RE: [Leica] Xray machines

["Jack F. Matlock" <jfmatlo@ibm.net>]

I have been in and out of about 80 airports in five continents 
over the last couple of years and have never had any problem.  I 
always pack my film, exposed or unexposed, in heavy-duty lead 
bags, and carry them in my hand luggage.  Some 80% of the time 
the X-Ray machine operators pass them without question.  About 
one time out of five I am asked for a hand inspection, which 
takes very little time.  The only real annoyance is when  they 
insist (as they often do at Philadelphia) on checking every 
camera.  When they do, they seem to be instructed just to take 
off the lens cap and look through the camera.  That is probably 
a fair test that an SLR is not filled with explosive, but the 
guards have not been instructed that RF cameras might be 
different.  Several times, they have peered intently through the 
M-6 viewfinder to make sure they could see what was inside.  One 
even asked me to take off the lens cap so he could see through 
the finder.

But look at the bright side:  we really do want a safe flight, 
and these security inspectors are probably not paid very much.

Jack Matlock
jfmatlo@ibm.net

- ----------
From: 	Tina Manley[SMTP:images@InfoAve.Net]
Reply To: 	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Sent: 	Tuesday, October 27, 1998 3:30 PM
To: 	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: 	RE: [Leica] Xray machines

At 02:20 PM 10/27/98 -0500, you wrote:

Do you mean they allowed you to have the film hand-inspected at 
Heathrow!
That is one of the few airports in the world where I have never 
managed to
convince them to hand-inspect.  They have always insisted that 
the film go
through the x-ray machine.  I pack my film in ziplock bags or 
Tupperware,
but I also carry lead bags in my carry-on bag so that I can 
stick the film
in them if they refuse to hand-inspect.  The lead bag shows up 
as a blob on
the x-ray so they have to open it up and hand-inspect, which is 
what I
asked for in the first place!

Leically,

Tina