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Sealed Carry-On

For When You Don't Want To Wait For Bags
  (+14, -1)(+14, -1)
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i fly between sfo and reno/tahoe int. pretty regularly, but prefer not to check bags. however, my trusty leatherman can't fly with me in my carry-on. in order for me to avoid the carousels of doom and still keep my sharp objects, i suggest a sealed, shockproof plastic pod. these pods will be available before the security lines at airports. leatherman goes in, pod halves are pushed together, and the pod can't be opened after you go through security. when you get to your destination, on the far side of security will be a small pedestal that the pod is placed on, and the halves come apart.

the pedestal can work in a number of ways. the easiest and cheapest would be to mimic those rental dvd case, but they could be as complicated as having a radio frequency tag reader attached to a lock that is powered when it is placed on the pedestal. the combination of power to the lock, and the correct tag in the pedestal itself would cause the pod to open. then i gather up my pointy kit and walk out of the airport.

no waiting for the baggage, and with experience this could probably be accomplished within seconds.

tcarson, Jun 06 2006

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       Huh. I have this in my list o' potential posts, and was going to write it up next. I had just about decided on kevlar pouches like money bags.   

       I was going to put a bar code on the bags, but RFD tags are more high-tech. The thing I'll add is something that you may have assumed. I'd have each bag coded to a particular destination as it is rented/borrowed. The bag can only be opened when the network confirms that it has arrived in the right airport. If it arrives at another airport, an alarm signal goes out. If it doesn't get opened soon after the flight arrives at the right airport, an alarm signal goes out and the renter is searched for.   

       Of course, the standard description for renters of these things is going to be, "bearded male, scruffily dressed, wild-eyed, carries a knife." That's me. +
baconbrain, Jun 07 2006
  

       it wouldn't be checked baggage, so it would get out the same airport as the person who was on the plane. i like rfid tags, but they tend to have a pretty steep start up cost so cheaper methods could probably be utilised.   

       [baconbrain] you do realize that kevlar is more of a rigid material than cloth right? in bulletproof vests it is a fabric made up of rigid strands, and isn't supple. a kevlar box would work though.
tcarson, Jun 07 2006
  

       //it wouldn't be checked baggage, // Exactly. I was just trying to be sure that there was no way that a person could leave the pack on the plane by "losing" his carry-on.
baconbrain, Jun 07 2006
  

       well, if someone loses their carry-on, they probably have bigger issues than a lost pocket knife. most people have their gadgets like a laptop or cell phone there as well.
tcarson, Jun 07 2006
  

       I can see that I am going to have to be much more clear in my writing. By "losing" I meant pretending to lose, okay?   

       My point is that a terrorist could leave a sealed carry-on bag on the plane for evil purposes. Perhaps there's a well-disguised bomb in it, perhaps there is half a hijacking tool that the next guy needs. I don't know exactly what could happen, but I'm betting that these containers would need to be kept track of.
baconbrain, Jun 07 2006
  

       well, these containers would go through security just like all of the other baggage used. if a bomb is disguised well enough to make it through security in this pod, than it would make it through anyway. also, a hijacking tool placed into this pod would not be accessable on the plane.
tcarson, Jun 07 2006
  

       You know, I was thinking about this recently when I found a note in my suitcase on a flight to San Francisco that read: "Knives not allowed. Knife confiscated - TSA."   

       I know that knives can't be confiscated from checked baggage (not without me being detained and questioned, anyway), and told the TSA rep at SFO that, and he said, "So a TSA inspector took your knife? We'll never figure out who did it, and it's not valuable enough to be worth it, so tough shit."   

       I was thinking about a manner of checking knives/tools at the gate and having them go under lock and key to pick up at the exit, but I think I like a method similar to this better.
shapu, Jun 07 2006
  

       There's a simple way round this.   

       1. Climb into right hand seat of Piper PA-28.   

       2. Turn to guy in left hand seat and say, "Got your gun and knife handy ?"   

       3. Wait for confirmation.   

       4. Check your own gun and knife.   

       5. Take off, and fly to destination.   

       If anything goes wrong, the number of people to blame is very limited.
8th of 7, Nov 26 2011
  

       Or just issue every adult on the plane a knife if they forgot their own. The net result is the same.
MechE, Nov 26 2011
  

       //Climb into right hand seat of Piper PA-28//   

       The left seat is my preferred seating arrangement. (Still dreaming of an RV-12 in my future)
Klaatu, Nov 27 2011
  

       What, and have to do most of the work ? You can do the takeoff perfectly well from the right hand seat , and then just sir back, tinker with the radios, mutter occasional nav corrections, eat biscuits, drink tea, doze, until it's time to land ... which you can either do yourself, or simply leave to P1, accompanied by the obligatory tut-tutting and slight shakes of the head, gently indicating disappointment verging on pity.
8th of 7, Nov 27 2011
  
      
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