[Harp-L] Harmonicas and Airport Security...

[Isaac Ullah]

Hi all...     I regularly travel with a leather case of six harmonicas in my carry-on luggage. I've never had any issues with airport security (although an x-ray guy in denver DID recognize them as  harmonicas, and asked me if I played). However, I was recently pulled aside at Chicago O'Hare for a bag check and an "additional screening". Turns out it was because of the harmonicas! Of all places where you think they might recognize a harmonica in an x-ray scanner, you would think it would be in Chicago!!! Has anyone else run into problems at the airport recently with their harmonca case? Should I chance putting them in (*gulp!*) my check-in bags?Rock on,Isaac

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[ven...@rcn.com]

Chances are they'll have screened your bag and left a note saying "Your bag was searched and items confiscated. To claim your items contact your local airport authority" or some such.
Elizabeth on this list has experience.

Venky

[mark wilson]

Keep them on you. It's rare these days that a screener doesn't peg
them as harmonicas right off the bat. It's usually trainees that get
fooled. I was told by a guy at LAX, that they look very similar to
gun clips to the untrained eye, but once you've seen them a few
times, it becomes pretty obvious what they are.

That being said, you can still expect your case to be searched
occasionally, which is no big deal.

Mark

[Steve Shaw]

> Chances are they'll have screened your bag and left a note saying "Your bag was searched and items confiscated. To claim your items contact your local airport authority" or some such.
> Elizabeth on this list has experience.
>
> Venky

I always keep them with me, not least because my check-in bag is always up to full weight and the nine or ten harps would tip the balance. I just don't know how to pack. I had far more trouble explaining away the harmonicas on a domestic flight from Newquay to the Isles of Scilly, less than 100 miles and within the same county, than on a long-haul flight to Australia via Kuala Lumpur!

Steve

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/trad_irish_harmonica
HEAR my CD clips: http://www.gjk2.com/steveshaw/cd.htm

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[David Fertig]

I've flown (always with at least a few harps)quite a bit around the states, Europe, even El Salvador during the war, no probs, except one time a TSA screener in Houston thought my tiny screwdriver was too dangerous to allow on board, so she took it from me.  All other times, no sweat.

Even with the big 1969 decal pasted onto my fishing-box/harp-case bearing a clenched fist and with large lettering, "Strike the War Machine!"  I've had no real probs, whether as stowed baggage or carry-on.

Our own Harvey B. might know the current TSA parameters, though. Harvey?

[Peter and Connie Ruth]

I travel by airplane often and I carry with me on the planes 2 cases,
each containing 15 harmonicas.

When I am about to pass through the security checkpoint I open up my
two cases before I send them through the ex-ray machine. This speeds
up the screening process. I never put my harps in my checked luggage
because I want to make sure my harps arrive with me.

Peter Madcat Ruth
mad...@madcatmusic.net
www.madcatmusic.net

> From: Isaac Ullah <iiu...@yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Harp-L] Harmonicas and Airport Security...
>
> Hi all... I regularly travel with a leather case of six
> harmonicas in my carry-on luggage. I've never had any issues with
> airport security (although an x-ray guy in denver DID recognize them
> as harmonicas, and asked me if I played). However, I was recently
> pulled aside at Chicago O'Hare for a bag check and an "additional
> screening". Turns out it was because of the harmonicas! Of all
> places where you think they might recognize a harmonica in an x-ray
> scanner, you would think it would be in Chicago!!! Has anyone else
> run into problems at the airport recently with their harmonca case?
> Should I chance putting them in (*gulp!*) my check-in bags?Rock
> on,Isaac

_______________________________________________

[Joe and Cass Leone]

I carry a modified clarinet case. Chromos on the bottom and a tray of
18 diatonics on top which I take out and lay on the conveyor.
Everything open. No problems, and this way I don't loose or damage my
harps.

smo-joe

On Jul 20, 2008, at 12:18 PM, Peter and Connie Ruth wrote:

> I travel by airplane often and I carry with me on the planes 2
> cases, each containing 15 harmonicas.
>
> When I am about to pass through the security checkpoint I open up
> my two cases before I send them through the ex-ray machine. This
> speeds up the screening process. I never put my harps in my
> checked luggage because I want to make sure my harps arrive with me.
>
> Peter Madcat Ruth
> mad...@madcatmusic.net
> www.madcatmusic.net

_______________________________________________

[MARVIN Fleischman]

The only problem I have had with airport security is with my black Super 64, particularly if it is in its own case and in a case with my diatonics. One funny experience was in going through security at Midway. The security person pulled the out the bag in which my harmonicas were. When she saw what they were, she told me that she would let me pass if I played some blues for her. I gladly accommodated.

