Help with flying to a race

[DanB4]

Myself and 2 friends are flying to Belfast on Friday with our hauler bags and all R/C gear to race at the Much-More UK Irish Grand Prix @ Ballymoney.

Having never flown before with my stuff can any of you give any tips regarding:

1) Airport security

And

2) Insurance for putting it all in the hold

My stuiff is all well packed up in a Team Magic 1/10th Hauler bag and I'll take along a copy of a magazine incase security need proof.

Cheers, all advice welcome.

Dan

[SlowOne]

It's a faff, but make sure you declare your bag as oversize, and tell the check-in staff what you have in it. The magazine is a great idea, I usually put one in the top of the bag so it is the first thing they see when (if) they open it to check.

Don't carry anything through in hand luggage unless you absolutely have to. Put it all in the hauler bag in the hold. If you get a grumpy security guy, you could end up arriving without something essential!

Packing tips:
Tape a pair of wheels over the Tx sticks. Should anything bang on the exposed sticks, they will punch themselves through the mechanism and the pot, and its black-bag time for your precious transmitter. The wheels will ensure any pressure on that area is spread across the Tx case which is very strong.
Put the car in bubble wrap in a box and then in the hauler.
Put heavy things in the bottom of the hauler.
Do not pack any flammable liquids, aerosols or cleaners in the hauler. They'll get taken out, or, maybe, they simply won't put your hauler in the 'plane.
If you have any plastic boxes with bits in, tape them shut. Don't rely on the clips on the boxes, they come open!!
If the hauler has not got solid sides, cut some hardboard and slip it into the sides, top and bottom. This does more to protect your stuff than any amount of packing and padding.

As for insurance, mine is covered on the contents policy. For separate insurance, check the BRCA website, or mail Jim Spencer through the site. Jim gave details of a company that will insure RC stuff, but it isn't cheap! HTH