My Flying while Kilted Expreience

**cwr89** · 22nd June 08, 08:09 PM

I am surprised, a polite TSA officer... no my last flight was from Nairobi Kenya to Hethrow London. not a flight to expect politeness...

good on you with the kilt!
~Casey

**Riverkilt** · 22nd June 08, 10:31 PM

Hey cousin Frasier,

I'm guessing the flying part was comfy too? Just had a similar experience - but the payoff is the comfort once aboard.

Ron

**Kent Frazier** · 23rd June 08, 05:05 AM

Hi Ron,

It was your posting that prompted me to try it. It was comfortable. My allergies were so bad that day that I really felt terrible.

I'm not sure if it was the bad air or the cottonwood trees.

**Riverkilt** · 23rd June 08, 08:54 AM

Sorry about that. When I was dreading the long flight to Hawai'i someone on the board suggested I take along a saltwater nasal spray. I added that to my 3 in 1 bag and it really helped me feel better over and back. I know it won't cure allergies, but it sure helped with that dried out feeling I'd always gotten when flying. Is this a great board or what?

Ron

**Panache** · 23rd June 08, 09:01 AM

The last time I flew it was in a kilt. I wore my 5 yard Matt Newsome knife pleat. As I walked up to the security check point I knew that the kilt pin and metal buckles would set off the metal detector. So having already removed my belt and sporran strap and simply took my kilt off and strode proudly through the detector.

This of course begets the question what does Panache wear under his kilt?

A SportKilt!*

It had no metal parts and later could be easily folded up into my carry on bag.

Cheers

Jamie

* At least when going through airport security!

**Jack Daw** · 23rd June 08, 10:10 AM

I'm thinking the buckles on my WPG Black Watch would pass the metal detector test. I don't think those suckers are metal. But, it's too hot for 22 oz.

**McClef** · 23rd June 08, 10:22 AM

I always fly kilted and there seems no rhyme nor reason for when the security detectors go off.

Naturally the belt and sporran go through the hand luggage scanner but when I walk through the portal it sometimes goes off and sometimes doesn't!

The only airport to date where it has never gone off is Edinburgh!

**Captain Karrot** · 23rd June 08, 12:18 PM

I have flown a few times myself. First time was Chicago to Dallas, and I wore my SWK Blackwatch Thrifty - once the belt came off, no metal. Smooth sailing. Second time was Boston to Toronto, with my SWK Standard Saffron. As anticipated, buckles set off the detector. New TSA agent, like in your story, didn't know how to react. Didn't help him that being new, he was being supervised by 2 women TSA agents, who ragged him mercilessly about how fair's fair, what with them having to check women in skirts all the time.

Got some nice compliments in Toronto, though!

**Andrewson** · 27th June 08, 12:52 PM

Flew kilted for the first time last weekend. On the way out through Heathrow's Terminal 5 I had to remove sporran, belt and shoes. The buckles on my 13oz wool Forsyth (see avatar) did not set off any alarms.

Coming back through Rome's Fiumicino I was only asked to remove my sporran. This time the alarm did go off but whether it was the belt buckle or the kilt ones I do not know. I then had a very perfunctory wand search - almost as if the agent did not want to carry out the procedure

But these minor hassles are definitely worth it for the extra comfort in the airport, on the plane and through the transition from cold and wet 17degC in London to 30degC humid heat in Rome. I'll be kilted next time I fly too.