Flying with horn

[Roger]

I'm flying with my euphonium for the first time and would like any tips I should keep in mind. No date yet, but it's Allegiant Air which goes from point A to point B, so no worries about the horn getting lost. The flight is about 1.5 hours long. I'd rather not buy a seat for it, but I know some players do that. Questions -- do any of you insure yours for a flight? Are our cases typically strong enough so as not to require additional protection? Mine is an older Yamaha case that is well padded and seems very sturdy. What other concerns should I take under consideration?

[daruby]

Roger,

I don't know what kinds of airplanes Allegiant flies, but for domestic US flights, I almost always try to use Southwest. That way I can carry my horn on to the plane in my Cronkhite gig bag and put it into the overhead storage. Not possible with many of the major carriers like Delta, American, and United, since they use regional sub-carriers with smaller planes for connecting flights to many of the places I have traveled. I learned this tip from Steven Mead many years ago when I was planning my first trip to England. For that flight, I always take a Boston -> Heathrow direct flight.

I have never checked my horn in any case. Some additional packing tips if you are checking your horn. Try to find an inflatable ball (cheap from a drug store/dept store) that will stick out of the bell slightly to keep the horn from moving when you close the case. Most bell damage comes from shocks that cause the bell to hit the case end.

Doug

[Roger]

Thanks, Doug. I'm visiting my parents and use Allegiant exclusively because they fly straight into Sanford FL which is the area where my parents live. It allows me to avoid the crowds and chaos at the Orlando airport. They're also extremely economical. I like the idea of the inflatable ball.

[Fujiifilm]

Agree with everything Doug mentioned already. The key for packing a horn in the case as checked luggage is to prevent it from moving AT ALL inside the case. The inflatable beach ball is great. It doesn't have to be fully inflated, just enough so that when in the case it's cushioning the bell from the inside of the case and preventing any movement in that direction. You can also use bubble wrap and clothes to help pad the horn inside the hard case. If you want to check how secure it is after packing, close up the case (with all the padding/beach ball inside) and give it a bit of a shake. You'll be able to feel if the horn is shifting around at all.

An extra layer is using a luggage strap around the exterior of the case (I like to loop it through the top case handle) to help keep the case securely closed, in the (hopefully unlikely) event that the latches fail or are broken off in transit.

Also, make sure there's nothing else inside the case (mouthpiece, valve oil, etc) that can potentially get loose and knock around the inside of the case, or get placed back loosely in the event TSA opens up the case for inspection. Speaking of that, I would take photos of the instrument inside the case once you're done packing, clearly showing exactly how you padded and packed it. This way, if it's damaged in transit due to TSA taking it out and not repacking it correctly, you'll have some more evidence on your side when filing a claim. Fortunately I've never had my horn damaged any of the times I've had it as checked luggage (now I use a gig bag on Southwest), but taking photos is useful just in case.

[RickF]

If you happen to have a ‘Best Brass‘ practice mute, that could also work in protecting the bell in its case against movement. See the second image in Dave Werden’s post awhile back shared below:

http://www.dwerden.com/forum/entry.p...-Practice-Mute

[Roger]

All helpful advice, thanks. I don't have the Best Brass practice mute, but do have the Denis Wick PM, which might stick out too much to fit. I'm not with my horn now so I can't measure it. More of my time now will be needed with my aging parents, maybe a month at a time, so if I can transport my horn for the longer trips, I can keep in reasonable playing shape. And my practice mute will keep me from disturbing them too much. And if my time required becomes more permanent, I'll elect to drive (10-11 hrs with frequent stops). It's all fluid right now.

[Fujiifilm]

The standard black Denis Wick practice mute is too big to fit in the bell and in a euphonium hard case, so flying with it would likely be a hassle as the mute would have to go separately in suitcase or carry on luggage. Wick also makes a red "travel" practice mute that's similar to the Best Brass one, though it doesn't stick out of the bell at all, so it's a little more compact.

I wish you all the best Roger!

[Roger]

I appreciate that, thank you so much. Life eventually changes for all of us.

[tonewheeler]

I'm flying with my euphonium for the first time and would like any tips I should keep in mind. No date yet, but it's Allegiant Air which goes from point A to point B, so no worries about the horn getting lost. The flight is about 1.5 hours long. I'd rather not buy a seat for it, but I know some players do that. Questions -- do any of you insure yours for a flight? Are our cases typically strong enough so as not to require additional protection? Mine is an older Yamaha case that is well padded and seems very sturdy. What other concerns should I take under consideration?

What older model euph do you have Roger?

[Roger]

I have 2: a 4 valve non comp Jupiter 1021 which I'm selling; and my playing horn is an Adams Custom E-1.