Flying with microphones!

Ken K · 26th April 2009

Has anybody flown recently and taken microphones along in carry-on luggage? Any problems? Just contemplating taking a gig where it might be necessary. Any other suggestions to ship gear cross country for a gig?

resound · 26th April 2009

I fly regularly with gear in my carry-on. I've only ever been asked to take it out and have it scanned individually (like a laptop) once. Normally, it just passes on through and attracts no hassle. I generally don't pack much in the way of cabling, though: just an odd or an end. If I had to bring substantial amounts of cabling, I would likely check a bag with that sort of stuff in it and keep the valuables/fragiles with me.

BLP · 27th April 2009

Yeah, I've flown with a decent number of mics and a pre, etc. with no real problems. If they get nosey, just explain to them what you do (a business card handy helped me one time) and they should be cool.

No worries and happy travel!

bishopthomas · 27th April 2009

I have flown around the world in the last year with a Pelican case full of mics. Never once had a problem. Now the rack of in ear monitors ALWAYS got extra attention (lots of wires inside).

strewnshank · 27th April 2009

Sometimes I forget to put my soldering iron in the checked gear, and I've had it confiscated a few times...but I only got questioned about a mic once...a R121....and it was more about the case. They took out the padding and one officer commented that it "didn't' look like any mic" she'd ever seen. She also said the box looked like a "gerbil coffin," which made me practically wet myself.

They let me keep it though!

Jim vanBergen · 27th April 2009

There are some great previous threads about this-

As I carry a lot of precious mics (I will sometimes UPS/Fedex anything cheap, but nothing under a grand) it's worthwhile to do a couple of things:

Make a bill of lading or a manifest to provide with you that specifies the mic, manufacturer, and serial number. I take the opportunity to put things like "Remote Recording; Tour Date; Diana Krall or Limp Bizkit, etc" in the header in large type that a handler will notice and go, "Oh, this is something I don't understand, but it's used for production, that's really cool. "

I found that with Schoeps, DPAs, Earthworks, and mics that people don't recognize from MTV, a morning news show or evening talk show band can be scary to the unaware, so including anything like a manufacturer's brochure can be helpful, as well as a business card in the mic kit.

Make sure you have a copy of any thing you make in case you have an issue on the way back. Sometimes leaving NYC is easy, but getting back from LAX is a nightmare!

Some people I know who use mics for specific applications use Electric tape and a P-touch to make specific use labels, like "Decca Array C Mic" or "Dobro input ch 32" that not only helps speed a setup, it helps the unaware security guard comprehend the useage.

Hope this helps.

JvB

26th April 2009	#1
Ken K Gear nut Joined: Jan 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 101 Thread Starter	Flying with microphones! Has anybody flown recently and taken microphones along in carry-on luggage? Any problems? Just contemplating taking a gig where it might be necessary. Any other suggestions to ship gear cross country for a gig?

27th April 2009	#3
BLP Gear addict Joined: Mar 2007 Location: Montréal/New York/wherever the tumultuous winds of academia blow me... Posts: 356	Yeah, I've flown with a decent number of mics and a pre, etc. with no real problems. If they get nosey, just explain to them what you do (a business card handy helped me one time) and they should be cool. No worries and happy travel! __________________ Brett

27th April 2009	#5
strewnshank Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Boston Posts: 1,604	Sometimes I forget to put my soldering iron in the checked gear, and I've had it confiscated a few times...but I only got questioned about a mic once...a R121....and it was more about the case. They took out the padding and one officer commented that it "didn't' look like any mic" she'd ever seen. She also said the box looked like a "gerbil coffin," which made me practically wet myself. They let me keep it though! __________________ Chris Thomas Chris@strewnshank.com "facts are stupid things" -Ronald Reagan I want to purchase your Sony MXP3000 series EQ modules. Email me.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Best of flying mics	d_fu	Remote Possibilities in Acoustic Music & Location Recording	157	8th April 2012 08:05 PM
Fear of flying!!	bgrotto	The Moan Zone	37	18th January 2009 06:09 PM
Flying PA speakers	burtron9000	Remote Possibilities in Acoustic Music & Location Recording	5	2nd July 2008 07:01 PM
The Sound of flying?	maria	Post Production forum!	5	15th September 2007 12:49 PM
Flying faders .. 1.. 2 ??	Clouds Hell	So much gear, so little time!	12	30th April 2007 01:03 AM

26th April 2009	#2
resound Gear addict Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 398	I fly regularly with gear in my carry-on. I've only ever been asked to take it out and have it scanned individually (like a laptop) once. Normally, it just passes on through and attracts no hassle. I generally don't pack much in the way of cabling, though: just an odd or an end. If I had to bring substantial amounts of cabling, I would likely check a bag with that sort of stuff in it and keep the valuables/fragiles with me.

27th April 2009	#4
bishopthomas Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,565	I have flown around the world in the last year with a Pelican case full of mics. Never once had a problem. Now the rack of in ear monitors ALWAYS got extra attention (lots of wires inside).

27th April 2009	#6
Jim vanBergen Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2005 Location: New York Friggin' City Posts: 2,562	There are some great previous threads about this- As I carry a lot of precious mics (I will sometimes UPS/Fedex anything cheap, but nothing under a grand) it's worthwhile to do a couple of things: Make a bill of lading or a manifest to provide with you that specifies the mic, manufacturer, and serial number. I take the opportunity to put things like "Remote Recording; Tour Date; Diana Krall or Limp Bizkit, etc" in the header in large type that a handler will notice and go, "Oh, this is something I don't understand, but it's used for production, that's really cool. " I found that with Schoeps, DPAs, Earthworks, and mics that people don't recognize from MTV, a morning news show or evening talk show band can be scary to the unaware, so including anything like a manufacturer's brochure can be helpful, as well as a business card in the mic kit. Make sure you have a copy of any thing you make in case you have an issue on the way back. Sometimes leaving NYC is easy, but getting back from LAX is a nightmare! Some people I know who use mics for specific applications use Electric tape and a P-touch to make specific use labels, like "Decca Array C Mic" or "Dobro input ch 32" that not only helps speed a setup, it helps the unaware security guard comprehend the useage. Hope this helps. JvB