Spyderco & security checks at airports.

[saltybones]

haha didnt mean to make anyone paranoid :P

[peacefuljeffrey]

What is so shocking about the idea of having 3 inch blade with you on a flight, saltybones? I used to travel with my Delica, which I would take out of my pocket, attach it to my keyring and place it at the bottom of my carry-on knapsack and never had any trouble going through airport security (pre 9/11/01).

It's not the knife that makes someone dangerous or a criminal. Maybe if people stopped voluntarily feeding into the notion that it does--especially knife-people!--it wouldn't persist.

[saltybones]

ya i know, its just that i was little when knives were allowed so i grew up more in the 9/11 era you know? but i totally agree about people feeding in to the notion that knives are bad, its so frustrating

[Jay_Ev]

Wow... reading through this thread is a real eye opener as to the freedoms we were once able to enjoy here in America. Nowadays even something as innocuous as a small toenail clippers is enough to get someone detained for questioning.

[Baconman69]

Seeing that this thread is pre 9/11 how easy or difficult would it be for someone to carry a knife on a flight now?

[whkento]

I sure as heck wouldn't try...

[JLS]

FAA regs back then allowed up to a 4" blade, but most airlines (and security screeners as proxies) only allowed 3". My favorite back at that point for flying was either a G-10 Native or a G-10 Navigator. The Lil' Temp was let through after I showed them their own rules, but I was cautioned that it "looks dangerous" by the screeners.

I would probably carry either a Lil' Temp or I might even buy a Para to supplement my regular full size Military. For some reason, 3" is perceived as much less of a threat than 4".

This is a very old thread, but it's interesting to see how times have changed. I flew to South America in December of 2000 with a Navigator clipped to me. The customs guy in Brazil even commented that he liked it.

[Brad S.]

Wierd one for me is that I carryed a 3" benchmade everyday from sixth grade all through highschool. Never had a problem.

[SmoothOne25]

i have learned the a few things through various personal experiences: it varies everywhere from time and place. but most importantly it is ALWAYS the person! you dress well, look sober, are quiet and calm and reserved you can walk on with a fs police ss bad *** and have them not bat an eyelash. you can have it attached to your belt and say "here's my knife look at now and see its nothing and go on your way. also where you go seems to be an issue, my friend who carries a black blade ce native was told that he should not have brought that and that he should take it out of pockets and put it in his bag and not to take it out during the flight when we were going to amsterdam and it was like a 5 min whole big thing and me who was right next to him had pe cricket with some cash attached and the women didn't even take a fraction of a second to double look me and you'd think just to be fair she would have checked both of us to look equaly. imho i say dont go big post 9/11 or you are looking for trouble, including upset passengers who say i don't want him on my plane, look at that 4 inch monster, that could take off my head! again like i said its all about the appearance and actions of that person and the person who checks you in and how they maybe got grilled by a supervisor or had a rough day with the wife or maybe got in trouble last week and want to scrutinize you. it varies, don't take chance and get your permission to board denied. after all not all like knives like we do, would you want someone cutting an apple next to you with a superhawk?

[peacefuljeffrey]

SmoothOne25, are you saying that NOW "you can walk on with a fs police ss bad *** and have them not bat an eyelash"??

I hardly think that's possible, nor has it been since right after 9/11/01--good attitude and wholesome appearance or not!

[Praxis]

Actually, TSA has moved away from knives as a threat to aviation. Two years ago they were actually considering allowing sub-2" knives back onboard planes, since they felt that small knives no longer represented any threat to the aircraft. The flight attendents' union fought it and killed the proposal, because they claimed that small knives still represented a threat to them. So put the blame where it belongs. :o

From what I hear, TSA folks hate searching for knives.* One more distraction from something that might be a real threat.

*Based on direct conversations with TSA headquarters folks

[kbuzbee]

For some reason, 3" is perceived as much less of a threat than 4".

I don't think I agree with that. I view it more as a compromise. They (who ever "they" are ) do want to limit size as "they" do view larger knives as more of a threat, generally.

Once you cross that line, you now have to pick an arbitrary limit. Some places it's 3". Some 3 1/2". Whatever. I don't think the thought is 3" is okay and 4" is dangerous. It's more 'if we want to still allow some knives, pick a size that they fall below' (and if I'm being generous, add '...and still allows a functional tool to be carried' but that may be too altruistic)

None of this applies to aircraft today, of course. Their limit is .00001" . I too used to carry something smaller onboard. Never an issue.

My first airport security "incident" was actually not a knife but a screwdriver. It was in the 90s in Tokyo after some cult member tried to hijack a plane by holding a screwdriver to the throat of a flight attendant. I was STUNNED (had no idea this had happened or that my tools were now forbidden). To their credit, they gave my screwdriver to the pilot who had it at the destination customer service desk BEFORE I even got there (Hiroshima IIRC). I was pretty impressed by that.

I wish we could go back to some kind of reasonable carry but those days are long gone, I'm afraid.

Thanks for digging up the old thread. Interesting.

Ken

[JLS]

You make a good point. I was getting at the same thing, but your wording makes it much clearer.

I too would like to go back to the old days. I don't think it'll ever happen, but you never know. I was pretty pessimistic about the possibility of new realistic capacity magazines in the future after the 1994 ban too.

[Bushminer]

Have had issues with 3/16 hex key. As my own plane uses one for the fuel caps I tend to have them littering the scene.

[JNewell]

Anyone reading this thread needs to be really careful to note that most of the first page is pre-9/11. As they say, "That was then, this is now..."

[markg]

Yea, different days...

[peacefuljeffrey]

Better days.
More sensible, less hysterical days... :rolleyes:

[thebestnoobcake]

Flying out from Australia, my sister's nailclippers?? , folding scissors and my leatherman were confiscated a couple of years ago. So I would say.. Just don't carry anything on board.. I'm gonna have to remember to take my SAK off the keychain later this year when I fly to Singapore =[

[whkento]

Yeah, I have to remember to leave my money clip (PE Cricket) at home, too. I don't want that taken away.

[spinynorman]

Reading this thread really surprised me, as I guess I'm not keeping up with what's become acceptable since 9/11. I've flown only once or twice a year since, but thought that the same old rules were in affect, as in not even a nail clipper with a file in it is allowed!! So, I've just packed all my multitools and knives in my checked luggage every time. Also, I keep seeing NTSA confiscated knives and multitools being sold on eBay every time I look. Are there any consistent rules out there, or is it purely the discretion of the particular NTSA person on duty that day? :confused:

Cheers,
Doug