Marvin Fleischman

>>> Joe and Cass Leone <le...@ewol.com> 7/20/2008 1:10 PM >>>

[Richard Hunter]

I travel a lot. I always take harps and my Zoom H4, and I often take a mic, cables, and the Digitech RP200.

I assume that any TSA officer who's earning his or her salary is going to want to see that stuff up close, and I'm rarely disappointed. It's never gone beyond opening the bag to look through the stuff, and I deal with that by showing up early.

Non-harmonica airport security related info: on 2 recent trips, I mistakenly left a knife with a 6-inch folding blade in the back pocket of a pair of jeans that I had packed in my carry-on luggage. That knife went through security at LaGuardia in NYC both times, was caught once at Minneapolis (where I checked the luggage containing the knife) and once at Reagan National in DC (where I surrendered the knife, because I didn't have any luggage that I wanted to check). I don't know why TSA at LaGuardia can't find the stuff that they see immediately in Minneapolis and DC.

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp

[Bill Hines]

I travel a lot also and all over the world. I learned. I *always* pull
the Seydel zipper bag with my harps out of the carry-on luggage and put
it in a tray just like you might do with your laptop, shoes, etc. I open
it up and lay it flat so they can see the harps. The TSA folks often use
this as an opportunity to point out what they look like to the newbies.

They almost always thank me for doing this and I think it's helped
prevent other hassles. Often it stimulates a little conversation if any
of the TSA folks (or other passengers) are harp or blues fans.

I also learned to not travel with my repair kit, they don't like the
sharp instruments in there. I sometimes bring a smokey (tiny) amp,
bullet mic, cable all inside my carry-on. Sometimes a harp commander if
I think I'm going to a jam - I'll put that in the tray also for obvious
reasons.

For international travel, this can present more curiosity than here in
the states. Especially in India, they weren't sure what the harps were
and of course at the airports there they are suspicious of everything.
In China I had no problem at all. In Singapore the security guy wanted
to know how many octaves I could play on a diatonic, etc. They never
really ask me to play, they must just know better, there's probably a
picture of me somewhere in their training manual :^)

Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-...@harp-l.org [mailto:harp-l-...@harp-l.org] On
Behalf Of Isaac Ullah
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:33 AM
To: har...@harp-l.org
Subject: [Harp-L] Harmonicas and Airport Security...

[scott gold]

Like Richard, I travel a lot ­ about 200,000 air-miles a year. I have been
to China, Ethiopia, Geneva, Sudan, New Caledonia, Tibet, Palau, etc. with
harps in my bags.
I have written in about my experiences at airport security (Manila, for
example) some years ago when it was a hot topic ­ I won¹t get into that
now ­ it¹s in the archives, somewhere...

Part of my work involves security. I agree with Richard - TSA security can
be quite spotty ­ from airport to airport in the USA as well as
internationally.
The machines vary and most can be calibrated for sensitivity and so on, but
in the end, it all comes down to the person dealing with the info that the
machine gives out.
The TSA staff looking through thousands of images of thousands of contents
in thousands of bags every day ­ even if trained well - most likely can¹t
see everything, nor catch all ³weapons² (thankfully, my fountain pens
mechanical pencils, rolled up magazines, etc., have not yet been confiscated
as weapons).

Sometimes, it¹s the way the harps (or any questionable item of your choice)
is packed and laying in your bag ­ configurations and angles of view can
look more suspicious than others; other times, it can be due to fatigue,
poor training, etc. you just never know.

Some know right away: ³oh, you play harmonica² ­ ³I see you¹re a musician,
have a nice day² others call for the secondary search ­ which is not really
all that pleasant.

TSA can always give you a visual once-over and size you up ­ when you do
like I do and try to cut off the search with: ³oh, you probably are looking
at my harmonicas, right? 3 smalls one and a large one with a button.²
Sometimes it works , sometimes not (since I kind of look a bit
terrorist-like, perhaps).

Consequently, I don¹t pack as many harps, etc. as I used to mostly b/c I
like to travel carry-on only when I can. I keep them all together and easily
separated ­ like someone else on list mentioned.

When I am forced to check in bags, I try to pack all questionable items ­
harps, mics, anything and everything ­ in my suitcase.
I have just given up caring anymore about lost, stolen, or damaged goods ­
the hassles are just not worth it to me any more.

In the words of Steven Stills:

Paranoia, it strikes deep - in to your lives, it will creep. . . .

-sg
tokyo

> on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:52:47 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
> In the Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Harmonicas and Airport Security...

