It Pays to Wear a Kilt When Flying

[lethearen]

I haven't flown kilted, but I have flown with bagpipes. Security isn't as gleeful to see bagpipes in the xray (at first) as you described them being toward wearing a kilt.

A friend of mine worked for TSA and said one of the funniest things he'd heard about was someone with a set of pipes in his luggage. Looking through the x-ray they couldn't figure out what it was. They finally had to have the gentleman remove the pipes (antiques, apparently) so they could see, and he even played a tune for them. That had to be a heckuva wake-up call for all the red-eyers!

[Carolina Kiltman]

A friend of mine worked for TSA and said one of the funniest things he'd heard about was someone with a set of pipes in his luggage. Looking through the x-ray they couldn't figure out what it was. They finally had to have the gentleman remove the pipes (antiques, apparently) so they could see, and he even played a tune for them. That had to be a heckuva wake-up call for all the red-eyers!

A bit off topic here, but back in the 50's a destroyer captain bugged his long-term enemy (something happened between them at the Academy) by coming up on the bridge during the mid-watch (midnight to 4 AM) and playing "Scotland the Brave" for four solid hours whenever their ships were berthed next to each other!

[piperdbh]

That was either a long tape loop or one heck of a 'piper!

I've heard that flying with antique 'pipes with real ivory can be quite a hassle.

[EagleJCS]

I've heard that flying with antique 'pipes with real ivory can be quite a hassle.

Only if you're flying out of the U.S. and back in. (Really, crossing the border - and going through customs - by any method: flying, driving or sailing.) You need a CITES certificate to show that the ivory really is old and not harvested since the ban (in the '60's?).

On topic: Too bad you weren't upgraded to first class - that's the way you were travelling anyway. At least you got some of their booze!