Air rocket - airport concerns?

[Jonas]

Just had a thought. Is having a Giottos Air Rocket in my baggage likely to cause me any grief when at airports?

For those that don't know, the Air Rocket is a rocket or bomb-shaped rubber blower used to blow dust and crap from lenses and sensors.

Could the staff manning the x-ray machines easily tell that the blower is made of rubber and not likely to explode, or will I have to explain myself at every check in? I ask because I plan do a fair bit of OS travel later this year.

[Raskill]

I would imagine you'd be right.

If it shows up on x-ray, you will simply be asked to remove it from your luggage and show them what it is. On x-ray it will show up as a hollow rocket shaped object, it will be clear it doesn't containing explosives or any 'working parts' that you'd expect from an improvised explosive device.

If you worried about it, pack it in an easy to get an location in your handheld luggage, that will make it easier for you to get at.

[Glen]

Wrap it in alfoil and ask your mate to carry it, should get a few laughs.


I would just stick it in your general luggage, it's not breakable

[Justin]

I took one on a recent trip through europe, no eyelids batted.

[Matt. K]

Fill it with mothballs and watch the fun!

[wendellt]

ha

i have a story

yes, they think it's a grenade seriously everytime it gets x rayed a an airport they stop me and say what is this
but when they inspect the thing they are fine with it

although in pars last year and especially in egypt i got hassled about quite alot

in paris i had to to explain it was harmless at every art gallery and museum i visited

in egypt it was worse, since i was dressed in those full length garbs(or whatever it's called) with a huge black bag and in it a giotto air rocket, and i got hassled everywhere

but i look back nw and just laugh

if you want to avoid the trouble take it out of your bag and carry it with you and just explain to the security people it's rubber

[Geoff]

ha
if you want to avoid the trouble take it out of your bag and carry it with you and just explain to the security people it's rubber

They might be even more concerned you are sharing the fact that you're carrying rubber around with you and telling ppl about it

[wendellt]

ha
if you want to avoid the trouble take it out of your bag and carry it with you and just explain to the security people it's rubber

They might be even more concerned you are sharing the fact that you're carrying rubber around with you and telling ppl about it

i wasn't talking about the giotto air rocket.

[PiroStitch]

Get a huge lens hood for a tele lens and have the air rocket sticking out the end of it...

[avkomp]

rocket should be right, is rubber after all.

If you really want to upset someone, get some aluminium foil, cut the silhouette of a pistol in it and slip it between the pages of a magazine.


Steve

[CraigVTR]

Jonas
Came back from a trip a couple of weeks ago. The camera bag was scanned at least 4 times with no questions asked about the air rocket.

They were more concered about my tripod bag and "What Is In That Sir".

[rookie2]

no hassles with mine recently

anyway if they give you a hard time

..... tell them to blow it up their *#*!!

............it will save on a colonoscopy!!

[PiroStitch]

rookie2, not sure if you'll want the rocket to be anywhere near your camera after that tho. whatever floats your boat

[admajic]

So can u carry a tripod on as carry on luggage? I wouldnt think so as I could be used as a weapon?

[Steffen]

Just had a thought. Is having a Giottos Air Rocket in my baggage likely to cause me any grief when at airports?

Be prepared that they might want to take a look, i.e. keep it in easy reach.

This is such an essential tool, you might want to think about carrying several of them, in case you lose one or ones gets soiled. If you have several and want to keep them all within easy reach for airport inspection you may as well carry them on a belt around your torso...

Cheers
Steffen.

[Glen]

If you have several and want to keep them all within easy reach for airport inspection you may as well carry them on a belt around your torso...

Cheers
Steffen.

[wendellt]

Jonas
Came back from a trip a couple of weeks ago. The camera bag was scanned at least 4 times with no questions asked about the air rocket.

They were more concered about my tripod bag and "What Is In That Sir".

airlines are concerned about tripods, usually you need to check it in as luggage
because it can be used as a weapon, like hitting a stewardess on the head
to gain control of the lunch trolly
a definite security risk

[CraigVTR]

Just had a thought. Is having a Giottos Air Rocket in my baggage likely to cause me any grief when at airports?

Be prepared that they might want to take a look, i.e. keep it in easy reach.

This is such an essential tool, you might want to think about carrying several of them, in case you lose one or ones gets soiled. If you have several and want to keep them all within easy reach for airport inspection you may as well carry them on a belt around your torso...

Cheers
Steffen.

Make sure you carry your tripod, in it's special tripod bag, to completed the picture.
Craig
Ps No problems with my tripod as carry on luggage.

[Jonas]

Thanks for all the responses guys. Sounds like a) I might have a bit of explaining to do in airports from time to time and b) everyone's a comedian on this forum.

I would have thought the xray operator would be able to tell the difference between rubber and metal, and also see there was nothing inside?

[Justin]

the gist of this seems to be - don't worry too much, I agree

I think we are stretching the point comparing a lens cleaner to anything remotely threatening. the worst thing you could do would be to sit on it (ow!)

Seriously, it was in my carry-on from here to europe and through europe and not even a whimper.

And if someone gets silly about it don't sweat (it's really your reaction that will determine how serious it gets) let em keep it and claim off the airline later.

[redline]

they don't seem to care about bring pocket wizards onboard either.
i mean its a little black remote labelled " transmitter" and a button.

[DaveB]

I've had an Air Rocket in my carry-on bag (a Crumpler backpack) being scanned at Melbourne, Singapore, Dubai, and Nairobi airports recently. No-one said or asked anything about it (or the other gear in the bag: 30D, 350D, 17-40mm, 100-400mm, 1.4x TC, flash, Pro1 IR camera, PSD, laptop, batteries, Arctic Butterfly, CF cards, PL filters, Wimberley flash brackets, cables, etc, etc). The bag did meet carry-on limits BTW (at least it did when I put the 30D and 100-400 around my neck and put the Pro1 in a vest pocket ).

