Flying with a DPV

[WhiteSands]

I'm considering getting a Suex Xjoy 7. However, most of my diving is done overseas, and I need to fly to get there.

Just wondering if this is a feasible thing to do on a regular basis?

The Xjoy7 is 19kg, with a sealed lead acid battery. Most airlines allow you to check in 2 pieces of 25kg luggage each, so I think the DPV plus it's bag will already mostly take up one check-in luggage.

 

[runsongas]

The battery capacity is going to be a problem. DRIS has it listed as a 360 WHr battery. That exceeds the limits most airlines have of 160 Whr. Might be feasible to see if you can mod it to take 2x160 WHr batteries instead.

 

[KaizerWilhelm]

Actually, it doesn't matter what the capacity of the battery is. The 160Wh regulation only applies to Lithium Ion batteries.

Your Xjoy is a sealed Lead Acid Battery. You need to check what the FAA/IATA regulations are for flying with a Lead Acid Battery. Then, once you see if the IATA regulations allow a sealed LA battery to fly, you need to check with the airline you're flying with, usually under the 'Hazardous Cargo/Dangerous Goods' area of the airline's baggage policy.

__Edit Below__

Your battery is considered a 'wet cell battery' by all regulatory authorities. The FAA regulations state that you can fly with a wet cell battery in checked or carry on luggage as long as they follow the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) The code you're looking for is 49 CFR 175.10(a)(18)(iii) here. You'll have to scroll a bit, sorry but I've put that paragraph here:

"For a non-spillable battery, the battery and equipment must conform to §173.159a(d). Each battery must not exceed a voltage greater than 12 volts and a watt-hour rating of not more than 100 Wh. No more than two individually protected spare batteries may be carried. Such equipment and spare batteries must be carried in checked or carry-on baggage."

If you want to see how I got my answer, start here, scroll down to the table, click "Batteries & Electronics", then click on Details to the right of the 'Batteries, wet, nonspillable' listing.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I'm considering getting a Suex Xjoy 7. However, most of my diving is done overseas, and I need to fly to get there.

Just wondering if this is a feasible thing to do on a regular basis?

The Xjoy7 is 19kg, with a sealed lead acid battery. Most airlines allow you to check in 2 pieces of 25kg luggage each, so I think the DPV plus it's bag will already mostly take up one check-in luggage.

My old Sierra X-scooter with Nimh Battery & spare parts kit --all contained in hard case weighed a grand total of 36kg, just under the absolute max check-in weight limit of 40kg at that time for a single piece of luggage, on a Bikini Atoll/Truk Trip 2013. United Airlines charged $400 excess baggage fee for the scooter each way on the primary flight travel day, on both outbound & homebound legs.

Comsider looking at a shipping company to send it for cheaper, and deliver ahead to a trusted overseas friend or the Dive-Ops that you will be traveling to.

 

[victorzamora]

Not trying to sell you on anything different, but maybe a Bonex Aquaprop (non-L) would be better suited to airline travel? They're NiMH powered, airline friendly, and weigh a whole lot less. 75 minutes cruise, 50 minutes at high speed, and 32-lbs thrust (Xjoy7 has 38).

 

[tbone1004]

Dive X also just released a "travel" version of the Piranha with a NiMH battery.

9kg, NiMH battery. They just released it, so Ben may be able to show some of the specs, but the nice thing with that is you can program your own speeds for it and can go back to Li-Ion if you want to back home. I'm not a fan of their original trigger design as there have been a lot of reported failures in a cave environment, but that is extenuating circumstances and it is time tested in the cold salty stuff up in the PNW which is pretty demanding. Not sure how the new Piranha trigger compares as there aren't any in cave country to put the hours on to verify, but the new one looks a lot nicer than the old one.

 

[victorzamora]

I didn't realize they had released the travel battery. Per the DiveX website, they claim the same performance "as the lithium" but judging by the specs it means by the P1's lithium. That makes sense to me. The tradeoff is it's 10lbs heavier, making it a 35lb scooter. Still not bad, and a great option.

 

[KaizerWilhelm]

Yeah, it's the same performance as our Lithium P1. As victorzamora said, it is 10lb heavier, but it is neutrally buoyant. We've taken them on planes to the FL Keys with no issues. So that's an option if you want it, let me know and I can send y'all some info.

 

[tbone1004]

same speed, thrust, and burn times?

 

[KaizerWilhelm]

About 2fpm faster and a hair more thrust, nothing noticeable by humans but measurable through science.