Has anyone had any problems getting a Leica M with the Abrahamsson Rapidwinder through airport security after 9/11?

I am concerned that the lever might be presumed to be a dangerous sharp object by some airport security personnel. I mean in the US, Europe and elsewhere.

are there any official directives that touch on this?

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@suma.kobe-wu.ac.jp), November 19, 2001

Answers

I am guessing that with the lever folded up, there wouldn't be much of a problem. We all understand that the lever is normally used in the folded out way, and see that it could be used as a weapon. But I doubt that the security guards will think of that. As in reality, it wouldn't be a very good weapon.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), November 19, 2001.

With all the sharp wit going around here, none of us half wits may get on board....

-- Dave Doyle (soilsouth@home.com), November 19, 2001.

I'm wondering if I have to remove my Abrahamsson Softie before flying. Or maybe I don't have to worry, not being a full wit.

-- Thomas Herbert (therbert@miami.edu), November 19, 2001.

I have flown with my M6 and RapidWinder with no problems. I did not, however, take the time to demonstrate how it could be used as a weapon. Let's keep that as our little secret :-)

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), November 20, 2001.

Actually, I had the same worry myself earlier this month going and coming back from an assignment which had me doing 7 flights overall. No-one even looked at the cameras/rapidwinders except to recognise them as such on the x-ray machines. And I got all my film hand- checked on every flight (and in some airports there were three or four machines to go through for each check-in). This was on international and domestic flights in Europe and Asia. Maybe they're tougher in the US, though.

I only had one problem: some South Asian countries require batteries to be carried in check-in luggage and will confiscate them if they're in hand-luggage.

Apart from that, no problems at all.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), November 20, 2001.

Sorry, I just can't help laughing as I think of the headline: "Terrorists Hijack Plane with Leica Cameras"! Seriously, a friend who used to work as an airline ground-crew person told me that any odd-looking camera accessory item should best be left attached to the camera to make it obvious what it is, or it might not pass the security check. She was actually referring to my rotary universal finder (the USSR-made Zeiss copy), but I guess it would apply to the Rapidwinder.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), November 20, 2001.

While we're on this topic, does anyone know why the rapidwinder has a *pointed* lever? I don't own one but when I saw one the first thing that crossed my mind was the potential for self-injury or accidentally poking someone else with it.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

Easier to pull out the lever, I think.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), November 20, 2001.

No, I donīt think that aou will have any problems. Iīve been on 2 flights on September 23rd from Toronto CAN, to Newark NJ over to Duesseldorf, Germany carrying my M6 and some lenses and more stuff (SLR, GPS-Receiver, Digicam) in my cabin luggage, and this wasnīt worth a second look of the security personnel. So donīt be afraid.

Michael

-- Michael Sohni (sohni@gmx.net), November 20, 2001.

So this "weapon" from the rapid winder, has to be out all the time the RW is loaded, or you can pull it out to activate it and then put it down, or it puts down by itīs own when you fire your camera?

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), November 20, 2001.

My Canon F1 on its strap would make a much better weapon. You could cave a few skulls in with that boy. Might be a little hard to swing in the tight confines of an airplane, though.

-- John Fleetwood (johnfleetwood@hotmail.com), November 20, 2001.

Hard to say. I was in the air on 11 Sept. Got stranded. Flew out on 13 Sept. I was required to check all of my camera gear. They don't do that anymore. They said no knifes, even plastic; then they served a meal and gave us plastic knives. I have flown 5 more times since then. They have been confused two times by the G4 laptop. I think that it is the covering. No problems with camera equipment. Of course when they ask you to open a digital camera to show them where the film goes, it takes some time. ;o)))

Art

-- Art (AKarr90975@aol.com), November 20, 2001.