LtKernelPanic

I searched but didn't find anything so apologies if I missed something.

I have a trip coming up later this week where if I have room I'd like to take Phantom 3 quadcopter. While I couldn't find anything specific on AA's website I was wondering if anyone has had any recent experience taking a quad/drone on an AA flight?

FriendlySkies

I do not yet own a drone, so my response is only based on what a co-worker told me after their trip to Florida. They took a DJI Phantom r/t to FLL and had no issues. It was stored in a shell backpack, designed for the DJI, and fit under the seat in front of them. Also no issues at TSA with the extra batteries they were carrying.

Globe Road Warrior

You should be fine with taking it as a carry-on in a proper case as well as checking it in as although I wouldn't recommend the latter.

JetAway

Owners are getting away from calling them "drones." They are aerial cameras-i.e., photography equipment.

LtKernelPanic

Cool. Thanks for the replies. I have the DJI hard shell backpack which is what it'd be in which would be okay for a plane-side valet check which I may have to do since it's pretty much the max size can fit in an E145s bin.

After talking to the friends I'm visiting last night I may just leave it home this trip since we've decided to take a trip up to the Grand Canyon (where I can't fly it anyways) so we probably won't have time to go out to the land he owns outside Phoenix to fly them. This fall I plan on replacing the Phantom with a Mavic which will be much easier to take on the trips I have in the works for next year.

As for the whole calling it a drone I personally refer to my Phantom as a quadcopter or just a quad 99% of the time thanks to the huge negative connotation attached to the word drone due to the handful off idiots out there who manage to make the evening news.

JDiver

Basically, if the packing case / packing meets AA carryon dimensions, you're good to fly.

Link to AA carryon baggage rules.

tismfu

I had a P4 with a hardshell case that I took onboard AA multiple times without issue.
I now have a Mavic which, as you mention, is vastly easier to travel with and also I have no issues on multiple trips. Keep in mind that the batteries are NOT to be checked and must be carried within the cabin.

https://www.faa.gov/about/initiative...info/?hazmat=7

aztimm

In addition to AA rules, I'd ensure the device meets TSA regulations. There's a few threads in the TSS forum about drones, this one seems close:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/pract...-my-carry.html

Although that user ended up checking it.

If you do carry on, I'd have the box in a big shopping bag (like the burlap ones you can get at most supermarkets) so it is easy to carry, but also easy to take out and show them if they ask.

seawolf

Just don't fly it if unsure if airport has regulations against operating it.

ORDAAFlyer296

I took a P3 on a mainline flight then an eagle flight last year without an issue. Ended up having to valet check it on the eagle flight, gate agent just told me to pull the batteries out and put them in my carry on. AA didn't have any issue.

CBP when bringing it back into the states though... *YIKES*. That was a nightmare...

LtKernelPanic

Thank you to everyone who has replied to my question. I'm still 50/50 if I'm going to take it or not. We may have some time after all to take it out to the ~10 acres he has outside Phoenix.

I figure there's about a 95% chance I'll have to valet check it on the Eagle (E145) segments to/from my hometown. Since the motors face towards your back as you're wearing the backpack I'm going to try and find some thin foam to add a bit of extra padding because that's the side they'll lay flat I'm sure.

As for flying it in an airport that's just stupid and that guy deserved to be arrested. People like him give all drone pilots a bad name. Where we'd be flying is away from Sky Harbor and the other airports in the PHX metro area.

FWIW I did look at the Spark today and man that thing is tiny but I think even at twice the price the Mavic is a much better quad and is what I plan on taking with me to Hawaii next spring.

ORDAAFlyer if you don't mind me asking what did CBP freak about about? I had a friend from the UK bring a Mavic on his yearly US trip this summer and CBP didn't seem to have an issue.

ORDAAFlyer296

It was at one of the USCBP preclearance stations at a Canadian airport, I had it in a hard shell case and they sent me to secondary (which wasn't an issue, just doing their due diligence I figured). The agent there told me she wouldn't allow me to bring because she didn't know anything about it, and that I would have to leave the airport and ship it if I wanted to get it back to the states. (Keep in mind that this was after security, who didn't bat an eyelash) I asked for a supervisor, she told me no, and then escorted me out. It was nothing more than a CBP agent on a power trip... long story short I ended up talking to her boss's boss and he apologized for the hassle and said it shouldn't have been an issue to begin with. Ended up being a 2.5 hour ordeal and I made my flight by a matter of minutes.

expatsandbegats

It is really not the airlines that care but TSA. Make sure batteries are discharged (I was never asked this, but they might and it can be dangerous in any case). As long as your bag meets size req. then you are fine. And if you do check it, you have to take the batteries in your carry-on.

Your Phantom will get more looks than my mavic did from TSA but when I asked them if they wanted me to pull the drone out of the case (which is what is supposed to happen) they never cared. Only once in the US did I have to open my case and every time I went through security in Europe they made my pull almost all of my gear (photo and drone) out of my Pelican case.

LtKernelPanic

Just a quick follow up post for anyone who may have this question in the future.

I ended up not having any major issues taking my Phantom 3 4K in the official DJI backpack with AA or the TSA. The only very minor issues I had was when boarding the E145 to DFW the FA almost made me valet check it thinking it was a wheeled bag but since it wasn't let me take it on the plane. Shockingly it fit perfectly under the seat in front of me. Oddly enough on the DFW-PHX leg it wouldn't fit under the seat in front of me on an A321 but did on the A321 on the way back to DFW. Thankfully there was room in the bin for both my bags since it wasn't a full flight.

FWIW at my hometown airport we don't have a pre-check lane so I did have to remove it from its case and put it in a bin for screening but didn't have to when leaving Phoenix.

Sadly the day we were going to go flying the weather didn't cooperate so it turned out to be all for naught. We're in the early planning stages of a trip to Hawai'i next year and if it happens I'll most likely end up replacing the phantom with a mavic.

Filthy Monkey

I took my 4 to Hawaii last year and got some amazing footage! Highly recommend it ^