Hey Traveling Whistlers,
Anybody have any difficulting carrying on a tin/brass whistle? I’d sure hate for mine to end up in a pile of knitting needles, tweezers and nail clippers. Just wondering if security has given anybody grief over our little tin friends.
Thanks
Mmm, might want to stick with carrying cylinder shaped whistles, the conical ones look sort of pointy and dangerous to some folks. I mean a nickel Copeland soprano whistle looks rather menacing really - I think you probably could poke a hole in someone with one of those…
Loren
There have been occasional postings
on the message board of people who
got some attention from security
when they tried to carry on a whistle–
the guard made someone take it out and
explain what it was. Occasionally
people have simply been asked what it was.
My impression is that airport security
is still quite lax, so probably
nothing will happen–but you might
have to take out the whistle and
explain it. Personally I would be
tempted to report any security guard
who let me on a plane with a whistle
without checking to see what it was.
Well… I flew back from Shannon, Ireland on Sept 18, on one of the first flights back after the WTC went down. I packed my whistles in my main luggage, but I had my flute in a pistol case in my carry-on backpack. Went I went through the first metal detector the alarm went off. The security guy just sort of looked at me befuddled. Expecting him to pat me down, I put my arms out and waited. After a couple of seconds he figured he ought to go ahead and do it. He did and didn’t find anything. Instead of making me go back through the metal detector or using his handy portable metal detector he just waved me on, even though he hadn’t found whatever had set off the alarm. Immediately after that, there was a little table with three security personal searching bags. The problem was, they weren’t actually stopping anyone, and most people were just walking right by. Being the responsible citizen that I am, I put my bag down in front of one of them. He asked me to open the main compartment, and I did. Inside was the pistol case, clearly in view. I said to him, “That’s a pistol case. Do you want to see what’s inside?” He replied, no, thank you. Will you zip it back up?" He hardly even glanced inside the main compartment, let alone the other three compartments. I zipped the bag up and went on my way. Finally, just before boarding the plane, the was one last security checkpoint with a lone guy sitting and checking bags. As before, people were just walking right by him. I’d say 10 out of 300 people actually had their bags searched by him. Absolutely rediculous! I made it back to the US safe and sound, but if had wanted to carry a gun or a knife on to that plane it would have been no problem. I brought a pistol case on, for heaven’s sake, and they didn’t even want to see what was inside!!!
On another trip, to Edinburgh, I stopped in London first, and the security personel took all my whistles out of my bag and made me play him a couple of tunes in the middle of the airport. Good fun altogether.
Chris
Doh! Double post. Sorry.
[ This Message was edited by: ChrisLaughlin on 2001-12-09 20:02 ]
That last post wasn’t heartening. Tyghre and I have a trip planned in May, but he’s balking due to lax security. . .he plans to call Aer Lingus to find out how well they do their checks, and exactly what planes are in use.
I probably wouldn’t bring my good whistles for fear they’d get dinged or lost, but I would certainly want SOME instrument with me!
Given more anecedotes like Chris’s,
which I won’t relate here, I think
people are likely to be able to take pretty much what they want on airlines flights still-- at least those originating in this country.
I’ve flown in countries where you went
through a metal detector, then they
went over you again with a hand-held metal
detector, then they patted you down–
for everybody getting on the plane–
then we all went out to the tarmac and
personally identified every piece of
luggage.
A friend of mine who is a commercial
pilot, points out to me that flying
in a commercial airline is substantially
safer than driving somewhere in a car–
even now after 9-11 and under present
lax conditions. She says people
drive instead because they like the
sense of control, but it is way more
dangerous than flying.
Another friend of mine, an airline pilot,
says that he thinks it’s good for
passengers to bring aboard small
knives and whatever–so they will
have something with which to fight
the terrorists other than their
bare hands. As things now stand,
only the terrorists will have a
weapon.
I think it’s pretty obvious now
that anyone who tries to seize
an airplane will be mobbed; so I
figure it’s likely the bad guys
will try another tactic. But I
still feel pretty nervous about
flying, to tell the truth. I hope
we get our security act together.
Airport security in Canada is also still pretty much a joke despite the media (and government) hype to the contrary. One of the marketing guys at the firm where I work recently went on an 8-city marketing blitz which involved a total of 16 flights in 7 days. Anyway, only after he got home did he realize that he had carried onto every single flight a pair of fingernail clippers which a had a small (2") fold away knife blade. Ironically, everytime he walked through a metal detector he was asked to remove everything from his pockets but not a single time was the item actually scrutinized. Additionally, his carry-on bag had 8 compartments - the most that were searched at any individual time was 2 compartments. I do not know anyone who has tried to fly with whistles.
I have flown 4 times in the US (unless you count the time that happened on Sept 14, and took 3 legs, boosting the total to 7) since Sept 11, all with a high D PVC Water Weasel and a wooden flute in my carryon, with no problem at all, though they generally did slow down the belt as my bag went through the scanner at the gate.
Of course, they were more interested in scrutinizing my laptop computer at the time…
The metal cleaning rod for the flute, however, was another matter; it’s too long and pointy, and I put it in my checked bag – again, with no problem.
The only problem I have had was that I broke a nail in the LA airport and had no nail file. Now I have an FAA-approved paper emery board.
Best,
Adrienne
Hi everyone!
Just thought I would add what I know about airports and whistles. For Christmas this year, (we had Christmas and Thanksgiving together with my oldest brother and his family who were visiting from California), my parents gave my brother a Kerry Low D in one of my tapestry covered PVC cases. He was really thrilled with it but was also little worried about getting through security with it on their trip home. Fortunately, he didn’t have any trouble at all. He said that when they went through security in both our local airport (North West Arkansas Regional) and in Dallas that they looked at it when he sent it through the x-ray machine, but they never questioned him about it. I’m thankful that they didn’t ask him to play it because he can’t…yet! I tried to tell him that despite his size (6’5”) that he needed to start on something a little smaller, but he said he didn’t what a “little” whistle. Well, needless to say he got his Clark soprano D from “Santa” anyway!
Happy whistling,
Amy
I travel a lot on Southwest and have been asked every time since 9-11 to show them the “sticks” or the “rods” when they see them on the carry-on X-ray. Only once was asked if I’d play him a tune and that was in Tulsa. Sounds from Chris and others like the internal US security focus isn’t extending outside our borders. Gee I just can’t wait to fly again on Friday…
I fly twice a week, every week, and the airport security at home knows me and, although they do check my bags like anyone else, they know I always carry my whistles. I have a pool cue case for them and New Orleans, and Miami security have only looked insed once since 9-11.
The law says sharp instruments, as weel as I remember. Just explain you are on your way to a concert and cannot check them, if an agent gives you trouble ask to speak to their supervisor. Remain friendly and cooperative, if this doesn’t work, exit security back to the airline desk and ask for your baggage and bury the whistles in your CHECKED baggage where they won’t get bent. Sometimes the airline, rather than try and track down your bag will speak to security. If the airline won’t find the bag for you, tell them you’re not flying without your whistles. THEN they HAVE to find your bag. They cannot allow unattended bags to go. You can then book the next flight to your destination. If this is allowble to your schedule.
Happy Travelling
Tim