Ridiculous carry on baggage

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A bunch of us went to the Indonesian Skydiving Convention way back in 89...... it was a cheap package deal with flights (Garuda), accomodation and jumps (out of CASA's, a Transall AND brand new stretched C130s.....) right onto DPS.... different!

I packed my parachute rig in my suitcase.... others didn't.... and some argued at check in they were too valuable to check...

An announcement was made allowing them to be taken as carry on...and Id guess at least 15 guys/gals took advantage of that....:mrgreen::mrgreen:

As it turned out the aircraft was an old DC-10 chartered by Garuda from a US company... wet lease with a US crew....

Departure was delayed as they "had a little trouble closing the aft cargo door"..

You'll understand why I wished at THAT point to have my rig with me.... (not that you could even get out of a commercial jet in flight...)

I'd be worried if 15+ people walked on to a plane I was about to fly in carrying parachutes! ;)
 
Years ago now, before the advent of security screening everywhere....a passenger turned up with a small washing machine. I have no idea where he thought it might fit.

In Melbourne one day a passenger started to put on a real act when told that his hand luggage would not be allowed. It was one of those huge backpacks that you just about need to be a soldier to even pick up. Agent was standing firm, when he started demanding to see the Captain. As an aside, this is a really bad idea. I wasn't the actual captain, but was paxing in uniform, which he didn't know. So, I told him no way, it has to go downstairs. Decided to get even more irate. Problem solved...left them both behind.
 
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D. B. Cooper disagrees!

Ahh... but that was a 727...with "Airstairs" at the rear.... After HIM a special interlock was put in place to prevent the airstair being deployed in flight....

That system used to get disabled in a chartered 727 in the US.... for skydiving. Never jumped that... and it was a narrow one-at-a-time exit anyway.... but I did (as a military freefaller) get to jump a Starlifter (C-141)... Nice tail ramp...very civilized....

So I suppose you could say Ive taken even stranger "carry on" onboard.... beside parachutes... how about an equipment pack and RIFLE!
 
FOUR stories come to mind...

1. I had moved to Adelaide from Sydney and my parents took advantage of that and moved from Sydney to the Tweed Coast. I was visiting them in the Tweed one Christmas and my mother asked me to pick up a large Christmas ham in Sydney on the way through from our old next door neighbour. I had to carry that on board.

2. My parents were in China on an internal flight (early - mid '80's) and the lady sitting next to them had a live chicken on her lap in one of them bamboo cages.

3. A couple of years ago my wife was hungry before a flight so she bought 2 x Burger King burgers. I told her I wouldn't eat them on board. As it was, we were split up and I was in Row 1 and she was row 10 (or there abouts). Once we were up in the air a very polite cabin crew handed me this parcel. It was the burger from my wife.... I was a bit embarrassed.

4. My nephew on the Gold Coast announced his engagement so my wife purchased a lead crystal vase. We weren't going up there for a while so I had an uncle take it with him ( a bad traveller at the best of times) and he freaked out when the security guys asked him to unpack it including the wrapping paper. Being lead crystal the xrays couldn't see in side.
 
FOUR stories come to mind...

4. My nephew on the Gold Coast announced his engagement so my wife purchased a lead crystal vase. We weren't going up there for a while so I had an uncle take it with him ( a bad traveller at the best of times) and he freaked out when the security guys asked him to unpack it including the wrapping paper. Being lead crystal the xrays couldn't see in side.
I did the same thing when I took a lead crystal decanter from Perth to Melbourne as a wedding gift for my nephew. The funny thing was that Myer in Melbourne had exactly the same item in stock for exactly the same price. Airport security didn't like the look of it as it showed up as an empty box on their xray.
 
I've carried a couple of (homemade) mudcakes to NZ for my Poppa's 90th birthday and also carried a fully iced Xmas cake and a decent sized gingerbread house!

Air NZ stowed the house away for me and on the domestic flight, it got strapped into row 1!
 
Not as strange as the Omo, but in the pre Dunkin' Donuts days in Perth, I often saw a box of their produce lying flat in an overhead locker with little (or no room) for actual luggage. And the owners of the donuts were very precious about anyone rearranging the donuts to make a little more room for other peoples carry-on.

Yes this drives me nuts
 
I've carried a couple of (homemade) mudcakes to NZ for my Poppa's 90th birthday and also carried a fully iced Xmas cake and a decent sized gingerbread house!

Air NZ stowed the house away for me and on the domestic flight, it got strapped into row 1!

I recall last year someone asking all the airlines on facebook if they can take as carry on a cooked ham or roast for family Christmas.
 
I've carried a couple of (homemade) mudcakes to NZ for my Poppa's 90th birthday and also carried a fully iced Xmas cake and a decent sized gingerbread house!

Air NZ stowed the house away for me and on the domestic flight, it got strapped into row 1!

How did it get past NZ quarantine?
 
Over the years, Mum has taken some interesting foodstuffs when visiting family back home in Asia; some of it can't be packed into the checked baggage, resulting in some interesting ways of carrying it on board.

Her habits in this regard has been getting more subdued due to carriers cracking down a lot more on the nature of unusual carry-ons.
 
In Zimbabwe I bought a fantastic carved soapstone rhino abt 45cm long by 25cm high and carried it in hand luggage the whole way back. Weighted a lot and I had it wrapped up pretty well in some clothing and bubble wrap.

Completely uneventful until the people on the x ray machines started busting out laughing ... a complete, perfect dark rhino profile sailed across their screens ... I suppose these days it wouldn't be allowed, as it could be concealing something.
 
I shared a Dash 8 cabin with 3 cellos once. Each instrument had its own seat and was accompanied by the artists.
[video=youtube;5YGc4zOqozo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo[/video]
Here's why.
 
Another NZ story...

I attended the US National Champs of my sport some years ago... did quite well but as well as earned trophies/plaques I was presented with the "Furthest Travelled award"...a beautifully made wooden model of a classic stagecoach... about 30cm long... but with all sorts of fragile attachments.....I thought that was hilarious... the most fragile award given to the person with the furthest to go home....

The crew on the NZ flight out of LAX were marvellous.... they found a nice safe place for it...

On another occasion I had been at shooting comps in the US again... AND loading ammo while I was there... I had a high quality powder thrower (to measure the propellant charge when loading cartridges) in my hand luggage... (hey ..it was worth $$$$$)..

Going through screning at LAX they pulled it out and asked what it was.... when I said a "powder thrower" a head popped up from behind another machine a little way away.... and as MY screeners ummed and aahed.... this guy was saying "Its just a powder thrower its OK"

Another handloader obviously!
 
That's pretty standard for all cello players of any decent standard. They'll never check in their cellos. Have a friend who's a concert cellist and wherever he flies to perform he gets a J seat and the cello another. Not a bad way to rack up those SC.

Often it is a case of the airline not allowing the check in. My friends tend to get told to buy a seat for their cellos as they aren't allowed to check it in. Or if they do check in, the airline bears no responsibility in the wellbeing of the instrument. Given what we pay for our instruments, I'd be quite happy to pay for a J seat ... cheaper than buying a new one!

Also probably not so ridiculous to carry on, but I definitely felt ridiculous as I had brought on some Krispy Kremes for relatives and requested a low carb meal on my recent SQ flight!
 
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