Fuel Containers on Aircraft
David Springthorpe
Tasmania next Friday, and I just want to know if I need to declare my (correctly
drained, aired and wrapped) empty fuel (shellite) containers and sign the form
at check in, or should I just wait until I'm asked.....
DS
figjam
YES. Declare, and have a copy of the IATA regulations about this with you.
If they xray it and find 'em after check in, they'll be tossed ! (And you'll
likely be in a spot of bother too).
As with the 2nd method permitted, why not do the extra step with the cooking
oil to lower the flash point :
Airing etc, as per airline instructions . . .
** Add cooking oil to the fuel container to nullify flammability, then drain
the fuel container completely of cooking oil.
Then the absorbent material wrap, plastic bags etc.
Now, don't try this at home kids, but in the lead up to our Tassie trip last
Oct, I did a little test following all the guidelines to the letter
(actually way beyond for airing etc), to see just how good the procedures
are.
After all the recommended steps, inc the cooking oil, I carefully led a cig
lighter flame to the opening of my ali stove bottle, and whooomp!, a nice
quick flame thrower took the hair of my hand !
Shite ! Ah well, I figured at least that bottle was properly cleared of fuel
vapour !
--
Regards,
Les
e-mail munged, remove the obvious to reply direct
"David Springthorpe" <david.spr...@idx.com.au> wrote in message
news:404059e7...@news.individual.de...
Aushiker
Hi DS
I have started to put a page together on this topic ... time is
beating me so far, but some information from the regulations and
Qantas etc.
See it at http://aushiker.com/flying.htm
Have fun
Andrew
http://aushiker.com - Aushiker: Hiking in Western Australia
2003 Bibbulmun Track End to Ender
President, Perth Bushwalkers Club - http://www.perthbushwalkers.asn.au
Bob Chambers
Cynthia Bay via the Traveller and none of us were investigated for illegal
fuel containers or fuel stove burners.
Now on the way home from Christchurch last year our washed Trangia burners
and strangely not the fuel bottles, were "stolen" by the lady at the Air NZ
checkin because of a slight Metho smell.
--
Bob Chambers
"David Springthorpe" <david.spr...@idx.com.au> wrote in message
news:404059e7...@news.individual.de...
Owain
>I realise this subject has been thrashed out on previous occasions.
I'm off to
>Tasmania next Friday, and I just want to know if I need to declare my
(correctly
>drained, aired and wrapped) empty fuel (shellite) containers and sign
the form
>at check in, or should I just wait until I'm asked.....
Just came back from Tassie, flying on virgin, and the operators in
both directions had no problems with our fuel bottles which had been
drained aired and wrapped. There was no form to sign either.
Just for interest, the question that they asked both times was not "Do
you have a fuel bottle?", but instead "Do you have anything flammable
in your luggage?" Given that the bottles have been dealt with
properly, perhaps the correct answer would be "No". That said, we
didn't have problems declaring them.
The way that we used to show disbelieving staff that our bottles
weren't flammable was to drop a match into the bottle on the desk in
front of them (after having done the same at home during the airing
process - otherwise the pop would scare the **** out of them). Nothing
like seeing to believe. Of course, this wouldn't go down too well
under the current security atmosphere.
cheers
owain
PS It's been hot down there. Take a hat and lots of sunblock.
David Springthorpe
>I have started to put a page together on this topic ... time is
>beating me so far, but some information from the regulations and
>Qantas etc.
>
>See it at http://aushiker.com/flying.htm
I have the text of the original (December 2002) IATA announcement instructions,
but I'll check your link anyway (didn't you have something on this before 'tho
?) - I know you have to wash, drain for at least one hour, fix top tightly and
wrap in e.g. paper towel and plastic bag with top gathered and closed with
elastic band.....I would not bother with the cooking oil alternative.....
DS
David Springthorpe
>Just for interest, the question that they asked both times was not "Do
>you have a fuel bottle?", but instead "Do you have anything flammable
>in your luggage?" Given that the bottles have been dealt with
>properly, perhaps the correct answer would be "No". That said, we
>didn't have problems declaring them.
What about cigarette lighters / stove lighters / matches for lighting camping
stoves - do you need to declare these also, and are you allowed to carry them at
all.....?
DS
John Atkinson
"David Springthorpe" <david.spr...@idx.com.au> wrote in message...
>
> What about cigarette lighters / stove lighters / matches for lighting
camping
> stoves - do you need to declare these also, and are you allowed to carry
them at
> all.....?
You've just opened another can of worms!
For example, you're not allowed to have matches in your booked-through
baggage, but you can carry them on.
I must have violated this unknowingly a hundered times over the years, till
the last time I was coming home from NZ, when the person on the check-in
actually asked me whether I had any. So I spent fifteen minutes digging
them out from my med kit at the bottom of my pack, and then another fifteen
repacking. Of course, they were wet through after my trip, and there's no
way anyone could have got them to ignite.
But I was quite happy to oblige, as there was already a queue snaking all
round the terminal and out the door, and I'm always pleased to do my bit to
delay things even more.
John.
Owain
> stoves - do you need to declare these also, and are you allowed to carry them at
> all.....?
We left the lighters behind, as I didn't think that it was OK to take
them. But I do remember something about them being OK in hand luggage,
but not in checked baggage. Not entirely sure.
owain.
CLEFER
John Atkinson wrote:
> "David Springthorpe" <david.spr...@idx.com.au> wrote in message...
> >
> > What about cigarette lighters / stove lighters / matches for lighting
> camping
> > stoves - do you need to declare these also, and are you allowed to carry
> them at
> > all.....?
