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Topic: Flying with a steel guitar? |
Jason King
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2016 4:15 pm |
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| So you need a special bullet proof case beyone factory to fly safely with a pedal steel? What is best practice? Thanks |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 12:07 am
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Cross fingers,Pray a whole bunch! 
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 6:40 am
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Scott, I agree with you only to the extent that the player has the option of keeping the guitar "small, light and compact", allowing it to go on as 'carry-on baggage'. Otherwise, the case construction should never be compromised. If it is, there's a good chance that your guitar will be compromised during baggage handling. My advice is to have the most durable and protective case you can afford and be willing to pay the up-charge for baggage over-weight. The extra expense for a well designed and constructed case is a one-time thing and the up-charge for over-weight baggage will seem insignificant if you are facing the repair or loss expense of a damaged PSG.
Remember: The purpose of a flight case is to protect it's contents from damage - use a robustly-built case to help ensure instrument integrity. 
Keep on pickin'!
Glenn
_________________
Steelin' for Jesus |
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ajm
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 7:42 am
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So trying to eliminate speculation.......
Has anyone ever flown with a PSG?
For those who actually have.........
How did it go down?
Did you show up intending to carry on?
Did they let you carry on, or did they make you check it as baggage?
What was the charge for checking it as baggage?
Did it survive the trip?
If not, then what? |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 8:19 am
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I've done it many times. I've always left for the airport intending to carry my steel aboard the aircraft. My Wheel-Ez case - as much as I love them - probably couldn't stand being thrown around by a baggage-handler.
So far I've been lucky. I'm not recommending this approach but AJM did ask. I go to check-in trundling the case behind me so, at a glance, it looks like a roll-on bag. (A conveniently-draped jacket obscuring the actual size is a help here.) I check my suitcase and the check-in clerk assumes my steel is just a roll-on bag.
Then through security. I lift the case up on to the roller-conveyor (that's getting harder to do!) and security just examine the x-ray. They sometimes ask what it is but they seem to assume that if check-in has allowed it then it's none of their concern.
It's getting less easy at the gate these days. As I said, though, this is what I've done to date. If it's a long flight and a big aircraft I'll ask a stewardess if there's an available cupboard but usually it's a smaller 'plane. I know the case will fit in a standard overhead bin - the hard part is hefting it up there! My Emmons is almost 70 lbs in the case. Oh, and I make sure it's not me who's sitting under it. 
But - all this is getting more difficult to pull off especially as they're looking for more ways to charge us extra. I even had trouble boarding with a Telecaster in a soft bag last November!
I'm about to do a short tour in ND/MN this Winter - I've already shipped a set of gear ahead of time because, frankly, I find it all too stressful these days.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Malcolm McMaster
From:
Beith Ayrshire Scotland
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 9:18 am
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Jason, several options, - ask at check in if it can be carried on, if no ask to check it in at boarding gate, thus missing miles of conveyor belts, if allowed to carry on do NOT put in overhead locker as it is too heavy , most o/head lockers have a max load of around 50kgs, imagine the damage a 70lb guitar could do if locker burst open in tubulance or heavy landing ( I worked for major airline for many years, and have seen passengers suffer some bad injuries from lockers opening and contents falling out) ask crew to put in wardrobe. -- if not allowed to do either of these things ask to check in at oversize desk, normally these items are checked by TSA then sealed, guitar goes through a short belt onto baggage truck that then goes to aircraft side, again missing miles of conveyor.
Remember that average TSA / Customs worker has no idea what a pedal steel is, so put a pic inside top lid of guitar assembled ,and a Note saying "Attention TSA/CUSTOMS, This is a pedal steel guitar if removing from case PLEASE use metal end plates, do NOT use the metal connecting rods as this will seriously damage guitar.THANK YOU., add name address and tel number.Hope this helps.
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MSA Millenium SD10, GK MB200, Sica 12inch cab, Joyo American Sound Pedal/ Jay Ganz Straight Ahead amp, Telonics 15inch in Peavey cab, Digitech RP150, Peterson tuner.Hilton volume pedal.Scott Dixon seat and guitar flight case. |
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 9:33 am
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ajm; In answer to your question. It's been over ten years since I last took a flight with my steel guitar. However, one time was about two weeks after 9-11 and security was ultra-tight.
At that time I had a Sierra "Crown" series S14 (Sierra model SCM14). The guitar alone weighed about 70 lbs. and I had a custom designed and built, ATM rated flight case made for it which added about 25 lbs. to the baggage weight.
Here's a description of the design: The case was built by Keal Cases in Round Rock TX. It had three recessed spring-handles (one on the latch side and one each on the ends), two recessed spring-loaded latches, heavy duty recessed casters and a plate lock to secure the lid. The box was 3/8" plywood covered with ABS sheeting. Extruded aluminum edging, heavy steel ball corners, extruded aluminum, water tight edging around the opening of the case and it's lid. All components were fastened by rivets applied under a pressure of 2000 lbs. Also, the guitar 'floated' inside the case. The only portion of the guitar which was in contact with interior of the case were the heavy aluminum endplates which were tightly secured by anvils mounted in the case bottom and lid.
At that time there still were 'sky caps' (remember them?) doing curb-side check-ins. I acted like I knew the routine and just gave the 'sky cap' $25 to let the case get checked in as normal baggage. The 'Sky Cap' took the cash and the case and away we went.
BTW, a few years later I sold the guitar to a gentleman in Japan. To ship it I just wrapped the case in heavy cardboard with cut-outs for the casters and handles. I did that just to keep the case from getting scuffed up in shipment. The guitar and case arrived at their destination sans any damage.
Keep on pickin'!
Glenn
PS: Roger, about your comment regarding the baggage handler throwing around a PSG. The first time I flew with the Sierra and the case described above I had the good fortune to have a window seat. I watched as the ramp agents were loading baggage into the cargo bays on the plane. When the agent went to fling my Sierra off of the baggage cart onto the loading conveyor, I thought his arm was gonna come out of it's socket.  That was part of the reasoning for putting extra handles on the case - it made it easier for baggage handlers to hoist the case onto planes.
_________________
Steelin' for Jesus |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 10:07 am
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| Roger Rettig wrote: |
| I know the case will fit in a standard overhead bin - the hard part is hefting it up there! My Emmons is almost 70 lbs in the case. |
As someone who has seen overhead lockers come open during a particularly rough landing on more han one occasion I would say DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!
OK, you've got away with it so far with no accidents but unless you really feel you could happily live with the consequences of a 70lb weight falling on someone's head and it being totally your fault, I'd advise against doing it again! |
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Dick Wood
From:
Springtown Texas, USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 11:09 am
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TSA bent every pull rod on my guitar when I flew to Kodiak AK. I had to take it apart and use a hammer on the sidewalk of the venue to try and fix it before the gig the first night.
They also took my bar and picks and out of the bag where I found them rolling around lose in the underside of the guitar.
Good luck.
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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night. |
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Malcolm McMaster
From:
Beith Ayrshire Scotland
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 11:18 am
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Dick, try the outsize baggage check in, the TSA person there normally opens case in front of you, so you can tell him/her how to lift it out ( if required) , then case is closed and TSA security checked tape put round it, so should not be opened till you get it back.Have travelled quite a few times with mine, and this way always works for me.
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MSA Millenium SD10, GK MB200, Sica 12inch cab, Joyo American Sound Pedal/ Jay Ganz Straight Ahead amp, Telonics 15inch in Peavey cab, Digitech RP150, Peterson tuner.Hilton volume pedal.Scott Dixon seat and guitar flight case. |
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