Originally Posted by
SoCal
Thanks. I don't even remember the mercury tube kind, but suspect those would have been much bigger (and more fragile). TSA Web site says that they prefer battery-operated devices be in carry-on, vs. checked, bags for ease of monitoring.
I've seen a pretty old one once. I've never seen one in use, though. The problem with them is mercury. It can do very nasty things to aluminum--the aluminum that comprises the body of the airplane.