Air travel with lipos

[Gayo]

Hi all,

Antoine Rossetti, a friend of mine, has been selected to race on the invitational class at the US Reedy Race, thanks to his fantastic podium finish at the '11 Euros. Woohoo!

But what are you supposed to do with lipos packs? It seems that every company has its own rules. Some state that lipos must travel into the cabin (seems odd to me), others on the cargo aera (below cabin, along with luggage). Some don't state anything and all are confusing!

He will travel with two Orion 5500mAh saddles, and maybe one 5100 Orion stick lipo. I know that Orion states that their lipos are plane-approved for shipping but does that help here?

So, how do you international drivers travel with your lipos?

Thanks for any input!

[tyreman]

Transport them in the cars, as if they are loose they are likely to be seized.

[Bungleaio]

You could always buy some new ones out there or post them out to the hotel so they are there when checking in.

[Skye]

I work for a global distribution company and purely by chance this email was sent out by our compliance team this morning :

As some of you may be aware we have recently experienced some issues concerning the shipment of batteries and equipment packed with or containing batteries being presented for transport by air that were not in compliance with IATA regulations.

This has resulted in several warnings being issued to us by the CAA, (Civil Aviation Authority), with the threat of further action should we offer these articles for transport by air when not packed and labelled in accordance with the current IATA regulations.

Failure to comply with the requirements will potentially result in us being prohibited to ship hazardous products by air out of all UK airports with a resultant consequential loss of revenue
and impact on our customer service in the UK and internationally.

The recent focus of the CAA has been on lead acid batteries and equipment containing them, but the rules also apply to other battery technologies including lithium.

Most batteries are considered Hazardous for Transport but many can be shipped under what is termed “special provisions”, it is these requirements that we were discovered in non-compliance with.

It is essential that we therefore identify all affected articles and ensure that they are correctly set up on our systems to ensure ongoing compliance with transport regulations.

Obviously things are a little different with us being a business and sending tens of thousands of parcels all over the world every day, but there are clearly regulations in place so it may be worth enquiring with the airline beforehand rather than just turning up on the day and hoping for the best... hth!?

[Cardnim]

I can understand why they want them in the cabin. This is pressurised I think, whereas the cargo hold isnt. The lipo batteries might expand at the low pressures of high altitude?

You would like to think that all the airlines could come up with a way to transport flipping batteries though!?... thanks to 9/11 its all gone a bit silly. (IMHO)

[Gayo]

Originally Posted by tyreman

Transport them in the cars, as if they are loose they are likely to be seized.

Good idea.

Originally Posted by Bungleaio

[...]post them out to the hotel so they are there when checking in.

Sadly he leaves US at 8AM on monday, so he won't be able to go to the post first. He might ask a local though.

Originally Posted by Skye

[...]but there are clearly regulations in place so it may be worth enquiring with the airline beforehand rather than just turning up on the day and hoping for the best... hth!? [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

The thing is airlines companies don't know what a RC lipo battery is. They know what to do with pets, sport articles, bicycles, not RC cells. My friend has been asked to send some infos by e-mail to the company, he is still waiting for an answer...

Originally Posted by Cardnim

I can understand why they want them in the cabin. This is pressurised I think, whereas the cargo hold isnt. The lipo batteries might expand at the low pressures of high altitude?

No, the cargo bay is pressurised.

Originally Posted by Cardnim

thanks to 9/11 its all gone a bit silly. (IMHO)

Agreed 100%.

[RCDomination.com]

for both ireland and finland i had 1 in each car as well as my tx in my hand luggage and any extras in a liposack in my hold luggage. i also checked with my airline to make sure they understood rc equipment was in my bags and checked with them that my intended way of carrying was ok. they then added notes to my baggage and in both cases i didnt have any problems. hope this helps

Nathan

[h0m3sy]

This is from Easy Jet.....


Small electrical goods like radios, mobile phones, laptops, DVD or MP3 players are permitted in hold or hand baggage. Items taken as hand baggage can be used during the flight, except during take-off and landing.

Please note electrical devices containing lithium or lithium ion cells or batteries (or spare batteries) must be carried in hand baggage only. It is not permitted to carry these items in hold baggage.

Please visit our Carrier's Regulations to view detailed information about our hold and hand baggage policies.

[MattW]

If i recall correctly, you are allowed one battery in the "device" (car) and one spare. So in the past when I've travelled I have done just that, one in the car, and one spare. I have previously put them in my hold baggage, but looks like Easyjet aren't keen on that!! Which is relevant as I've flying with them at the end of the month to a race!

[Northy]

If I was taking just a 2wd, a tranny and 1 lipo to say the USA would you take it all in your hand luggage or put the car in checked baggage?

[Chris-S]

Originally Posted by Northy

If I was taking just a 2wd, a tranny and 1 lipo to say the USA would you take it all in your hand luggage or put the car in checked baggage?

I'd be inclined to take your tranny and car in hand baggage, least if they lose your main baggage you can still race and borrow tools/chargers.

