[Leica] M8 battery airport adventure

[grduprey at mchsi.com (grduprey@mchsi.com)]

Brian,

I went through a similar exercise in 1994 when I was leaving Germany at the 
Frankfurt Airport.  I had taken my Amateur Radio with me.  They did the 
X-ray thing, and then took me and the radio to another area where they 
performed a check on the radio for explosive content.  My wife asked me 
where I had gone ahen I got back, as they would not tell her why I was taken 
away.  Amazing!  Not sure why I did not get the same treatment when I 
arrived...

Gene


-------------- Original message from Brian Reid 
<reid@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>: -------------- 


> I'm traveling with an M8 kit that includes 4 Leica brand M8 batteries. 
> A few minutes ago I was pulled aside from the airport security check in 
> the 
> Frankfurt airport and taken downstairs in the B Wing of Terminal 1 to a 
> little 
> room where they do serious explosives checks. 
> 
> It took them at least 20 minutes to convince themselves that (a) the 
> batteries 
> were genuine Leica merchandise, and (b) it was not packed with explosives. 
> They 
> had no interest in the camera or the lenses, but the batteries worried 
> them to 
> death. They didn't know enough about M8s to know there was another battery 
> inside it, so they didn't check that one. I think the security manager was 
> not 
> aware that Leica made digital cameras and so the idea that a Leica would 
> need 3 
> extra batteries was very 
> puzzling to him. They wouldn't let me touch it while they were examining 
> it, and 
> my German isn't good enough for me to succeed in explaining exotic details 
> like 
> "If you take off the baseplate you will see that it is not a film camera". 
> 
> Right now I'm in the United Red Carpet lounge, having given up trying to 
> get 
> Deutsche Telekom to accept my US T-Mobile wireless account and been forced 
> to 
> buy a 1-hour access pass to read my email. 
> 
> I suspect that if I'd tried to take a picture of any of the worried 
> security 
> people I'd be in jail right now. 
> 
> Brian Reid 
> 
> 
> 
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