a few questions about air travel with gear

[ewhirsh]

Hello Keyboard forums, I haven't been on here much, but I'm glad to know there is such a kickass community of great musicians sharing their knowledge with each other..glad to be a part of the family!

 

I'm in a jazzy hip hop group whose MC is a Masters in Pan-African Studies student at Syracuse University, and he's got enough grant money to fly the rest of the band up from North Carolina to produce a show in December as part of his thesis.

 

I've never done air travel before, and I was wondering if y'all could share experience and advice on the safest/smoothest way for me to make this weekend trip a success:

 

My rig for this group is a 3-tier stand with a Yamaha S90ES, a Nord Electro 2 (for organ stuff), and an M-Audio Axiom 49. The Axiom 49 is a controller for a MacBookPro running Ableton Live with various loops and a lot of NI softsynths. All of the audio data and samples are on a rack-mounted Glyph GT050Q hard drive in a 4-space rack along with a MOTU 828mkII, a Midisport 8x8 USB midi interface and a Furman power conditioner.

 

Part of my problem is solved: there is a backline rental company in Syracuse that has a Yamaha Motif ES8 and a Korg CX3, which covers me comfortably for the first two keyboards. But I just can't do this show without my laptop and rack (i can mayyyybe go without a midi controller and just use laptop-key mappings instead).

 

So, question #1: The rack case i have right now is the thinner, cheaper SKB model, not a robust ATA rack. Do I get one of those and check the rack as baggage (man! that hard drive! ahh!)? Or do I leave the rack as is, and ship it via FedEx or UPS in a very well padded box?

 

Question #2: I'll feel safer/prepared if i can take my bag of tricks with me, audio cables, adapters, surge protectors, pedals, etc. Has anyone had problems getting that sort of stuff through airport security to take on the plane?

 

 

War-stories, hardline advice, alternate suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Eric

 

[MusicWorkz]

Sounds like an interesting gig.

 

#1) If you have to fly, then make sure you have ATA racks. No getting around that. I've travelled and checked them with no problem. BUT I would keep the hard drives on my person. That and the laptop are the most fragile pieces and should always be on you. Back your data up to DVD's just in case though.

 

#2) I've travelled with a laptop and controller (with cables and headphones in the gig bag) without problem. I don't think you would have much problem with that stuff in your carry on, but you can always check the TSA website for what is or isn't permitted.

[Tonysounds]

Here's the deal: you can't fly ANYTHING over 50lbs anymore. Not as carry on, not as checked baggage, none of it. That pretty much precludes you using an ATA flight rack.

 

I would go with rental gear, but take your Axiom as carry-on, and transfer your rack gear to a soft rack bag and carry that on as well. GC carries a 4sp rack bag that has a thin wood shell inside, and just bring a piece of foam to slip into the front when you close the flap. They'll both fit as carry on, and since you'll be carrying it, you can make sure they're babied.

 

T

[zeronyne]

Here's the deal: you can't fly ANYTHING over 50lbs anymore. Not as carry on, not as checked baggage, none of it. That pretty much precludes you using an ATA flight rack.

 

This is absolutely not true. I fly 2-4 times every week, on American, Southwest, and sometimes United. Last week, I checked a 63 lbs bag on an American flight by paying an extra $50.00.

 

Here are a few tips for you to make the flight as simple as possible. I have not flown for a gig, but I've flown countless times for presentations that involve twice as much gear as I would carry as a keyboard player:

 

1) Ship everything you possibly can if there's someone on the other end who can be trusted with it. My simple trick is to only carry a single change of clothes and ship my suitcase.

 

2) Weight isn't important for a CARRY ON, but keep in mind that you WILL have to adhere to the dimension regulations. You can't hang things in the closet at the front of the plane anymore, and I've seen 50/50 success from people who try to bring a guitar. CHECK YOUR AIRLINE'S WEBSITE and don't assume that they'll just let something go by.

 

3) Let's talk about the TSA (Full disclosure: I've done work for them). The trick to avoid being hassled at the security line is to be prepared. Put all your liquids in a quart-size zip lock...better yet, just buy the shampoo/gel/cologne when you get there. After they check your ID, PUT IT AWAY. Don't wear jewelry, and wear shoes that you can easily take off and put back on. Take your laptop AND CONTROLLER KEYBOARD out of their bags and put them in the provided trays...this will avoid a second trip through. Which brings me to:

 

4) Carry on a rack up to 4 spaces isn't as bad as you'd think...IF you use a rack bag, But I have a word of advice...swap your rack screws for knurled thumbscrews. You may be asked to take each piece out of the rack. Frankly, this is the one case where I think they are totally justified. Nothing screams "Improvised Explosive" like the inside of a crossover or a Countryman direct box. Again, if the rack is bigger than the suitcase you'd travel with, don't risk it.