[neiloliver]

They must be carried in 'hand luggage'. They are not allowed in 'checked in luggage'. The batteries should be individually wrapped as to prevent accidental short circuit. You are limited to two batteries.

this stuff may help

http://www.accutronics.co.uk/pages/l...sportation.php

in particular.. this part from towards the bottom of the page...


Lithium ion Batteries as ‘Carry-on’ or ‘Checked-in’ Luggage on Aircraft


Q: Are there any provisions in the regulations that enable passengers to carry electronics devices containing Lithium ion batteries or spare batteries onto airplanes in carry-on baggage?

Yes, portable electronic devices (watches, calculating machines, cameras, cellular phones, laptop computers, camcorders, etc.) containing Lithium ion batteries when carried by passengers or crew for personal use can be carried as carry-on baggage. Spare batteries must be individually protected so as to prevent short circuits (by placement in original retail packaging or by otherwise insulating terminals, e.g. by taping over exposed terminals or by placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch) and carried in carry-on baggage only. In addition, each installed or spare Lithium ion battery bust not exceed a watt-hour rating of more than 100Wh.
With the approval of the operator, Lithium ion batteries exceeding a watt hour rating of 100Wh but not exceeding 160Wh may be carried as spare batteries in carry-on baggage or in equipment in either checked or carry-on baggage. No more than two individually protected spare batteries per person may be carried.

Q: Are there any provisions in the regulations that allow Lithium ion batteries in checked baggage?

Unless approved by the operator, spare Lithium ion batteries are not allowed in checked baggage.

[Skye]

That's for Lithium ion batteries though, the type typically found in mobile phones. Lipo, or Lithium Polymer are not the same so I wouldn't be certain those rules apply.

To be honest, I would be inclined to contact someone like the civil aviation authority as what they say pretty much goes.

[CrashBangWallop]

As there seem to be no hard and fast rules on what type of battery except for the transport of Pb type ( acid spillage is the problem ) by air it would probably be prudent to carry your car with a Li-po already in it as this would be considered to be 'installed in the device' in your hand luggage.
You can probably get away with carrying 2 spare Li-po's as long as they are safely individually packaged in ther original boxes and not rattling around ( use bubble wrap ) and insulate the terminals with BBT.

If you contact the CAA about the matter they will probably take beyond the year that you travel to make a decision.

The key thing as per a previous post is to let people know when you check in what you are carrying and as long as you have complied with their rules and taken sensible precautions yourself you should have no problems.

Do not put Li-po's in hold ( checked ) baggage as cargo area is pressurised but unheated - Outside the cabin it can go down to -60 Deg C so on a flight your checked baggage will get cold. This also applies to sensitive electronic equipment like transmitters, chargers, ESC's.

[Skye]

Originally Posted by CrashBangWallop

If you contact the CAA about the matter they will probably take beyond the year that you travel to make a decision.

You are probably right, but seeing as RC racers travel on a regular basis then this is still a lead worth following up for future reference.

I might take this one on myself and try to get a definitive line from the very top. If it takes 6 months, then at least in 6 months time we will know....

[Origineelreclamebord]

Originally Posted by Skye

That's for Lithium ion batteries though, the type typically found in mobile phones. Lipo, or Lithium Polymer are not the same so I wouldn't be certain those rules apply.

To be honest, I would be inclined to contact someone like the civil aviation authority as what they say pretty much goes.

You could do an experiment with some old LiPo's: Just go to the airport and try to get through customs to see how they respond Seriously, if someone has bad plans with a battery they will get one on a plane no problem. Why would 99.999999999% of the passengers have to go through two to three hours of waiting and security checks for that one person who will just by-pass that security anyway?

Unfortunately however, it will take 'some effort' convincing the people who have the powers to change such laws.

That said, if you intend to keep all your money, belongings, and/or keep yourself on the right side of them steel bars, I'd just go to the airport or call them and ask them about it.

[neiloliver]

There are hard and fast rules for the transportation of Lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion polymer batteries come under the same class as they share the same electrode formulations. The IATA regulations are very clear on the subject - the interpretation by operators can differ but this is down to their interpretation.

I think the article I linked to is correct, I wrote it

N

[Chrislong]

Always keep the cells in the car, but disconnected and not charged. Any additional cells not in cars, keep with cars but with original packaging. Take magazine to demonstrate what the useage is for, and print out any correspondence - entry form to meeting, acceptance, invitation etc, plus contacts of officials at the meeting/club/event you are travelling to. Keep tranny with cars too, so you can plug them in and demonstrate them working if need be (they may even want a go (carry spares!)).

Remember, customs officials are not experts at anything - its impossible to be. They may stop anybody out of curiosity (this is outside the 'normal'), so carry enough stuff to educate customs if they ask and don't take it personally.

[RobChalmers]

Does this apply in the same way for soft cell lipos.... might be doing a race or two in the US with the micros....

some ways I'm tempted just to buy them over there!

[CrashBangWallop]

Our 2 cell Li-po's in a hard case are just soft li-po's in a hard case so as long as you pack then carefully you should be ok.
But why take the risk ?
Soft case Li-po's are cheap enough anyway, I would buy at destination but phone ahead and buy/reserve them then sell/give them away before the return journey.