TargetTalk

Hi all! Wanted to see if anyone had experience with airplane traveling with a Walter LP500/Expert? Specifically the question I have is do you fully empty your canisters? I had a club mate mention that they have a tendency to get damaged if they are fully emptied, but with a caveat that it may have been an issue with the older carbon fiber canisters.
When the canister is empty, there is a rattling sound when you shake it and that loose component is what gets damaged. I’m not sure what that component is, but my club mate mentioned to leave just enough air to where it’s not rattling.

I’d love to hear any insight from anyone, bonus if you had experience flying out of Colorado Springs.

You HAVE to empty your cylinders to fly anywhere. If you don't, you run the risk of having them confiscated. I've heard that the people at Colorado Springs are especially fussy, and some people fly to Denver and drive down to avoid having to deal with them.

The rattle you hear is the valve flopping around. Some valves have very weak spring to hold them closed, but many rely on the air pressure to do that. No air pressure = nothing holding the valve in place.

If you want to do it the best possible way, you can empty the cylinders (SLOWLY) until the gauge reads zero (to keep the airport people happy), but there is still a tiny bit of pressure inside that you can hear hissing out. If you stop at that point, it does does two things: 1) It holds the valve closed so it won't rattle, and 2) It prevents anything from getting into the cylinder. The biggest risk is from moist air getting inside when the cylinder is cold from having been vented quickly (which is why you want to do it slowly, but it's hard to avoid some cooling). Moist air getting into a cold cylinder can produce condensation INSIDE the cylinder, which could potentially cause corrosion and shorten the life of the cylinder.

Learnt! Thumbs up.

Flying with Air cylinders has always been difficult with increased airline security.
To the extent that I would take a pin spanner, o rings and a small tube of grease with me and actually dismantle the end off the tank.
On on occasion I was the only person to fly with my tank in a group of 18 people (multiple teams).

That can be easier said than done. I've taken apart a couple brands of cylinders (Morini, Walther/Hammerli, Benelli), and most of them require considerable force to open up. I use 3D printed vise blocks with a sheet of silicone rubber to get them apart, and it often takes a mallet on the spanner to get them started.

viewtopic.php?p=306808#p306808

Of course, once you've got them open, you can assemble them with less force so you can get them apart more easily.

Just confirming what G White has said re cylinder disassembly.

These are great comments - I assume you are talking about flying with the pistol in checked bag?

Yes. The vast majority of airline employees have NO idea what the difference is between an air pistol and a firearm. If it LOOKS like a gun, they will not be interested in any explanations about why it isn't legally a firearm. Declare it as a firearm, and go through the drill. Most of them won't have any clue about air cylinders either, but you need to be prepared if they do. I've also heard that if the cylinder is installed on the pistol, they often won't give it a second glance, but if you have a spare in the case, they get nosey.

Some general comments-

Flying into Denver or Colorado Springs, with an air pistol, is about the same, anymore. Flying out of Denver seems to be more difficult. Check your bag, follow your bag to xray, follow your bag to bag check, etc., etc., etc.

Plus, pre-check @ Denver takes longer than just getting in the regular line. I am not kidding! Everyone flying out of Denver seems to be pre-check.

I have had no issues flying with an air pistol with cylinders attached/un-attached. I always carry both. Some folks at the ticketing counter are intrigued by the fact that it is an air pistol and simply want to see it...I always let them. No harm, and it creates good will.

My 2 cents. Good luck!