transporting my blu-ray...

[marks47]

I just thought you guys might get a mild kick out of my experience. I was flying out to MacWorld in January, eager to show my friend my home-made blu-rays...

I'm at the airport... I have my laptop in my suitcase with two little black project boxes... each measuring 1 by 2 by 3 inches... guess what they are... Of course, my blu-ray pointers.
I call the TSA guy over when I hand them the bag (they're visible in this small airport) and say, hey, this is what these 2 black boxes are. They are taped  together so you can see inside them without taking the screws out... This is why this laser is "special" but it is legal, etc... So they say OK, we'll bear that in mind...
So they take my laptop out, and swipe it with the cotton bomb-sniffer thingies. Ding ding ding. Positive for TNT!!!
So they x-ray the laptop and all is well. Now they turn their attention on my lasers! 1, 2, 3 TSA supervisors get called over. Each asking me what these things are, my SSN, address, where I'm going, what I do... 3 cops come walking up and ask me the same thing... They are satisfied I'm not a threat fairly quickly and leave without incident... Finally the guy they've been waiting for that "knows electronics pretty well" shows up... He's TSA, but his shirt is different. It just says "BAO"
He goes over and starts taking pictures of my lasers... I hit google on my iPhone...
Oh, super, BAO stands for Bomb Assessment Officer.
So by this time, he's not liking the project boxes or the toggle switches or the momentary pushbuttons, or really anything about them. I have now missed my flight and they stick me on a later one. No biggie.
I can't take the lasers in my checked luggage, though, so I had to UPS them.

So when I get back for my later flight, they go up with me to make sure everything is OK...  my other laptop and my hands test positive for explosives! Still not sure why.

Finally the BAO guy came over and I lightly joked about the paperwork he was going to have to do. I said I was sorry, that I had tried to make it easier for them to check them out by not screwing the cases together and knew not to even TRY to take it as carry on... His only words were something to the effect of "next time, just remember..." I cut in and said, "Oh.. no doubt... FEDEX!" He just nodded and walked off.

So I had a fun story to tell at the convention I went to!
But wait, there's more!

I get back a few days later after a red-eye flight on a Sunday morning... FBI Joint Terror Task Force waiting for me at the gate!!!
They were actually pretty cool and nice about everything. Trying to figure out how the hell I tripped the sensors and what I tend to play with at home... (Fertilizers? Heart meds? Ordnance? (No to all..))

So anyway, they check me out a bit, making sure I'm not carrying anything weird with me, and I haven't ever really heard back from them.

Just so I make it clear, I'm not complaining about anything. The TSA guys were professional, and in my opinion, pretty reasonable about the whole thing. The Task Force guys when I got back, were even nicer.

 

[MarioMaster]

sucks that they still wouldn't let you take your lasers on the plane though

 

[MB500]

I put my DIY lasers in flashlights. I guess they wouldnt be able to tell to easily.

 

[marks47]

sucks that they still wouldn't let you take your lasers on the plane though

Yeah, I was bummed, especially since the hotel I was going to wouldn't sign for my UPS package.
I suspect it would not have been as big a deal if my stuff hadn't set off the explosives detectors. But we'll never know!

 

[drlava]

Great story, thanks for sharing. I have wondered in the past about lasers as plane carry-ons. The little black project box with toggle and pushbutton definitely could have looked like a remote detonator with 'arm' and 'fire'.
After all this, I wonder if your name will be flagged for a while and you can expect inspections regularly now. Hope not!

 

[chido]

So, you can avoid this as long as you don't bring the lasers in your carry-on bag, right?

 

[marks47]

So, you can avoid this as long as you don't bring the lasers in your carry-on bag, right?

No, this was in my checked baggage!
Your Mileage May Vary if you don't test positive (falsely or otherwise) for explosives!

 

[chido]

Wait, so they checked your regular baggage? They never check mine. Oh, and do you know if you're allowed to bring a BB gun with you? I checked the TSA site and it said it was ok. (checked baggage of course)
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

 

[marks47]

Great story, thanks for sharing.  I have wondered in the past about lasers as plane carry-ons.  The little black project box with toggle and pushbutton definitely could have looked like a remote detonator with 'arm' and 'fire'.  
After all this, I wonder if your name will be flagged for a while and you can expect inspections regularly now. Hope not!

Yeah... I would not even try to carry a laser pointer with me as carry-on anymore. After a couple TSA people on another trip raised a stink about a little basic red one you can get anywhere... I just said screw it, check them from now on. I'd hate to have a 5mw greenie confiscated.

Being flagged? No idea. My name is pretty common, so maybe that'll help. The TSA guy I talked to the most said that the forms he was filling out were only going to be kept locally. I had no problems in SFO coming home. (Except for the metal business card I had in my wallet and forgot about until the fourth time through the screener/wand thingy!)

 

[leukoplast]

This is another good reason to have a pen-style laser. Cause usually they pass with no problems at all. I've been through Los Angeles and Salt Lake city airports with my other green pen-style lasers without any issues. Although one time I had a NSD powerball with me and they had to pull me to the side and manually search my stuff.

But the lasers never gave me any problems. And when I do fly again, I will probably take my pen-style violet laser and be able to take it on the plane with me without any unnecessary searches.

 

[MB500]

It would be cool to shine a laser form a plane onto the ocean at night. Especially a violet one. Obviously not something I would do on a commercial airline.

 

[adgmeijin]

hey leukoplast do you already see what driver used in your pen bluray laser? please update me in my thread on exp and mod category, thanks.

 

[chido]

He already replied here:
http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1204088003/15
And please stop the thread jacking by trying to get help from other people. USE PMs.

 

[clwatkins10]

wow, thats the kind of thing that would make me feel uncomfortable, being checked for bombs and all that crap in front of everyone :-?

 

[charleytown55il]

another reason i dont fly. . .

 

[jakeizbeast]

So altogether how long were u being "searched" or examined? Lol i would have laughed if he pulled it out and started shining it on people and laughing.