Are there any rules for traveling in the US with drones by air ?

I can only share the international rule with you: The batteries must be in the hand luggage. Apart from that there shouldn't be any restrictions. For safety reasons you may discharge the batteries to around 30% and put them in special transport bags for LiPo batteries. To be on the very safe side you may also check the website of the airline you are going with for further specific demands they might have. If you are going abroad you should check the drone regulations of the country you are going to. In very few drones are banned and they wouldn't let you in with it or confiscate.

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-12-23 06:15
I can only share the international rule with you: The batteries must be in the hand luggage. Apart from that there shouldn't be any restrictions. For safety reasons you may discharge the batteries to around 30% and put them in special transport bags for LiPo batteries. To be on the very safe side you may also check the website of the airline you are going with for further specific demands they might have. If you are going abroad you should check the drone regulations of the country you are going to. In very few drones are banned and they wouldn't let you in with it or confiscate.

Thanks i did look it up on TSA's website and they did say it was ok,it will be with me on my carry-on so everything should go smooth.

nymuscle Posted at 2017-12-23 06:29
Thanks i did look it up on TSA's website and they did say it was ok,it will be with me on my carry-on so everything should go smooth.

Yes, that is the standard. I have done a number of flights to various countries (not US yet) and never experienced a problem. To the opposite, the security staff at airports liked to see the Spark. A few were really interested and asked me questions about it.

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-12-23 06:33
Yes, that is the standard. I have done a number of flights to various countries (not US yet) and never experienced a problem. To the opposite, the security staff at airports liked to see the Spark. A few were really interested and asked me questions about it.

Hopefully i can capture some great video of NYC  such a great place to film video,since im new to the whole drone world i feel pretty confident learning how to fly Spark here in south florida so now its time to try something more adventurous,i have a place in the city so im excited about this trip back home where im originally from,have a great holiday season .

nymuscle Posted at 2017-12-23 06:46
Hopefully i can capture some great video of NYC  such a great place to film video,since im new to the whole drone world i feel pretty confident learning how to fly Spark here in south florida so now its time to try something more adventurous,i have a place in the city so im excited about this trip back home where im originally from,have a great holiday season .

Looking forward to the footage! Be careful however in such a huge city full of interferences. Beware of helicopters too.

nymuscle Posted at 2017-12-23 06:46
Hopefully i can capture some great video of NYC  such a great place to film video,since im new to the whole drone world i feel pretty confident learning how to fly Spark here in south florida so now its time to try something more adventurous,i have a place in the city so im excited about this trip back home where im originally from,have a great holiday season .

NYC, read about the incident from drone hittin UN Heli
There was somewhere a link to the story and the findings
And maybe get yourself b4ufly

https://www.faa.gov/uas/where_to_fly/b4ufly/

nymuscle Posted at 2017-12-23 06:46
Hopefully i can capture some great video of NYC  such a great place to film video,since im new to the whole drone world i feel pretty confident learning how to fly Spark here in south florida so now its time to try something more adventurous,i have a place in the city so im excited about this trip back home where im originally from,have a great holiday season .

Oh, btw:

If the security on US airports is following the 'general rules':
One batt in any device, where the batt is needed to run the device, is fine.
But:
Only 2 more (extra/spare) batteries allowed in handluggage.
By this general rules.
And any powerbank is one battery already.

And maybe they wanna see this batteries in batteriebags


Just saying ;-)

I've had no issues with the Spark in many countries (inc USA) with the hand luggage , transported in a pella case , one in the spark, three others also in the case.

they normally open the case and swab for explosives.

I'll take as many precautions as possible,as far as the battery bag TSA does say they can be brought on if there also in there original packaging which i do have i drained them down to 30% , im sure i wont have a problem and if i do i guess ill have to buy a Mavic ..... lol and when it comes to flying in the city ,ill check all the local laws all the same,thanks for all the heads up.

Another thing to look for is that you are not taking damaged batteries.  Most of the inflight fires/smoking lithium batteries have been ones that were damaged from being dropped previously, by the owners.  Such as power banks that have been dropped but seemed to be working fine.  Those e-cigarette devices that have been damaged are another frequent cause for reported fires.  The cabin crews are pretty well trained to put the device in a coffee pot of water or into a fire safe bag (planes carry them).

Lithium batteries don't like being smacked around.

Gunship9 Posted at 2017-12-23 09:09
Another thing to look for is that you are not taking damaged batteries.  Most of the inflight fires/smoking lithium batteries have been ones that were damaged from being dropped previously, by the owners.  Such as power banks that have been dropped but seemed to be working fine.  Those e-cigarette devices that have been damaged are another frequent cause for reported fires.  The cabin crews are pretty well trained to put the device in a coffee pot of water or into a fire safe bag (planes carry them).

Lithium batteries don't like being smacked around.

Copy that

Gunship9 Posted at 2017-12-23 09:09
Another thing to look for is that you are not taking damaged batteries.  Most of the inflight fires/smoking lithium batteries have been ones that were damaged from being dropped previously, by the owners.  Such as power banks that have been dropped but seemed to be working fine.  Those e-cigarette devices that have been damaged are another frequent cause for reported fires.  The cabin crews are pretty well trained to put the device in a coffee pot of water or into a fire safe bag (planes carry them).

Lithium batteries don't like being smacked around.

-The cabin crews are pretty well trained to put the device in a coffee pot of water or into a fire safe bag (planes carry them).-
If  cabin crew is getting a 'smoking' lithium batt close to water, I would not call them well trained!

There's some misinformation in this thread, so let's clear it up:

Lithium batteries, specifically spare batteries, cannot be in a 'checked' bag. They must be brought onto the plane within your carry-on or on your person. All other batteries are permitted in checked baggage. This means you could even check your Spark with its single battery installed.
While all batteries can potentially explode, lithium batteries have a greater risk, so they must be transported somewhere they're constantly monitored when they're not installed in a device.

As this is the Spark forum, I can safely say there is no limit to the number of batteries you may transport via US airlines, if they are for personal use.
This is because the TSA has restrictions on loose, lithium batteries for only two reasons:
1. You're reselling them
2. They're over 100 watt hours

Spark batteries are almost 17 watt hours.
I just got done flying from DC to Atlanta, back to DC, then to Phoenix. TSA didn't bat an eye at my Spark and its three, 'loose' batteries. (Though one officer did investigate my Toughbook)

Feel free to fly with as many Spark batteries as you like, as long as they're stored in a manner that they cannot be short-circuited.

Let's be serious here: If you couldn't fly with more than two Li-Ion batteries, you couldn't take your phone, your laptop, and your phone's external battery pack with you on a plane, and millions of people have done that. Because they're installed in the device, they're not counted as able to be short-circuited. (Unless it's one of those Samsung Fireball models)
More information is available at: https://www.faa.gov/about/office ... s_and_batteries.pdf

Made it to NYC no issues whatsoever so let the games begin .

nymuscle Posted at 2017-12-24 18:27
Made it to NYC no issues whatsoever so let the games begin .

So they didnt say anything about the props ? Going to Jamaica and wanted to take my Spark , Was just concerned they would let my props on board being they confiscate toe nail clippers...

I don't think so. You just not allowed to use them near airports and you should give it to luggage when you travel with it.