Hi Russell,

You may want to use the search function here on SH. It will turn up answers to your questions. This subject has been covered here before.

A brief summary.

1. The best, easiest "honest" way to ship our LiPos is via UPS or FedX. This is how most of our LiPos got to "us" in the 1st place. ;-) I checked with a good friend who owns a UPS store and asked him to look into it for me. He said that he was told it was not a problem as long as they were carefully packed to prevent any chance of a short or puncture (which would cause a short). I have shipped mine, packaged carefully, via UPS with no problems. I mark them as "electronic parts". You can send them to a friend that lives near the contest, or to your hotel. When compared to the total cost of attending a contest (hotel+air+etc.) the UPS costs are very small.

2. Most Airlines have strict limits on how much Lithium is allowed per passenger. Some measure by wt., some by size. Either way the best you can hope for is one E-CLPA battery. The TSA and the Airlines will see it as an "extra" battery that is outside it's device, as in an extra laptop battery etc. Your LiPo batteries will be seen as a "problem" to them, therefore it will become a problem for you! ;-) ..... IMHO: it is not worth the trouble to try and deal with this issue with the typical TSA person.   Your milage may vary.

3. Before you send (via UPS or Airline) your LiPos you should discharge them with your charger down to the storage level Voltage. Most good chargers will have a program that does this for you. This will make them less dangerous during shipping, less energy, smaller fire potential, etc.. With them at approx. 50% charge they will be easy enough to recharge in your hotel before the contest. 

If you have any more questions after your research on this I am sure others will have good comments. 

I can imagine that some guys called the Airlines and got a less than favorable answer to their questions about LiPos. This may have discouraged a few, but I can't imagine that it would stop any serious competitor from using the best tool for the job, most would find a shipping solution. ;-)

We will continue to find more transportation solutions for our batteries. Right now it is not a major problem, and I think it will be even easier in the future. 

I have several LiPo safety sacks that I always use when charging my batteries. I also put my batteries in these when I ship them. They are not a perfect solution, but they are very close. I think if we use modern, quality chargers, balance our batteries often, store them in moderate temps, and use a safety sack when charging, then we will not have any battery problems, and it will be very safe to ship them throughout the world.

Well, you never know, maybe that IC flyer was a ECL expert when he put his cape on in the phone booth? 

When you fly at the Worlds in 2012 let us know how you got your LiPos there. :-)

PS: I'm sure Igor will remind us how benign his 123 batteries are and how easy they are to carry on the Airlines. And he has a good point. ;-)
     

I have had very good results using FedEx Ground for shipping both electrics and glow models. For glow models the airlines and TSA say you need to flush the fuel tank with castor oil. This can be a real pain. I had a friend who had a major snafu when trying to  put a glow model on a commercial flight with an empty fuel tank. He had to take the tank off and ship it UPS to satisfy the TSA.

For Lipos there are restrictions as Rudy described about how much Lithium you can put on the plane. The problem being that the TSA personnel don't understand the requirements very well and the measure of how much you have in a battery can be a problem. If the TSA isn't sure then it's a big problem. It's better to just not push the issue by trying to take them on a commercial flight in your luggage. Ship via a different source, UPS, FedEx etc. Others I know have used Greyhound shipping successfully within the US (especially good for shipping large models that UPS and FedEx charge extra for larger boxes).

Just my real world experience.

Rudy, I always traveled with electric models by car, so I do not know if they have any restrictions on A123. But I know that Japan flyers used Lipos and also Keith R. two years ago.

May it will be good idea to force WC organizers to prepafe fuel of every type, not only methyl, ether, castor, but also lithium etc. 

TSA INFO
Enough Guessing

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/batteries.shtm

http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html

Long story short put then in the carry on baggage and make sure it is satisfactory to them that they will not short out.

Traian,

I was not "guessing" when I gave my recommendation to ship our ECL batteries via UPS or FedEx. I, like many others on this forum, have read all the TSA data before. I have traveled on the airlines more than a few times, both at the little pointy end and back in the tube on business.

The 1st thing we must realize is that the TSA is not the enemy. They have an extremely difficult job. They have to try and find a needle in a haystack 24/7. Their default mode when they are not sure is always to lean toward "NO, it can't go on the plane". And for the safety of all of us I am glad they are there trying to do the best they can with limited resources and dealing with an ever changing set of technologies thrown at them.

You have to be very careful when you read the TSA information. This information is directed at normal consumer battery use. Our batteries, both in type and  in their configuration, are a very rare exception for the TSA official inspecting them. We are a one in a million case, NOT a common battery problem. The latest FAA SAFO is dated 6/2009. It does not even mention Lithium POLYMER Batteries. It only addresses Lithium ION Batteries and Lithium METAL Batteries (AKA Primary Batteries). This is because at this time there were NO Li Poly batteries being used by any consumer devices. This means that ALL the TSA info. is referring ONLY to these two battery types, NOT our LiPos. This is why the term "most" is used in this info. The TSA knows that there are other battery types out there (like ours) and they were only addressing the two types that covers 99.9% of all batteries taken on planes.

There is a HUGE difference between our Li Po batteries and Li Ion batteries when it comes to safety on a plane. Now that computer mfg. are starting to use LiPos in some of their smaller computers the TSA will have to address this issue soon. As of now our batteries are in a gray area for the TSA. If the TSA person you are dealing with is not sure what to do, then they will most likely use the "metal battery, primary" rules for your ECL battery. This would mean A TOTAL OF 2 GRAMS OF LITHIUM allowed. this is about 25 watt/hrs. (less than 1/2 of one of our batteries).

I could go on and on with more details about this but I think most people get it and will just ship it. ...... 90% of the time: IF YOU CARRY THEM ON THE PLANE: "YOU WILL BE PULLED ASIDE FOR A FULL BAG CHECK AND DISCUSSION". If you want to argue the fine points of the TSA Battery rules with a government official who is already, for your safety, leaning toward NO, .... then be my guest. But please don't recommend that other people fight this battle based on a lack of a complete understanding of all the facts.

Please remember, if the TSA person says NO then this means your contest trip is going to be a lot less than fun. I like to travel as smoothly as possible and know that I have done everything in my power to eliminate potential problems. ..... Of course, your milage may vary.   

Right Rudy,

I hear where you are coming from and I thank you for the info of lithium calculation. I will NOT try to carry li-polys on board for now pending some (unlikely) new user friendly TSA rules.

John

TSA INFO
Enough Guessing

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/batteries.shtm

http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html

Long story short put then in the carry on baggage and make sure it is satisfactory to them that they will not short out.

Your second web site CLEARLY states that Lithium-Ion batteries (Li-Po same as Li-Ion in their site) are clearly FORBIDDEN on commercial planes at above 25 grams of Li.    Most of the batteries we would use are below 25 grams of Li.  Here is their quote" Lithium Ion Batteries with over 25 grams ELC are forbidden in air travel."  

None the less,  I plan on shipping ahead.  Just as others have said, one TSA agent can ruin your trip.