Ponies and TSA

[NudeDiver]

I havent been on SB much for almost a year due to deployments and just before my absence there were numerous reports of pony bottles being taken out of check in luggage. That could have all changed now, and, that is what I am trying to find out.

I must have just been fantasizing I guess.

 

[charlesml3]

threaded, plastic, plug from a new tank, has anyone had luck with this passing thought TSA?

Yea, about half the time the pull the plug out at the carry-on screen station and look inside the tank. The other half it goes something like this:

"Is that a scuba tank in your bag?"

"Yep"

"Is the valve removed from it?"

"Yep"

"OK. Carry on..."

-Charles

 

[oxyhacker]

No, the TSA is just quite capable of saying two contradictory things at once, and they can choose to go by which ever one they feel like at the moment. Which is why you want to print out the info favorable to you, and try to make sure your inspector sees it first.

We tried very hard to get a answer out of the TSA as to which of the two quotes applies to scuba tanks, and no one could tell us. The finally said that there would be no point in trying to find a definitive answer, since the inspector on the scene could ban anything he or she felt like, and any information on the website was just guidelines and not binding. Which is why you always want to have a Plan B so you don't have to decide between leaving $2000 worth of dive gear in the TSA trash barrel, or loosing out on a $3000 vacation.

Oxy, I think scuba gear is looked at differently because the valve can be taken off where by on other tanks they can not.

 

[RICHinNC]

Well, not much the little people can do.

Come on down to Bonaire 19 - 26 Sept and let's go diving.

 

[RonFrank]

I'd love to dive with you in Bonaire!

I checked my Pony from Denver to FL last July/Aug. No problems. I removed the valve, and just threw it in a suitcase.

Things could change between now and then.

Nice to see you back Rich!

 

[Scared Silly]

First welcome back. Hope you got a nice tan so you can hang with the beautiful people

I typically travel with my bottles sans valve but with a plug. I have only taken them as carry on once before. As folks have said print the rules and bring them along. As was also said, if the TSA says no carry on then ask for it to be checked (though a supervisor might over rule the agent especially if time is short). Many airlines will provide you with a box. Yes it will be a PITA but hey it is for your own good.

 

[DPJ]

Yes it will be a PITA but hey it is for your own good.

As we know the terrorists are likely to hijack a plane using a pony bottle.

 

[Graeme Tolton]

Just a note, if anyone is travelling to/from Canada, CATSA (Canadian air transportation safety authority) DOES NOT allow any scuba cylinders in carry on. They must be in checked baggage. However, the regulations only state that the cylinder must be empty, no mention of valve removed... I remove mine because there is no better way to prove a cylinder to be empty to a nimwhit inspector than to have the valve out so they can look inside.

 

[RonFrank]

As we know the terrorists are likely to hijack a plane using a pony bottle.

I generally would be the first to hit TSA over the head with a Large Mallet for their completely STOOPID policies.

However in this case, there is a good reason not to travel with compressed gas cylinders. The pressure at 8000' (I *think* that is cabin pressure) is much less vs. Sea level, and the gas would expand. That is not a huge factor, but if the cabin looses pressure, the plane maybe at 30,000 feet. I'm not going to do the math, but there is a possibility that a full tank *could* explode. Last I checked explosions on planes were a "BAD" thing!

When I travel with a pony, my bag is always opened by TSA with a note inside. I think this is primarily because I travel with a pony.

 

[Graeme Tolton]

I generally would be the first to hit TSA over the head with a Large Mallet for their completely STOOPID policies.

However in this case, there is a good reason not to travel with compressed gas cylinders. The pressure at 8000' (I *think* that is cabin pressure) is much less vs. Sea level, and the gas would expand. That is not a huge factor, but if the cabin looses pressure, the plane maybe at 30,000 feet. I'm not going to do the math, but there is a possibility that a full tank *could* explode. Last I checked explosions on planes were a "BAD" thing!

When I travel with a pony, my bag is always opened by TSA with a note inside. I think this is primarily because I travel with a pony.

Typical cruising altitude is around 8000' which is the equivalent of around 10 PSI (as opposed to the 14.7 we all know to be sea level). That means that our 3000 PSI tank is no longer 204 x atmospheric pressure, but it is now 300 x more pressure inside the tank than ambient pressure. As Ronfrank says under depressurization, the tank could explode. This is because at 30,000-40,000' (3-4psi) we now have 750-1000 x more pressure inside the tank than ambient pressure.

Pressure Conversion Table - Transwiki