I think Super Cub pilots have to have one on the belt, in the same way early Range Rovers came with spray on mud – I like the engineering of mine but think duct tape may be more useful.
That is clever! I wonder why it was designed like that? It looks too sharp to wear.
It also has the potential of looking like an offensive weapon, for hitting someone with it while being worn. There are plenty of other similar things, for that purpose. I reckon it was probably designed for that purpose, because the “tools” on it are too short to be generally useful.
what_next wrote:
Recently I tried to take my oscilloscope (a modern digtial one without any moving parts or vacuum CRT tube which could implode) through the crew entrance of my home base because I wanted to borrow it to a colleague
What!? I took an oscilloscope to Spain on the airlines going through normal security. Just took it out and put it in a tray with my laptop. Nobody gave a damn.
I’ve even taken lithium polymer batteries for RC aircraft on the airlines (and they really do look like bombs, dense looking things on the X ray with wires sticking out), again I put them in a clear bag and in a separate tray through the X-ray, and all the security people do is swab them.
alioth wrote:
I took an oscilloscope to Spain on the airlines going through normal security.
Rules for passengers going through “normal” security checks are different from those for airport-pass-holders going through crew gates… On many occasions I have had passengers who carried weapons (either because the went on hunting trips or because they were armed bodyguards) and brought them through passengers security. Myself, I would never be allowed to carry a weapon through a crew gate, not even a kitchen knife (unless I get myself a “class 12” airport ID first).
In Scotland having a knife with a blade longer than 2" in public is a criminal offence with strict liability (i.e. No mitigating circumstances entertained)
Many years ago I used to carry a leatherman all the time but then I lost it.
Security found it about a year later when I put my bag through the xray and promptly confiscated it.
AnthonyQ wrote:
In Scotland having a knife with a blade longer than 2" in public is a criminal offence with strict liability (i.e. No mitigating circumstances entertained)
What do craftsmen, hunters etc. do?
That’s always an interesting topic and does indeed touch on my own feelings about freedom. I should not be prevented from take onto my own aircraft things that I legally posses. That should not be anything different from taking these things with me when I use my car or simply walk down the street.
A large airport ought not to be any different to me as a pilot than a grass strip or small airfield. I can understand that airlines and charter operations want their passengers and/or crew screened but I don’t want anyone forcing me to protect me from myself.
I have yet to see a security person preventing me from taking anything onto my own aircraft. Occasionally I’ve been asked about something but the situation got cleared quickly. I’m happy to produce my license and from there on it goes smooth. It’s a hassle so and I’m always annoyed and ready to make a remark when I have to get the coins and keys out of my pockets. I would refuse to take off shoes or belt, if asked. When the metal detector beeped, I play annoyed and let the security guy do the manual sweep. I find it silly that an action with a pre-defined result (everything goes with me) is performed.
But then conversations like this one here make me wonder how far my rights as license holder and PIC actually go. I believe we had that already somewhere here. Would be nice to be able to quote the law if push comes to shove.
In some places – EPPO in Poland comes to my mind – they would never let you get to your plane if you refused to take your shoes off.
It is not about you bringing something to your airplane, it is mostly about bringing things to the apron. Nobody likes these checks, but i tend to accept them.
Flyer59 wrote:
, it is mostly about bringing things to the apron.
Exactly. On many airports, as a pilot of any aircraft (private, corporate or airliner) you will be completely unsupervised from the moment you walk through security. Once through the metal detector, you can go anywhere on the airport. The security guard can not know if you will walk directly to your plane or if you pay a visit to a parked airliner first. So he needs to make sure that you carry nothing which could pose a threat to those airliners. It is these which get protected, not you or your aircraft.
