Gun on plane (but not with me)

[KEHO]

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[kramnor54]

i have only had one problem checking and that was with a bunch of knives never with guns

 

[GIJEW]

You can't put ammunition is a separate locked container, can you? I drove to Florida last spring with one of my handguns, loaded of course. Once I was down there I didn't see any gun shops or places that sell ammunition.

Yes, you can have ammo in the case, but pack it in the manufacturer's box. Check with the airline about packing ammunition, they might have regulations of their own. ie Alaska Air says up to 50lbs! I'd bet NW is different.

 

[Glock19Dude]

Southwest has no bag fees for first two bags. I took mine to PHX no problem show ticket agent and go on to plane. Then on way home show ticket agent then had bellhop type walk my bag over to tsa. bag is scanned get on plane fly home. No problems and easy. Now I do not like that if my bag is taken I lose my gun but oh well take cheaper gun on flights. To protect from being stolen even if by accident I would prefer to have to show ID to someone to get my bag.

That's re-assuring for me. I also fly Southwest from Indy to Phx a couple times a year. I've never been able to take my pistol with me because my LTCH arrived in my mail while I was out in AZ. Next time I go out there I would like to take my cheaper Taurus with me but I wanted to hear some experiences first. My friend in AZ told me his cousin brought his from MI the last time he was out there and had no problems at the airports. This is good to hear.

 

[Pilot]

The OP's situation is one of the reasons I got my Pilot's License. Sure it's more expensive than commercial travel, but the convenience is worth it. If I can get it to fit in the plane, I can take it with me!

That is not entirely accurate.

For instance, assuming Eagle Creek does not prohibit firearms in their facilities, and their rental regulations don't prohibit it, you "should" be OK. But flying in or out of a class C airport such as Terre Haute or Evansville, you would not be able to take it on the ramp at all.

You also have operations limitations. If you have a commercial pilots license, you would be prohibited from carrying onboard regardless of what type of aircraft you are flying. It will be assumed by the FAA that you are utilizing your commercial privileges any time you are operating an aircraft be it PIC or SIC. You run into another hurdle if you have passengers on board. You would automatically be prohibited from carrying a weapon if there are others onboard under a US Code. It is also covered under under a CFR but I dont recall which one but would be happy to look it up if you are interested in the information.

It is also important to remember that the sterile area of any airport may or may not be marked and is defined not only by federal authorities but by the airport police. They can make any area sterile they want. I have yet to see a ramp anywhere that is not considered sterile. And just because it is not marked does not relieve you the pilot of the responsibility of knowing what is a secured area and what is not.

In any case, even if you find you are OK to take the gun onto the ramp, you can not carry it loaded or have ammunition that is accessible in flight by anyone on board. So unless you are flying something with a secured baggage compartment, you are SOL when it comes to having ammunition on board. The only people that can carry a loaded gun onboard, or have ammunition available to them, are federal law enforcement, air marshals, and FFDO's.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I would hate to see you end up in prison and lose your certificates forever because of not knowing the regulations.

 

[Prometheus]

You can't put ammunition is a separate locked container, can you? I drove to Florida last spring with one of my handguns, loaded of course. Once I was down there I didn't see any gun shops or places that sell ammunition.

Sarasota

Wild... I don't think I've ever seen a walmart in Florida that didn't sell ammo.

Try a different walmart next time.

Also, "let your fingers do the walking", plenty of sporting good stores down there from Gander Mountains, Cabelas heck they may have more Bass Pro shops than any other state, lol!

There are also a boatload of gun shops all over Florida.

As someone else already said, you can check your ammo. I don't recall the exact amount, but it'll be a lot more than most people would carry i.e. it'll cover a XDm9 with 3 mags loaded at 19 rounds each.