Airport security check

We were waiting in Hawaii a few years ago for them to open the line, and ended up next to the explosives analysis machine. I asked the TSA guy what they were looking for. He took me over to the machine and demo'ed it. (it was a slow day, I was wearing a company polo and he was interested in a job :)
The primary components he said they were looking for that showed up on the screen were RDX, PETN, C4, ANFO, TNT and a couple others I don't remember.

I don't think gunpowder was one of them, but as others mentioned above may still set it off. On the other hand I've had my carryon bag (not range bag) swabbed after going from the range to the airport without being questioned. Must be the Boy Scout look :)
 
Several times when flying I was carrying my stuff (no guns or ammo) in an old range bag that had years of powder residue in it. Every time they "sniffed" it it passed right through.:rolleyes: I believe they are looking for other things than gunpowder residue.
 
Chaz88 said:
Do the tests ever catch anything worth the time and money to check?
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Well, in order for that to happen, someone would have to be trying to bring explosives onto a plane, so, no I'm not aware that the tests have ever directly caught anything "worth while". The value, I suspect, is as much in deterrence as detection. After all, if you know you're likely to get caught (and getting through with explosives is not like the pocket knife they miss on X-ray) you're not likely to try, right? So, it's not all in what gets caught but also in what never gets tried.
 
Well, in order for that to happen, someone would have to be trying to bring explosives onto a plane, so, no I'm not aware that the tests have ever directly caught anything "worth while". The value, I suspect, is as much in deterrence as detection. After all, if you know you're likely to get caught (and getting through with explosives is not like the pocket knife they miss on X-ray) you're not likely to try, right? So, it's not all in what gets caught but also in what never gets tried.
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I agree. But I was thinking more along the lines of detecting traces that people have a legitimate reason to have on them. I have worked with some of those things and some of the ingredients for them. It was mostly before they checked for it though.
 
I remember a friend of mine coming back from Jungle School in Panama. When he tried to get a flight from Miami to DC the dogs went nuts on his boots, when asked by the security agents were he was coming from he said "Panama", when asked what he was doing there he showed them his orders and said "blowing stuff up" . He got a funny look from them but they let him on the plane....eventually.:D
 
Remember to store your luggage next to the bag of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in the garage and be sure to spread fertilizer on your lawn the day of flight. Do not wash hands or clean shoes prior to flying. Show up early for flight. Hilarity ensues. Even better, pay cash for your ticket the day of the flight and make it one way.
 
store your luggage next to the bag of ammonium nitrate fertilizer
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Or store your reactive target material in the bag. Then you will have the ammonium perchlorate, aluminum powder, and titanium powder to go along with the ammonium nitrate and complete the package. Should make for an extra entertaining delay.:)
 
All I know is getting through Atlanta was easy, St. Louis I was always getting nabbed and Chicago was a 50-50 proposition.

Fortunately I hadn't been messing with any chemicals and had clean luggage the last time going through New York because I did not want to go there in the first place. Louisiana no problem, Michigan no problem, Connecticut no problem New York has been a pain in my caboose since 1963.
 
I try not to go to NYC if I can keep from it and managed to stay away for 33 years, but I flew into and out of LaGuardia rather than JFK. I understand that JFK has some terminals with security checkpoints before you get to the ticket counter. Is that right? If so there was no way to legally get a handgun to the counter to declare. It was easier to have a gun waiting for me upon arrival. I don't plan on going back anytime soon.
 
FrankenMauser and I would end up shutting down an airport. Too funny. I am retired and when I travel, I take my time and try to enjoy myself.

If the TSA makes me miss a flight, the airline will put me on another one. I hate flying and I hate airports, but if I have to be in either one of them, I am going to enjoy myself.

My wife makes me promise to behave myself when going through airport security, but they always seem to find a reason to pull me out of line for enhanced security screening.

I never thought about the fertilizer being a hit in their machines. It would explain some things.
 
Jeff OTMG said:
I try not to go to NYC if I can keep from it and managed to stay away for 33 years, but I flew into and out of LaGuardia rather than JFK. I understand that JFK has some terminals with security checkpoints before you get to the ticket counter. Is that right? If so there was no way to legally get a handgun to the counter to declare. It was easier to have a gun waiting for me upon arrival. I don't plan on going back anytime soon.
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No. That is not right. You can't go past security without a boarding pass. If you couldn't get a boarding pass without going through security, you'd have quite a Catch-22 on your hands.
 
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So now days later, I wonder what really was the issue with my luggage testing positive for explosives.

Mike
 
WE0H said:
So now days later, I wonder what really was the issue with my luggage testing positive for explosives.

