[Leica] What happens at Airport Security when.....

[leicachris at worldnet.att.net (Christopher Williams)]

I've had the "RED" go off on me. They write down your name and flight info.

Though from the looks I've received it seems the machine malfunctions more 
than they would admit too.

Chris


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Frank Filippone" <red735i@earthlink.net>
To: "'Leica Users Group'" <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 10:29 PM
Subject: [Leica] What happens at Airport Security when.....


> Time and place: Kauai Airport, September 29, 2007.
> 
> OK. I had about 15 rolls of film.  Mixed, 35mm, Tmax100, Fuji 100, 200,
> HP5+.  It was all in a clear plastic baggie, just like always.  I asked for
> hand inspection, and  a nice Lady TSA agent escorted me to the chemical
> sniffer ( Specialized Mass spectrometer for you techie types.)  She 
> informed
> me it would take a while as she was instructed to test each roll of film
> separately with the wipey thing and then a run each sample through the
> equipment.   She is both polite and professional as we talked cameras and
> film vs digital as she worked.
> 
> Everyone has seen these things, they have a place for the wipey, a CRT
> screen with a display of mass vs spectral composition.  When you put in a
> wipey, the machine sniffs it, checks things out, then produces a display
> that says.. all GO, no problem.
> 
> Usually.
> 
> We hit roll #7 or so when, out of nowhere, the machine declares:  
> EXPLOSIVES
> DETECTED in really big letters, and starts beeping.
> 
> I was surprised that Velvia could do this to me, but what do I know?  She
> calls over her supervisor ( I was glued to the floor, with a polite but
> embarrassed look on my face.  Not nervous.) who looks at me first, figures
> that he will follow procedure and makes sure I am still glued  to one spot,
> and will not move.  The nice lady is watching me constantly.
> 
> He apologized as he took the one roll of film and put it through the metal
> detector, which, of course, I allowed without comment.
> 
> Then I meet a male TSA person that was instructed to tap me down.... ( I am
> wearing shorts, so it was a top level checkout only).  Twice.
> 
> As the tap down is happening, the nice lady is writing something in her
> official looking notebook, with my name included.
> 
> The metal detector found film inside the cartridge, nothing more.  The film
> was returned to me, I was apologized to for the delay.  And sent on my way.
> 
> So that is what happens when the sniffer finds a sniff it does not like.  I
> thought you should know.....
> 
> Frank Filippone
> red735i@earthlink.net
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information