[Trombone-l] Carry-On Instruments

[William Huber]

Dear Jeff,

    You've had better luck than I with gate checking your horn. Two  
years ago, I had to gate check my trombone in its fiberglass case,  
which is only an inch or two wider than your Eastman case. The case  
survived marvelously when it was thrown/dropped by the baggage  
handlers, but the slide got loose inside the case and it tore a hole  
through the bell. It takes an incredible jolt for that to occur, but  
it happened; the slide tore a hole through the bell.

    Before that, I used something called The Heavy Duty Trombone  
Travel Case for flying. It did excellently well until it had to go  
through the Denver airport, where the baggage handlers dropped/threw  
that case hard enough to put a small hole in it, something I thought  
impossible, and knocked loose the hand brace on the outer slide while  
doing it.

    Last year I  _had_  to fly to Denver with my euphonium. Despite  
"Fragile" signs and stickers all over the case, and bubble wrap  
inside the case, my poor euphie had its valves and valve slides  
knocked about. I was lucky that the Miraphone factory head was there  
to put things in order.

    I'm taller than average, so airline seats don't fit me at all. I  
invariably catch the virus of the coughing, hacking person sitting  
behind me. And then I usually have an instrument repair bill to pay  
after the flight. Somehow, I find myself preferring to drive to  
jobs.  :-)

    I suppose that most baggage handlers are good, conscientious  
folk, but it takes only one bad one to trash a horn.

    Wishing Everyone Good Luck and Bon Voyage,

    Bill Huber
    Nashville, TN

===================

From: "Jeff Albert" <jeffalbert.smb at gmail.com>
Date: March 2, 2007 5:13:06 PM CST
To: "Bill Dinwiddie" <billdin at comcast.net>
Cc: List Trombone <TROMBONE-L at server5.samford.edu>
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Carry-On Instruments


I am pretty sure the email is legit.  I don't think a scammer would  
have an
@afm.org email address.

I have had to fly to gigs three or four times in the last couple of  
months,
and it has really been pretty mellow.  A couple of times on  
Southwest, some
US Air, and even a Delta (although it was one of the commuter things  
that
are run by a subsidiary).  It has all been peaceful from the TSA and the
airlines.

I have an Eastman case that I carry on.  It is even red, and hasn't even
gotten a second look from people at the gate.  Actually one time  
leaving New
Orleans, I didn't realize that the flight was a small commuter jet  
(which I
always have to gate check on) and the ticket agent and flight  
attendant let
me on the plane with the trombone.  I had to get back off and gate  
check it
when it didn't fit.  In the old days they would have stopped me and  
told me
that it wouldn't fit before I hit the jetway.

Jeff