However, in the past when I was using a different bag (Lowepro Stealth Reporter) on a trip to New Zealand I got pulled up because I'd stuffed a straight flash bracket down the side of the bag (in one of the "stealth" pockets outside the padded inner). Apparently it looked like a shank in the x-ray! After I pulled it out and explained it's use everything was fine.

[Mal]

My Gitto is a silver frequent flyer, it has been around the world a couple of times and has never been asked to come out of his little hidy hole in my camera bag. Maybe this is because I have other interesting carry on luggage that really looks strange going through an x-ray machine. You should see what my puppet (see my avatar) looks like in a metal road case with a TV monitor, cables and portable battery pack! There is not one airport security check point that has let that one go through without a closer look!!!

[Manta]

I would have thought the xray operator would be able to tell the difference between rubber and metal, and also see there was nothing inside?

They certainly should. The software throws an image relating to the elemental make-up of objects. Think Periodic Table - items close to each other on the Table show up the same colour on X-Ray. Metals are blue, organics (eg plastics, rubber, foods, plants, animals) are orange/brown, silica and calcium (sand, soil, glass, shells) show up green. Very simplistic explanation but it demonstrates that if the operator can't tell the difference between the orange outline of your Giotto from the pretty solid blue casing of a grenade then he should be getting chummy with his optometrist and definitely shouldn't be working in security.

[drifter]

Don't be surprised if you encounter security xray peeps who won't budge on the if it looks like an "X " it must be a "X" and no corespondence will be entered into . I had a pendant on a key chain that in the xray dudes opinion was a bullet . IT was nothing of the sort but he wouldn't allow me through till i got rid of it . No dramas from me as it wasn't anything of value but after showing him what it was ( and i was polite about it ) he still wouldn't budge.

[Finch]

I would have thought the xray operator would be able to tell the difference between rubber and metal, and also see there was nothing inside?

They certainly should. The software throws an image relating to the elemental make-up of objects. Think Periodic Table - items close to each other on the Table show up the same colour on X-Ray. Metals are blue, organics (eg plastics, rubber, foods, plants, animals) are orange/brown, silica and calcium (sand, soil, glass, shells) show up green. Very simplistic explanation but it demonstrates that if the operator can't tell the difference between the orange outline of your Giotto from the pretty solid blue casing of a grenade then he should be getting chummy with his optometrist and definitely shouldn't be working in security.

I couldn't agree more with Simon's statements. I use x-ray machines every day at work and there is no way you couldn't distinguish metal from rubber. No way at all

Cheers

Michael

[daniel_r]

items close to each other on the Table show up the same colour on X-Ray. Metals are blue

As Manta and Finch say, metal will show up blue on the X-ray scanning equipment. I was recently traveling with a co-worker out of Canberra airport with both of us carrying 2 Lacie D2 Firewire drives. These drive enclosures are essentially aluminum bricks

Both of us were pulled out of line for a manual inspection due to the two huge blue blobs on the scanner display
Once they'd figured out that we were just carrying hard disks, all was ok.

[Manta]

Both of us were pulled out of line for a manual inspection due to the two huge blue blobs on the scanner display
Once they'd figured out that we were just carrying hard disks, all was ok.

Possibly not so much that they didn't know what they were but rather that they couldn't see what, if anything, may have been behind them in the bag. Dense metal objects effectively shield everything else so the guys are doing the right thing physically inspecting bags that they cannot say for sure are clear due to the inconclusive x-ray.

If you can't see everything in a bag being x-rayed, you can't confidently release it. Our major problems occur with laptops.

[whiz]

If you are REALLY worried about your rocket blower, stick a rubber band around it to compress it or wind some string around it. Then it won't look like anything.

As for elemental differences, Colour on the x-ray machines is relative to density only. That's all.

I used to drive one X-ray machine for all deliveries to a large Defence facility when I moonlighted as a guard.

The gentleman who is the evaluator for all customs x-ray machines is a friend of mine. He goes around the world to check out X-ray gear from different manufacturers.
I have seen some amazing xrays taken of entire trucks with loads on them. ( I'll try and get hold of some to show you guys, while I think of it.) They are works of art.
Dudley can't figure why you should have to take your laptop out of the bag when you go through the airport.

He did take umbrance when one guard insisted on x-raying his radiation exposure badge...
Dickhead.

* having been a security guard, I am merciless in being a complete prick to them when I have permission from the Department of Transport to tell them that they can't x-ray my bag, or look in it.

The look on their faces is priceless.
They're not used to people saying NO.

[marc]

[quote=

items close to each other on the Table show up the same colour on X-Ray. Metals are blue, organics (eg plastics, rubber, foods, plants, animals) are orange/brown, silica and calcium (sand, soil, glass, shells) show up green.

Obsolutely correct, this is exactly how items appear on the screen. And shouldn't give any problems for those who are X-ray trained.

Wrap it in alfoil and ask your mate to carry it, should get a few laughs.

Get a huge lens hood for a tele lens and have the air rocket sticking out the end of it...

Not a good idea either guys..................more likely to end up in Court
with these stunts.  BTW, I work for Customs

[Big Red]

maybe you should strap the Giotto to the outside of the bag
should be fun.

[asaroha]

Hehehe this is interesting. I too just accidentally bought the very same blower simply because it looks to be the meanest one @ teds. Must say it's a very fun little toy Must resist the temptation to keep using it everywhere..... Just one more squeeze......