Guys,I have an aunt carrying a lipo for me from the USA.I've been reading online and everyone says that they should be in the carry on(cabin) baggage.How many of you have traveled with lipos on international flights and what have your experiences been?It would help me a lot.I don't want her to be hassled by airport security.

You should've asked her to carry a better RC product than just Lipos..... ... they are now easily available here too. You may request her to carry a good quality FPV camera or eye gears....or something which is better and cheaply available in US.

just a suggestion.

I don't have any experience travelling with Lipos, but I think one can travel with LiPos and you are right about it being in the cabin bag.
http://safetravel.dot.gov/documents/airline_passengers_and_batteries.pdf
They determine by lithium content if its allowed or not.
Small ones like 3S 2200 should be OK

@asinghatiya:I'm a car guy.Our lipos are somehwat expensive over here.FPV would've been worse.

@rajamastana:There is also a limitation on the power of the pack.I think the limit is 100 Wh.My lipos are going to be 37 Wh.That won't be a problem.I've found a table which says that it is safe to carry lipos on board.I'll send the link so that she can show it if needed.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.Keep them coming.

Oh.. I didnt know that, but still FPV on cars i guess would be more interesting ....reaching to unreachable places......

It sure would be fun.But will require lots of changes.

Hey post the link here too for refrence.

100WH limit is when you multiply the AH of the battery with its voltage.  And the guidelines specify that the connectors are sealed with tape, so as to prevent any possibility of shorting.

This is the table.

http://safetravel.dot.gov/quick_chart.html

Our batteries are regarded as lithium-ion from what I read.If they're rechargeable,they are considered as lithium ion batteries.So with this table in her hand,she should get through incase of any trouble right?Eitherway,the website is associated with the TSA.

I once carried a 2 "3" ch helis from Delhi and the management at the airport said to put it in check in Baggage only as the cabin baggage checking guys will throw it away.
I put it the heli (with a li-po and a li-ion battery each) and i put it in the check in baggage and got it safely in Goa

Well,I just sent links(to my aunt) to two documents that show that my lipos are allowed on planes.The first one says that lipos and Li ion batteries are similar.(this fits in with the next link).This also gives the formula to calculate the wh rating of the battery.Since it already has the specs on it,it should be easy for anyone(even the dumbest security guard   ) to get the wh rating of the battery.

http://safetravel.dot.gov/definitions.html#lithium_ion

The next one says that lipos(or Li ion batteries)should be carried on in the cabin.This leaves no room for any problems whatsoever .The guys can't question her anymore and my lipos are on the way!

http://safetravel.dot.gov/quick_chart.html

Also,the authenticity of these documents is proved in the .gov domain.There should be absolutely no problem carrying it on with these documents right?I don't see any way they can stop the lipos getting on the plane   .

What do you guys think?

Hey guys,any opinions?

I guess you shouldnt have problems with the docs.

cool.

once i had a problem when i was going to Tel-a-viv with lipo! got held up by scanning crew at Delhi and started to ask "what it is and it dosen't look like battery,and i need to cease this item"
reason it was not looking like battery , it dosen't had wire's and mainly it was sealed into fiberglass case!
at last my boss showed his ex-serviceman card and convinced him,than only they allowed!

So,do they expect the batteries to have wires or not?If they do,I'll just have them plugged in,if they don't,they wont be plugged in.And a simple explanation that can be given is that the wires aren't plugged in during transport to avoid damage to the wires.(bending et cetera)

no no that was my one experience ! prior to that and after that i have carried lipos all over India and also my friends and relatives have brought me lipo many times from US without any problems!

well,good to hear.Thanks for sharing your experience .Gives me more confidence that my lipos will arrive without any problems.

In India, you are better off carrying batteries in checked in baggage. They are more worried about something being assembled in the cabin and you will be asked to check them in or throw them away.

I have carried lipos in checked in baggage from US and haven't had any problems. If you keep them in cabin luggage, they will go through scrutiny at transit airports too where the policies might be different. With checked in baggage if it gets past the first security check, you are not likely to be bothered for the rest of the travel. Atleast that was my logic and it has worked so far. As for minimising risk, make sure you don't carry charged lipos.

It is partly dependent on your luck. Though TSA written rule says that it should be in cabin baggage and not checked in, it primarily depends on the disposition of the person checking your bag,  as proven by experiences(available online) of several travellers.
At many instances, LiPos in carry on were confiscated and thrown out, even when the passenger showed the TSA information page print outs that they had with them.
Due to this, though they mention that spare batteries shouldn't be carried in checked in baggage, I transported 7 LiPos(3 *3s, 1*6S, 3*2s) in my checked in baggage on my last trip from US to India. I had all of them put in a LiPO Safe bag and they arrived safely here in India. TSA had inspected my suitcase, 'cos they left the inspection slip. Maybe I was just lucky

So it depends, just trust your luck and take the chance

Read these links and you'd see experiences have quite a variety..
http://www.rcmf.co.uk/4um/index.php?topic=72629.0

I wouldn't suggest her to check it in because of the baggage handlers.Also,the guys at airport security don't even put the stuff back properly if they open bags.


How about I tell her to call a senior TSA official at the airport incase of a problem?They should go with directives right?

PS:If they are in a lipo safe bag in the cabin baggage,would the guys allow them?One can say that there is no risk of shorting out when it is in the bag.

QuoteThey should go with directives right?

Yes but sadly, these are debatable occasions where you realise that not following written rules are a pattern not just in our country

May be the securiy guys are scared that if something happens, it might fall on their heads and this opinion varies from person to person.

In one of the links I read, a person travelled with LiPos in the carry on in his onward interstate journey in US, but they were confiscated on the return.

I would say trust your luck, blindly 

alright.If I decide to tell her to check it in,I'll tell her to have a small bag with this stuff in it.If they open a bag with lots of stuff just for this,it would be a PITA.Or I'll tell her to go with the directive and keep the battery in its original packaging inside the lipo bag.I'll have her tape the terminals as well.

Either way, best of luck ji 
Let us know how it turns out

Sure.

You should be saying best of luck dude.I'm just a 15 year old kid.