Mike
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Randomness is what caused the alarm in your bags. I used to test the work area and my hands, get no alarm, clean my work area, clean my hands, put on gloves, clean the gloves and then test the work surfaces and gloves...
and get an alarm. Rarely, but it happens.
Sometimes, the machine thinks it sees something that's not there. It just happens.
More accurately, I suppose, the machine finds something that you didn't put there but is there by pure random chance. Maybe you drove through a construction zone that had blasting happening the day before and some dust got in your bag or on you.
Point being, most alarms are of no apparent cause and completely "random" from what we can know.
 
false security

A friend of mine flew to Charleston South Carolina from Wichita with a .22 magnum round in the pocket of her coat that she was wearing.

So is the TSA spending too much time looking for explosive chemicals in your shampoo and bombs in your underware to notice something as simple as that?
 
BUFF said:
A friend of mine flew to Charleston South Carolina from Wichita with a .22 magnum round in the pocket of her coat that she was wearing.

So is the TSA spending too much time looking for explosive chemicals in your shampoo and bombs in your underware to notice something as simple as that?
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Probably. It's of no particular significance. It's small and could be hard to see depending on circumstances. It's also pretty useless without at least some sort of rudimentary barrel/firing mechanism, which would be much harder to hide. Besides, one round is not a threat to the aircraft itself, which is the overriding concern. Certainly not the only concern and a single round of ammo could get you in big trouble, I just mean its not something that's worthy of the allocation of large amounts of limited assets.

We found a bullet or two here or there in my time with TSA. We handles it with little fanfare and no arrests. A little common sense goes a long way, on both sides.
 
The funniest thing I ever encountered flying was my trip back home. I was taking some culinary courses and the the textbook was a recipie book in additon to being the course textbook for a couple of semesters. It was big and heavy. I had the workbook that went with it.

I guess they had two new trainees on the x ray machine. I see the two guys eyes light up like they have found the holy grail we are going to be heroes look. Next thing I know I was asked to step over to an area on the side by the TSA supervisor accompanied by an armed police officer.

I know what is in the bag..lol. They just know what they have been told.

He asks for my ID and I furnish him My Civilian CAC card that says I work for the military.

They have a serious look on thier faces. The Supervisor asks if he can inspect my bag. I said no problem sir please inspect my bag. He opens the bag and him and the officer cautiously peer in to see a damn big culinary textbook. He is giving frick and frack the two guys expecting praise the I am going to kill you guys look. lol

He had a very sheepish look and told me to have a nice day and enjoy my flight. He then instructs his No. 2 person who watching nearby to relive frick and frack because they are going to have a talk. lol
 
I fly regularly with a sales sample of one of my company's products. It's about the size of a 3 pound coffee can, weighs about 10 pounds, is made of stainless steel and has a big magnet inside of it. I always put it right on top of my checked bag, and it always gets inspected. I've never tried to carry it on.

I really wonder what that looks like thru the x-ray machines.
 
Heck it would probably blow the machine up....

I stand by my statement about checked baggage and steel toed boots causing a search....

I don't fly much... about once every two years... but with probably 4 or 5 flights in the last 10 years... I've had my bags searched EVERY time.

One day folks are going to realized all this TSA crap is just a joke... but at least we are keeping some folks employed...

All I can say is that the steak I ate while on a KLM flight out of Detroit sure was good and the nice sharp METAL knife they gave me worked great.
 
blume357 said:
Heck it would probably blow the machine up....

I stand by my statement about checked baggage and steel toed boots causing a search....

I don't fly much... about once every two years... but with probably 4 or 5 flights in the last 10 years... I've had my bags searched EVERY time.

One day folks are going to realized all this TSA crap is just a joke... but at least we are keeping some folks employed...

All I can say is that the steak I ate while on a KLM flight out of Detroit sure was good and the nice sharp METAL knife they gave me worked great.
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We have had 100% searching of checked bags ever since 9/11, or shortly thereafter. It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of what type of search it will be. I won't say what the odds are, but they're very good that you're bag will be *opened* and searched REGARDLESS of ANYTHING that is or is not in them.

In 4 or 5 trips, I would not be surprised if your bag was opened and searched every single time. In 8 or 10 trips it wouldn't surprise me. Again, COMPLETELY independent of what might be in it.

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The physical searches occur at airports without X-ray screening equipment for checked baggage. Physical checks of bags at airports with X-ray equipment for checked bags are somewhat less common because they can see what need to see with the machine. I guarantee steel toed boots are not going to have the X-ray operator calling for bag checks. They must see 500 pair a day. They know what they are.
 
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