Security check at LAX airport

**Steve Ashton** · 11th January 14, 12:59 AM

I remember those hangers very well. We would be pulling maintenance on 53's and if it was one of those inversion weather days clouds would form up in the tops of the hangers and rain would sometimes fall.
I attended a Marine Corp Birthday Ball in the hangers one year and the rain almost ruined the cake.

When we first lived at El Toro I guess it was early '50's. Santa Ana to Tustin was totally rural with nothing but orange groves. Then groves again and farm roads between LTA and El Toro.
We were back '60-'64 time frame. We lived in Santa Ana and my grandfather in Tustin. Then Dad got base housing on El Toro after my mom died.

This was back in the days when the smog was so bad you never saw Saddleback mountain. It was just a brown haze. I was amazed at how clear the sky was when I went back in the '90's.

Ya gotta remember that back in those days the freeways were still brand spanking new. I-5 from Santa Ana to Pendelton was only 4 lanes. (yea, 2 in each direction)

**TheOfficialBren** · 11th January 14, 01:10 AM

The I-5 certainly has evolved a lot over the years. I have always lived a short but practical distance away from this vital thoroughfare (except when I lived in South Lake Tahoe a few years back). The new freeway near my home is intended to connect to I-5 very soon.

**Mike M.** · 14th January 14, 07:13 PM

I've driven by the Tustin hangars, never been in them. I've been in the airship hangars at Lakehurst, Weeksville, Tillamook, and the monster at Moffet Field.

The question is, given that the British banned the pipes as an instrument of war, would TSA confiscate them?

**EagleJCS** · 15th January 14, 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by Mike M.

The question is, given that the British banned the pipes as an instrument of war, would TSA confiscate them?

Actually, Mike, the pipes were never banned. (The Act of Proscription 1746 doesn't mention bagpipes at all.) There was an English court case of one James Reid who was hung after the 1745 rebellion. He was adjudged guilty of inciting riot or mutiny as a result of playing his pipes. The judges said that a highland regiment never marched to war without a piper at its head. Therefore, in the eyes of the law, the bagpipe was an instrument of war.

Regarding the OP, I haven't traveled much since 2007 (my last flight anywhere, and didn't travel in/with a kilt), so can only say I'm sorry you had such a poor experience.

**OC Richard** · 15th January 14, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by Mike M.

The question is, given that the British banned the pipes as an instrument of war, would TSA confiscate them?

I can't remember ever having much trouble flying with the pipes. One would think that they would look strange on the Xray thing, but usually they pass right through. I can't remember offhand ever being asked to open up the pipes, though I probably have been at some point.

I did have a screener tell my to open up a flute case when I was flying with a 150-year-old wooden flute.

There's the recent story of the professional Ney player who had all his flutes confiscated.

**Jack Daw** · 15th January 14, 05:53 AM

A few years ago at the Hobby airport in Houston, I was asked to open my pipe case after it went through the metal detector. I told the TSA that they were a stand of bagpipes and he curtly said, "I know what they are."

**OC Richard** · 15th January 14, 06:41 AM

Here's the story about the neys (flutes) confiscated and destroyed by the TSA. The guy is a Canadian citizen!

http://artsfreedom.org/?p=6639

**Deirachel** · 15th January 14, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by Jack Daw

A few years ago at the Hobby airport in Houston, I was asked to open my pipe case after it went through the metal detector. I told the TSA that they were a stand of bagpipes and he curtly said, "I know what they are."

This, likely, has to do with SOP as I mentioned in other threads. The person working the bag search position has to manually search a bag if the person working the x-ray says to search. Half a dozen times a week easy, I'd be searching bags (mostly randomly checking equipment for explosive residue), get called up to the x-ray and be asked to check a bag for something "strange". I'd explain what it was, grab the bag, search it, and show the x-ray person what the image looked like to the naked eye. Heck there were a couple of times I got called up to search bagpipes and ask the owner "are these your bagpipes?" as I grabbed the bag.