Author Topic: Batteries and flying  (Read 2738 times)

yugi

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Batteries and flying
« on: March 21, 2017, 08:10:46 AM »

Several airlines get 4 days to implement a ban on laptops, cameras, and other electronic equipment on flight. UK quickly follows suite. Bet more will do so too, just to follow suite.

What a drag for travellers. If flights are down-time work-wise that’s a lot of time lost.

The classic “trick” for employees with company laptops to get an upgrade that the boss was refusing was always to simply check them in to as checked baggage. Ooops, broken, need a new one. Worked every time! This requirement to put them as check in baggage is going to create a lot of damage.

So here’s the question, IATA regulations prohibit passengers to put LiPo batteries as checked baggage in hold. So which devices have the new LiPo batteries and what is one supposed to do with them. (other than the logical “discharge” them thing).

Can someone sensible please take charge. [pun unintended]


PonoBill

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Re: Batteries and flying
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2017, 09:46:13 PM »
For damned sure don't discharge them. High energy density LiPo batteries are safest at 85% charge.

It's going to take a while for airlines to figure out appropriate safeguards. The most modern, most highly controlled batteries have very high energy densities but are very safe.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Bean

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Re: Batteries and flying
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2017, 08:06:37 AM »
I was under the impression that LiPo batteries traveled safer in the somewhat controlled cabin space as opposed to the fluctuating temperatures and pressure of the cargo compartment.

yugi

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Re: Batteries and flying
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2017, 09:08:41 AM »
^ which is probably why they are not allowed in cargo

SeldomScene

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Re: Batteries and flying
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2017, 04:36:51 PM »
Maybe one of the Zoners should take over as Director of TSA.  I am sure it's an easy job with no worries once the work day is over.  All those idiots with a lifetime of federal law enforcement experience and their law degrees, who see all the daily intel threat matrices, are just so stupid. 

It's so inconvenient for me to not have my computer with me at all times.  Doesn't it discriminate against states who are receiving people from those countries, for those people not to have their computers with them?  Maybe my local Attorney General should find a judge to order Trump not to do this.  Doubtful anyone I know would get blown up, anyway. 

tautologies

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Re: Batteries and flying
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2017, 07:36:20 PM »
I was under the impression that LiPo batteries traveled safer in the somewhat controlled cabin space as opposed to the fluctuating temperatures and pressure of the cargo compartment.

Yup, at least in the cabin you can find and extinguish the fire.. 

SeldomScene

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Re: Batteries and flying
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2017, 08:21:10 PM »
The TSA policy isn't because of battery fires, it's because of the threat of someone concealing a bomb in a larger device and detonating it while flying.  Batteries aren't banned from flights as cargo, just shipments of batteries. 

PonoBill

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Re: Batteries and flying
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2017, 09:16:50 PM »
Some day read the posters in the TSA area that detail why they look for the things they do. They scare the crap out of me, because they are obviously reactive. Somebody builds a liquid bomb and the TSA bans liquids. But what else are they going to do? People scream about every inconvenience.

It's not just TSA, lots of countries are responding to a new Al-Qaeda threat. I'm always surprised that these terrorist organizations seem so slow to execute new devices--seems kind of obvious. You could pack a lot of explosives into a laptop and still have it seem to function. Seems that Al-Quaeda finally figured that out. Any geek could build what seems to be a functioning computer in the space of half a credit card including an LCD driver. Give me a full credit card a quarter inch thick and I could functionally duplicate a laptop. Any geek can. All the rest of the space is available for explosives.

For that matter, an oversize cell phone could certainly contain enough explosives to punch a hole in the cabin of an airplane and still appear to function. Stand by.

And then there's all the Galaxy 7's.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Tom

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Re: Batteries and flying
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2017, 02:45:09 PM »
The airlines are currently getting away from the back of the seat individual screen because everyone is bringing their own wifi-enabled devise. If this ban continues to grow, they'll have to rethink that strategy.

 


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