> Richard Hunter wrote:
>
> I travel a lot. I always take harps and my Zoom H4, and I often take a mic,
> cables, and the Digitech RP200.
>
> I assume that any TSA officer who's earning his or her salary is going to want
> to see that stuff up close, and I'm rarely disappointed. It's never gone
> beyond opening the bag to look through the stuff, and I deal with that by
> showing up early.
>
> Non-harmonica airport security related info: on 2 recent trips, I mistakenly
> left a knife with a 6-inch folding blade in the back pocket of a pair of jeans
> that I had packed in my carry-on luggage. That knife went through security at
> LaGuardia in NYC both times, was caught once at Minneapolis (where I checked
> the luggage containing the knife) and once at Reagan National in DC (where I
> surrendered the knife, because I didn't have any luggage that I wanted to
> check). I don't know why TSA at LaGuardia can't find the stuff that they see
> immediately in Minneapolis and DC.
>
> Regards, Richard Hunter
>

[Joe and Cass Leone]

No, I don't know how to post pictures to you. I guess I could take
pictures but putting them in my computer is beyond my talents. In any
case, picture a clarinet case 14" x 8" x 4" (350mm x 200mm x 100mm,
for our European shut in friends). The foam and velvet insert is
removed and the interior clothed in naugyhide. The bottom will hold 7
chromos (I carry 4, plus small tools, and one of 3 mics). I built a
teak tray that has 3 rows that are 4" (100mm) wide. Each row holds 5
diatonics flat or 7 if on edge.

Since I always get pulled out of line anyway, I have everything set
up so that I can blow through the conveyor line as fast as possible
and then go disrobe.

. I have never had a problem in Europe, and while I have always had
the warmest spot for the British, they seem to pick the nastiest
people for their version of TSA. I will never go through Heath Rowe
again. I have also run into particularly snotty (Jesus I HATE that
word) people at Denver and Newark.

smokey-joe

On Jul 21, 2008, at 10:32 AM, Robert Koch free wrote:

> any pictures?
> Rob
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe and Cass Leone"
> <le...@ewol.com>
> To: "Peter and Connie Ruth" <con...@umich.edu>
> Cc: <har...@harp-l.com>
> Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 7:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Re: Harmonicas and Airport Security...

> !DSPAM:5614,4884a53930507072917451!

[Garry Hodgson]

Isaac Ullah <iiu...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Has anyone else run into problems at the airport recently with
> their harmonca case?

i bring mine as carry on. i make it a point not leave them in my
backback. instead, i open the case and put it in the trays that hold
your keys and such. make it as obvious as possible what they are.
i've had screeners thank me for doing that. before i started doing
that, i've had embarrassing delays when they spotted a stray harp with
the x-ray machine but didn't know what it was.

--
Optimism and pessimism don't exist for me.
I'm a blues man. I am a prisoner of hope.
I'm going to die full of hope.
- Cornel West

[Alexander Mcleod]

>> Has anyone else run into problems at the airport recently with their
>> harmonca case?

I usually carry a couple of harps in my backpack. Once in a while the pack
is rescanned and I'm asked if they are harmonicas (the chromatic seems to
really throw them) but I've been asked to actually play them only twice.
The first time was shortly after 9/11 and the second time was coming back
into the U.S in Vancouver.

The young Canadian asked me to play it and then thanked me. He said he was
thinking of buying a valved Suzuki Promaster and wanted to hear what it
sounded like.

Hope I did well and closed the sale for Suzuki. :-)

Sandy

[David Payne]

I remember first time I left the country, sides Canada, I got off the plane in Heathrow. As I got off the plane, I got singled out by this girl, who was cute and even cuter because she was wearing this cute hat and skirt and had this cute English accent, because I was a multiple of 33rd passenger or something like that, and they asked me to provide some data for "Her Majesty, the Queen." She asked questions about what towns I was going to, I said just London and Cockfosters (which is often featured on Benny Hill) for four days, then off Austria for the rest of the year. The way they phrased it was like the Queen herself needed this info, like she was just sitting on the edge of her throne, with her fingers crossed, just dying with curiosity, when in reality, she wouldn't really give a rat's ass about where I was going on my English holiday.... Well, by god, I showed the Queen, I went right to her freakin' house but these dudes in fuzzy hats
wouldn't let me in.We had a girl, who was a little psychotically boy crazy and she was hanging on one of the palace guards = the ones that people try to make smile and stuff -  he actually told her to "F---K Off."
It was a REALLY weird time to be in England, since the Queen's ex daughter-in-law Diana had just died. I mean, her body was still in France, at this time, she died two days before I got there. Besides the grumpy palace guards, people were just walking around crying. The main theory of the common folk was she had been murdered by the family.
 Also went to the Diana's house. Folks were stacking flowers so fast, I'm mean MILLIONS of flowers in front of the ex daughter-in-law's house, they would rot before they could be removed.
I carried some old handmade Blues harps with me, a couple of special 20s on the plane, didn't have any trouble. But that was Sept. 1997.
Dave
_________________________
Dave Payne Sr.
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com

smokey-joe

>> _______________________________________________
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