Tahoe_Ed had already posted this, but I still see the question come up, so thought I'd reconfirm that the Inspire will fit in the overhead bin of a United 737-800, the updated, and the older models - in the supplied zipper case.
I flew yesterday from Houston to Honduras, then on to Costa Rica with all my photo gear, including an Inspire and a phantom.  I didn't have any problems at all.  I was worried that the case might not fit through the XRAY machine in Honduras, but it did.  The bird didn't even get a glance, except in Costa Rica where they wanted info to ensure we weren't bringing it in to sell.  After he saw we were legit, he was just curious about the aircraft.

The updated aircraft have new bins with rounder doors, so there was no issues, but the older model 737 took a bit of wriggling to get the case in.  But the doors closed with no problems, and nobody seemed to even take notice.

Before you fly, you must see what aircraft you will be in, as it will definitely not fit in a regional type jet.  You can see the bin sizes on various web sites, and check your carrier's carry on rules.  Generally if it fits, they don't care.  Also, be prepared in any aircraft that they might decide to check it at the gate.  This is their decision, so you would need to remove all spare batteries, except for the one in the craft.  They might not even know the rules, but do it anyway, for your safety.  This is why the "Fragile" stickers on the case, jusI t in case it got gate checked.  Maybe, just maybe they would be a little gentler with it when they fling it onto the belt!

I took Tahoe_Ed's lead and bought a little cart to roll the Inspire around with, and it's definitely an arm/hand saver!

And board as early as you can, because while it fits, it's wider than any carry on bag, so it takes up more room. If you're late, it's a guaranteed gate check.

The photos are of the Inspire in the bin of a 737-800 (updated), next to the phantom and my photo gear backpack.  Also showing the little $26 cart I got to roll it around.  It gets nicely under the seat.

Great info. Thank you for posting. And adding the photos.

Agreed, good info. MJDMike Tell me, why do you have both the Inspire and the Phantom? Did you buy them separate for different shooting conditions?  Or the phantom first because it came out first and the Inspired followed. Yeah I'm "Way New" to this forum.

RacerXDB Posted at 2015-1-29 02:15
Agreed, good info. MJDMike Tell me, why do you have both the Inspire and the Phantom? Did you buy th ...

Good question Racer.

I had the Phantom already and love it, however, the Inspire is a different animal.  For me, they have different purposes.  Also, with the Inspire being new, I felt a backup camera was warranted.

I brought the Phantom because:

1. Portable, can hike for miles with it in the backpack.
2. Inspire is a new design, and I needed a backup.
3. We have a few shots lined up where the wide angle go the gopro lens is attractive.
4. It's a fantastic bird and easy to fly.  We can deploy from the backpack in less than 60 seconds, so we will use it for this spur of the moment, side of the road shots.  I have a modified gopro 3 without the fisheye, so that's an option.

Have fun and safe flying!

Great update. Thanks for the pics. I have an assignment in South America coming up and this is good to know. I'm very nervous about the Buenos Aires airports and their ability to make belongings disappear.

F66 Posted at 2015-2-1 04:12
Great update. Thanks for the pics. I have an assignment in South America coming up and this is good  ...

Ha, I hear ya.  Good luck!

I wish the aircraft servicing my island had overheads that size.