Pony bottle, TSA and Delta

[DandyDon]

You too are lucky. Not sure where you travel where you can observe this as tanks can only be in check in unless I am mistaken.

Seattle, Los Angeles, Montreal, North Carolina, Florida, Cozumel, and other destinations around the Caribbean. One advantage to being a diver so far from the sea is that I had to take two planes to get to any diving at all, so I tried several destinations before cutting back on travels. I check mine.

Tanks (without a valve) can be put into your carry-on luggage Small Compressed Gas Cartridges

I think the important part there is the "To be permitted (in either carry-on or checked baggage), it must be clearly visible to the TSA officer that the cylinder is empty," and the clarification there: "If the gas cylinder is sealed (the regulator valve is still attached)...the gas cylinder is prohibited"

Before TSA finally came out with its stated rules, there were a few years after September 2001 that I just drained and hoped for the best. The Spare Air company lobbied hard for them to come up with statements listing how tanks could be flown as their sales suffered until they did.

 

[shoredivr]

It is easier for me to take a stage kit, and a stage reg, and make a stage out of whatever tanks they have there. You might have to practice with diving a stage an Alu 40 or Alu 80 but it is not difficult.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I think the important part there is the "To be permitted (in either carry-on or checked baggage), it must be clearly visible to the TSA officer that the cylinder is empty," and the clarification there: "If the gas cylinder is sealed (the regulator valve is still attached)...the gas cylinder is prohibited"

It's ambiguously worded because the parenthetical "the regulator valve is still attached" could be interpreted as either defining "sealed" or merely an example of "sealed." I would be concerned I could find myself in front of a TSA agent who interprets clear tape over the neck as "sealed."

Clearer would have been: "If the gas cylinder is sealed (i.e., the regulator valve is still attached)...the gas cylinder is prohibited."

Knowing our government, I wouldn't be surprised if the ambiguous wording is intentional.

 

[Boyette]

Of course, there is no such thing as arguing with a TSA officer.

You hit the nail on the head.

I went from Houston to Austin one time to pick up a prisoner (plain clothes escort). Since I was only going to be gone a couple of hours I didn't take any carry on or luggage so I wore my ballistic vest. It had a steel plate in the front. I had forgotten about the steel plate until I walked thru the metal detector and the thing went off like a siren. The guy looked up at me and I said, "I'm wearing a bullet proof vest." and started to get my wallet with my ID out but he just said, "Oh, OK. " and waved me on by.

I thought to myself, "How in the hell is it that I can just say that and he doesn't want me to open my shirt to see if it's really a steel plate, and why doesn't he ask why a guy is getting on a plane with a bullet proof vest on to begin with?" Maybe it's just me but if I was an air cop and a guy was getting on a plane with a bullet proof vest I'd at least ask why.

The funny part was after I got to the gate with my bullet proof vest on, the security guy who looked my ticket over saw that I had a little mini-baton on my key chain. It's basically a 6 inch plastic rod that allows me to stick my keys in my waistband so they can can be readily available but secure enough they won't fall out. He told me I couldn't take that on the plane because it was a "baton". I told him, "It's just a 6 inch piece of black plastic. You couldn't actually beat anyone with it." and he said didn't matter. So I had to throw it away to make the plane.......

TSA logic......I'm allowed to get on a plane and take the 6x8 inch steel plate out of the pocket on my bulletproof vest and beat a guy to death with it, but my 6" piece of black plastic is a security concern.

 

[markmud]

Hello All,

My pony has been all over on airliners. I do not tape them or seal them. I travel with a flashlight (dive and tac ops light). Before I install the valve I do a visual inspection for FOD. It is not rocket science. It is either clean or it isn't.

markm