>
> You've just opened another can of worms!
>
> For example, you're not allowed to have matches in your booked-through
> baggage, but you can carry them on.
NO
I have my Virgin board pass just back from Tas in front of me and it says
NEVER take dangerous goods into the cabin, then pics of all the nasty things,
including matches.
David Springthorpe
>We left the lighters behind, as I didn't think that it was OK to take
>them. But I do remember something about them being OK in hand luggage,
>but not in checked baggage. Not entirely sure.
I can always buy a couple of cheap ciggy lighters, but I like to take my
refillable stove lighter (the one with the trigger inside a hole in the body),
and my last one cost about $8 so I don't want to have to surrender it.....
DS
Bob Chambers
no comment.
As John says, I forgot that the matches were left in the pack as checked in
luggage. I suspect that there are vast differences in attention to the
detail of the regulations at each checkin.
No questions about flammables asked by the checkin staff either.
--
Bob Chambers
"Owain" <owainw...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8a1ac6c5.04022...@posting.google.com...
Kathy and Steve
America, Canada, Peru, Spain, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore,
Australia. You can imagine how many baggage checks, xrays, declarations etc
etc we went through. In our packs was our MSR stove with a fuel bottle,
empty, washed and dried and NOT once in 4 months were we even asked about
it. We carried the cap in a separate compartment, but none the less we
werent asked at all.
K
"Bob Chambers" <patnbobattpgdotcomdotau> wrote in message
news:40410c78$1...@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
Walter Mitty
when in news:8a1ac6c5.04022...@posting.google.com he conjectured
that:
> Hey David,
>
>>I realise this subject has been thrashed out on previous occasions.
> I'm off to
>>Tasmania next Friday, and I just want to know if I need to declare my
> (correctly
>>drained, aired and wrapped) empty fuel (shellite) containers and sign
> the form
>>at check in, or should I just wait until I'm asked.....
>
> Just came back from Tassie, flying on virgin, and the operators in
> both directions had no problems with our fuel bottles which had been
> drained aired and wrapped. There was no form to sign either.
>
> Just for interest, the question that they asked both times was not "Do
> you have a fuel bottle?", but instead "Do you have anything flammable
> in your luggage?" Given that the bottles have been dealt with
> properly, perhaps the correct answer would be "No". That said, we
> didn't have problems declaring them.
Q: how come there's never a problem taking a lighter on a plane?
Andrew Mitchell
It's all been said in the thread already, but at least with Air NZ
they have no probs with properly prepared used fuel bottles. I kept a
copy of the IATA guidelines with me but didn't need to flash it. Good
to see that they are continuing the common sense approach.
Cig lighters were allowed in the cabin baggage, which is a bit
interesting because it probably wouldn't be too hard to do interesting
things with one of them...
Have fun in Tassie.
Andrew
david.spr...@idx.com.au (David Springthorpe) wrote in message news:<404059e7...@news.individual.de>...
John Atkinson
"CLEFER" <noa...@nomailthanx.com> wrote...
This fellow at Wellington airport wouldn't have agreed with you. As I said,
he made me take them out of my booked-through pack and put them in my
pockets.
I haven't tried to find any official rulings on this -- couldn't be bothered
actually.
Many foriegn.airlines still allow smoking on board. Perhaps you're supposed
to light your cigarette by snapping your fingers?
John.
Phil Cook
>"CLEFER" wrote...
>>
>> John Atkinson wrote:
>>
>> > "David Springthorpe" wrote
>> > >
>> > > What about cigarette lighters / stove lighters / matches?
>> > For example, you're not allowed to have matches in your booked-through
>> > baggage, but you can carry them on.
>> NO
>> I have my Virgin board pass just back from Tas in front of me and it says
>> NEVER take dangerous goods into the cabin, then pics of all the nasty
>> things, including matches.
Could that be a pictogram for flammable items?
>
>This fellow at Wellington airport wouldn't have agreed with you. As I said,
>he made me take them out of my booked-through pack and put them in my
>pockets.
>
>I haven't tried to find any official rulings on this -- couldn't be bothered
>actually.
>
>Many foriegn.airlines still allow smoking on board. Perhaps you're supposed
>to light your cigarette by snapping your fingers?
Cigarette lighters and matches have to be on your person, they are not
permitted in hold or carry on baggage.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"
Phil Cook
>
>Q: how come there's never a problem taking a lighter on a plane?
I had a problem with one. It was in my carry on baggage instead of my
pocket.
bibtracker
> interesting because it probably wouldn't be too hard to do interesting
> things with one of them...
>
And, of course, on international flights, there's no problem at all
about taking on board a couple of litres of scotch, vodka, brandy
etc., all of which are extremely flammable.
Then you are served a meal (?) with metal cutlery. And they worry
about nail scissors?
Ken
<david.spr...@idx.com.au> writes
alive to be brought into the country. One might expect to see
passengers undressing before they go through Customs and dumping their
clothes in the bins, but strangely it doesn't happen. Nevertheless,
cleaning a stove with cooking oil seems risky.
I wonder whether the solution is simply to use a plain coloured fuel
bottle that doesn't say the word "fuel" on it.
I didn't have any problems taking an empty fuel bottle through
Australia/Tasmania.
I didn't find a cig. lighter very useful for lighting a stove with.
--
Ken
David Springthorpe
>I didn't find a cig. lighter very useful for lighting a stove with.
I use a much more user friendly small stove lighter as previously described -
the ciggy lighter is a backup only.....
DS