EPIRB / PLB / Lifejacket and VHF on Aircraft (transatlantic)

[rogerdog]

Hi all,
anyone any experience of taking lifejackets (with CO2 bottles) a PLB (mcmurdo fast find) VHF hand-held and yaesu FT817 (both with internal batteries on a plane to the states ???

Having all sorts of trouble with a straight answer from Virgin best so far is lifejackets only if I empty the bottles ! and other bits onot on their system ???




AGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH

 

[SimbaDog]

Not lifejackets but McMurdo fastfind & vhf, going out they were not even mentioned at security?
Coming back they were, ended up with about 6 security guy's inspecting them, after explanations they shrugged & said OK.
There didn't seem to be any hard & fast rules that anyone could find /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[jswindel]

I think it is illegal to take any compressed gas containers of any sort on a plane, for pretty good reasons. I don't think there is any general problem with electronics with internal batteries. I know from a recent trip to India that the Indians were very concerned about spare batteries in hand luggage, but not about ones inside equipment. I have been asked a number of times to switch on equipment, like laptop computers, to show that they are what they are. Again, this only applied to carry on items.

 

[Bilgediver]

You may be asked to remove the batteries so especially for the high powered VHF batteries take a few zip lock bags to double or treble wrap them so there is no chance of shorting terminals.

I was interrogated recently as to why I had a walkie talkie and it seems being a yacht skipper ticked the right boxes where being a ham operator did not.

 

[Tranona]

Not so. Each airline has its own policy. I recently took cylinders out to Corfu on Easyjet. Phoned beforehand and advised to put them in hold baggage.

With electronic equipment I have often transported a chart plotter no problem in hold baggage and only had it queried once in Greece where they x ray while you watch. No problem once they saw what it was.

Don't know specifically about EPIRB and PLB but would think again iin hold baggage would be OK.

 

[npf1]

I've had no problem with Epirb and radio in checked baggage - althought I did stick a label to the EPIRB to explain in simple terms what it was. But have had plenty of hassle with lifejackets. The BA instructions/policy (a pdf on their website somewhere) says lifejackets should be carried in hand luggage. I usually take a copy of the pdf - not to show the BA staff, but to present to the security people who are the ones who often have an issue with lifejackets.

 

[Anthony]

The big airline industry baggage handbook says lifejacket + 2 cylinders ok in checked baggage (suggest u remove cylinder from jacket to prevent any accident), but each airline has its own rules above that. Email the airline first and take a copy of the printed reply with you.

Ants

 

[Malcb]

This is from the RYA :-

quote
There are a number of items, classed as dangerous goods, which passengers may not carry on board an aircraft and compressed gas is one of these. The regulations pertaining to these items are complex and as is frequently the case in life, there are exceptions to the rules.

The RYA requested clarification of the facts regarding the carriage of 33g carbon dioxide (CO ) cylinders used to inflate boating life-jackets from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The CAA confirmed that one of the exceptions to the regulations which forbids the carriage of dangerous goods in passengers' baggage is for no more than two small carbon dioxide cylinders fitted into a self-inflating life-jacket for inflation purposes, plus no more than two spare cartridges , but this exception ONLY applies with the approval of the airline.

If you are intending to take a life-jacket with you when flying the CAA recommend that passengers contact their airline when booking their flights and obtain written confirmation of the airline s policy on the carriage of life-jackets and their inflation cartridges.
Quote

 

[dt4134]

[ QUOTE ]
but this exception ONLY applies with the approval of the airline.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the biggest problem. I've found it is OK once you've found someone who knows what you're talking about, but in some airlines that's not possible.

BA were the best in my experience and they had no difficulty with my carrying a 275N lifejacket and spare 60g cylinder.

The fallback is to buy a new cylinder at the other end (easier & cheaper with a 33g cylinder). If you're sailing back you can keep it as a spare.

 

[Amphitrite]

Never had a problem with a VHF h/h on board (they do not know what it is) when the antenna was screwed off.

Very mixed experiences with co2 cartidges, the worst in England (Birmingham), although most airlines carry them and there is one for each passanger on board anyway. The IATA rules specially talk of one lifejacket with 2 cartridges plus 2 spares at the discretion of the flight captain, who has it normally delegated to the airline.
The idiots at the check-in normally would have to ask the airline, but they never do, which resulted in Lufthansa paying for those confiscated in B....

 

[Blue Fox]

I flew to St Martin with lifejacket and CO2 cartridges in the hold luggage. And decided not to mention it at the check-in. No problems whatsoever.

 

[Bilgediver]

I've had no problem with Epirb
_____________________________

There used to be a problem with EPIRBS as they had lithium batteries of a size which contravened the regs. However I believe the rules were modified slightly so that they became acceptable as this was a major problem with shipping companies etc trying to move them by airfreight.

 

[rosssavage]

Interesting replies folks... Electronics, no problem at all.

CO2 bottles is different. CAA policy is as above, but as an ex BA load controller, BA will only accept CO2 bottles in the hold, loaded as cargo. This must be accompanied with an entry on the NOTOC (NOtice TO Captain) detailing the number and location of 'Life Saving Devices - Self Inflating' on the aircraft.

If you have carried them in cabin baggage you were lucky and the CSA didn't know their jobs...

I would advise taking them as hold luggage and advising the airline before travel - get something written in your booking (Tell them to make a PNR comment) to avoid any embarasment at check in.

 

[boomerangben]

Following a recent ditching of a North Sea helicopter, the CAA banned the use of PLBs for the passengers. The problem was that when 18 PLBs started transmitting, the intelligent EPIRBs fitted to the aircraft and liferafts heard other PLBs transmissions and shut down thereby saving their power for later. So whilst there were plenty of PLBs going off, none of them talked to satelites nor were powerful enough to reach the beach.

Whether this applies to carriage of PLBs/EPIRBs as "freight" (ie the scenario here) I don't know, but it might be worth checking with the airline before you fly.

Do you have to tell someone your EPIRB might be used from somewhere outside your normal patch?