and questioned? Is there something else suspicious about him? Is he trying to divert our attention? How do I know this printed page is authentic?"

I would think that if the security people are on the ball, such a paper would result in greater scrutiny, not less.

Graham

 

[PsycoBob[Q2]]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

My cousin (~24, caucasian, female, cute) gets stopped all the time- mostly because of what she carries. She has a recently-developed allergy to several foods, bad enough that she carries a 3-pack of auto-injectors. She also carried enough pills to look like a walking pharmacy. Recently, she decided to start packing a full list of what everything is and why she needs it, all signed by her doctor.

She says that she can only remember ONCE since she started carrying all that that she didn't get stopped. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif But, I guess they're doing their jobs.... After all, how can one tell what's in those auto-injectors? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[brightnorm]

Re: \"Tricks\" to calm airport security

[ QUOTE ]
Graham said:
Hmm.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. Call me paranoid, but isn't there a chance that carrying around a page apparently printed from a flashlight makers website, make you *more* suspicious?...I would think that if the security people are on the ball, such a paper would result in greater scrutiny, not less.

Graham

[/ QUOTE ]

Graham,

It's an interesting point that I can't answer definitively. I don't automatically whip out the card and display the papers. That might indeed seem a little suspicious. I go by the feel of the situation. It may help that I'm older and probably look reasonably civilized, but who knows? OTOH, perhaps the reaction would have been identical if I didn't have the pages. I really can't say for sure, but I usually travel with MANY lights (but not big ones, as I mentioned in my original post). My only international flights have been between the US and Canada, and security is much tighter returning to the US.

I'd probably reduce my carry for other foreign flights, especially countries where suspicion runs high and technological sophistication runs low, but I probably wouldn't visit them in the first place.

Brightnorm