Advice for Flying Needed

[Hamish]

as far as the time seated, it is actually better kilted. I drove from Oklahoma to Cape Cod ( 1600 miles, about 32 hours ) and it was far more comfortable than any pants or shorts I can think of..

just make sure you sweep the pleats when you go to sit for a long time, or it will be really uncomfortable.

KT, the problem with that is that there is absolutely no room to sweep when trying to sit in an aircraft passenger seat! I would never again fly in a traditional kilt (Aberdeen to London was my first and last time). Nowadays, I wear a Utilikilt or a 'kilt without pleats' :-

Dispense with all unnecessary accessories - pins, flashes, sporrans, etc. Oh, and slip-on shoes are a good idea - so much easier to deal with at security.

[bubba]

A neighbor of mine who flies often got fed up with the shoe hassle and just wears bedroom slippers. Last time he decided to be a total smartass and wore a pair of horrendous pink bunny slippers. The screeners were so busy laughing they neglected to check much.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

...Nowadays, I wear a Utilikilt or a 'kilt without pleats' :-

Ham, is there a maker for one of those or did you commission something special? I can see where that would be very comfortable, not just for flying, but als long car trips. And also for hiking because of the lessened weight.

[Southern Breeze]

Ham, is there a maker for one of those or did you commission something special? I can see where that would be very comfortable, not just for flying, but als long car trips. And also for hiking because of the lessened weight.

Remember this?
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=18984

[Aggie]

A lot of what P1M mentioned is standard proceedure now kilted or not in the States. I had to take off shoes, belt, sporran and the wands still caught the kilt buckles. They had me do the hookie pookie while they did the wand thing and sent me on my way. They didn't seem to single me out because I had a kilt on. Airline seats are small. No doubt about that. I did not find them that much of a problem, but I have no rear end to speak of. If you wear a 45 inch kilt or larger you might not be comfortable with an 8 yrd. kilt. I liked the comfort. The only problem I noticed was that I was in an aisle seat and I kept having to pull the pleats to me each time they would go past with a serving cart.

[CapnJ0]

I'll second everyone, having driven across the country kilted (and then flying back). The long time seated isn't a problem, but airport security can be. It was mostly just getting pinged on the buckles, I think. My pin was a grouse leg, so I don't think that was a problem, but you might want to remove the kilt pin before you hit security. Like it would be in any attire, it helps to be prepared to go through the checkpoint. Once through, however, be ready for a comfy flight! Just sweep the pleats properly and there won't be a problem.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

I would not wear a tank, for many of the reasons mentioned, especially a god-awful lot of fabric to arrange in a small plane seat. However, I have flown 5 or 6 times in the past year, and every time I was wearing a UK and it was bliss compared to wearing pants on the trip. Especially on a longer trip, I would not consider wearing pants. Of course, I won't consider wearing pants for anything now, so I might be biased!

[mkmound]

I have flown kilted numerous times. In preparation for the US security procedures, I always remove belt, sporran, shoes, flashes (the garter clip sets off the metal detectors), and watch. It is handy to put the watch in the sporran and send it through the XRAY. Also, no pocket full of change to dump out. Bit of a hassle, but I just allow time for it.

The buckles on one kilt always set off the metal detector, and I get the wand treatment. The last few times (with that kilt) out of Dallas / Ft. Worth airport, I've gotten the full pat-down treatment also. I do have a couple of SWKs, but I haven't worn them traveling, so I don't know if the buckles have the type of metal which would set off the metal detectors or not.

Since the buckles set off the metal detectors, I recently had Rocky and Kelly make me up a semi-trad with velcro instead of buckles . . . this is now my traveling kilt. Once the belt, sporran, etc., are removed, I'm good to go. Works like a charm!!! Thanks, Rocky and Kelly!!

The second item, as mentioned, is smoothing out the pleats. This is sometimes a challenge. Sometimes, after the sweep, I find it necessary to try to discretely reach under my thighs and pull the pleats straight.

The last item for me is the air temperature in the plane . . . not usually a problem on US domestic flights, but when I went to Europe in May and June (10+ hour flights), I traveled in loose warmup trousers and a sweatshirt / fleece pullover. I still ended up using a blanket.

Hope this helps,
Mark

[Fearnest]

Lots of great (and old) discussion on getting through security and getting comfy in the plane in a kilt...

The only reason I'm refreshing this thread is to add a caution to flyers - if the unthinkable happens and there's a fire on board, you'll wind up in much worse shape if you're wearing synthetic fabrics or clothing that doesn't cover your skin. Slim chance? Perhaps, but if you've been seriously burned or know someone who has, you probably won't take the chance ever again.

Me? I had a friend who had synthetics peeled out of his skin where they fused - it was a really long time for him to recover fully. So now when I travel by air, anywhere, any time of the year, I'm in long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, closed-toe shoes... all in natural materials (as much as possible - it's tough to find an "all-natural" shoe, admittedly).

Just an alternative opinion.

[McClef]

I haven't tried flying in the US in a kilt (not yet anyway)

But haven't encountered any problems on UK internal flights - I have more problems with my hand luggage because being diabetic I need to carry needles (never had a problem with them in the US though!). Cardiff and Edinburgh always insist on examining my hand luggage which I have never encountered at any other airports.

Flying to Edinburgh next week but that's only an hour but I have no problem getting seated - I just run my hands over the pleats before I sit down and it works fine.

ALways pack the sgian and kilt pins in hold luggage and put sporran and belt through the hand luggage machine before going through the portal.

Edinburgh Airport even let my mate through with his kilt pin as he had forgotten to put it in his luggage and I thought it would be confiscated and lost for ever. I would suspect that this is the exception to the rule though and wouldn't risk it.