 

5) Try to fly in at least 24 hours before a gig, and make sure that there is a weekday included in that range...you're going to want to make sure that there's a GC or Radio Shack open if there has been a problem.

 

6) Get to the airport EARLY.

 

I've had uneventful experiences 99% of the time, but it's that 1 out of a hundred (which is once a year for me)that can ruin your life...by "ruin your life" I mean "body cavity search".

 

Common sense and putting yourself in the beleaguered ticket agent's, security screeners', and flight attendants' positions should serve you well.

 

Oh, and looked into the Trusted Traveler program if you really want to make it smooth.

[Tonysounds]

As with most everything, YMMV. Zeronyne has had exquisitely good luck. When we travel, we have a quantity of gear, and I can honestly say, while were able to get away with 100lb packages (my Motif 8 in an SKB case; Mackie powered subs in their original boxes; O2r in a flight case), that shift to 75lbs 3 years ago, and then last year, dropped to 50lbs. Maybe with one piece of gear you can get away with the overage charge, but if you're showing up with 5 (or like us, 30), they will tell unequivocally, nothing over 50lbs.

 

For someone who travels 2x a week or more, I find it interesting that the 'tips' being given are being called tips. These are REQUIREMENTS for any flight any more. You can't bring ANY liquids in a carry-on, not shampoos, mouthwash, toothpaste, cologne; they will be confiscated, and there are signs everywhere telling you to toss them into the garbage before you get to the security check as they will cost you (and everyone around you) time. You MUST take your computer out of its bag, open it, and put it into a seperate bucket from its bag; you MUST remove your shoes. This is SOP these days. So again, take all advice with a grain of salt. If you're doubtful about any of this, call the airline yourself. They'll give you an earful.

 

 

That said, even for carryon, weight will be a restriction. You not only have to deal with dimensions, but it's got to go in the overhead most of the time, so don't freak them out with a flight rack; go carpeted, or rackbag if you can. Of course, 'amp depth' is out of the question.

 

The knurled thumbscrews is a good idea.

 

T

[kanker.]

You can't bring ANY liquids in a carry-on, not shampoos, mouthwash, toothpaste, cologne; they will be confiscated, and there are signs everywhere telling you to toss them into the garbage before you get to the security check as they will cost you (and everyone around you) time.

Liquids are just fine.

[Tonysounds]

I must be hallucinating. The last time I flew was 6 weeks ago, and in Chicago and Vegas there were signs saying "no liquids allowed on carry-ons."

 

Who knows....it won't be the last time I'm wrong today.

[delirium]

...by "ruin your life" I mean "body cavity search".

 

you mean your body will search your cavity?

 

 

 

in Chicago and Vegas there were signs saying "no liquids allowed on carry-ons."

 

depends what liquids, last time I had nitroglycerin in carry on they asked me to throw it away...

 

[yannis D]

I came form Moscow yesterday. They made me put my shoes off for the first time in my life. Things are getting hard in Europe too. I never get alchohol or any liquids on fly just in case. For me the XV 2020 Roland module+laptop setup works fine for my trips around Europe (Iand those three past years are more than 20). They all fit in an M Audio gig bag along with my trusty Ozone. Wherever i go they get for me a 88 piano controller (Kurz PC 88 most of the times, i played on Korgs, Yamahas, RD700's and so on). If you travell a lot try to minimize everything. It's not only the regulations, it's the security you feel when you take your gear with you on the airplane, near your seat. The only time i had problems was in Israel. They gave me a real hard time tryin' to figure out what my XV2020 was. Two policemen surrounded me, thyin' to intimidate me (actually, they did...). After almost an hour they brought me back the XV and let me fly back home. If you got the instrument(s) book i would suggest to take it with you, it helps when you face angry aeroport officers. Good luck to your gigs

[Steve Nathan]

While possibly not helpful in answering the bigger question, I feel compelled to ask the original poster what seems obvious to me in this case.

Why fly??

It's not worth the risk of damage to checked gear. If I have to fly gear, I never take one of a kind stuff, no matter what, even with Rockit. Syracuse has gear rental companies. Take our computer, drives and patches in a backpack and rent the rest. If not, drive!. Get a van from Enterprise and have a real road trip. Downstate NY is beautiful at that time of year (viewed from inside a heated vehicle of course).

[ewhirsh]

Hey all, thanks for the great stories and insights. It's leaning towards a rack bag with knurled thumbscrews or a well-packed UPS shipment a few days before (I'll still carry-on the hard drive).

 

Steve, I'd love to drive instead of fly: it's just that none of us can take time off from dayjobland for the extra travel day(s).

 

Happy autumn,

 

E