Taking Your 3DR on a Plane

Deleted member 7413 · Oct 20, 2016

I'm sure many have done this, but unfortunately I haven't.

Can someone please tell me if there are any restrictions when traveling with your 3DR Solo?

Do you place the batteries in your checked baggage and carry on the quad or vice a versa?

Thanks.

Maddog · Oct 20, 2016

Hi Sam! The batteries are not permitted in checked baggage- they must be carried on board.

Generally there are no restrictions but different countries have restrictions on bringing drones into the country.

SARDG · Oct 20, 2016

Sam007 said:
I'm sure many have done this, but unfortunately I haven't.

Can someone please tell me if there are any restrictions when traveling with your 3DR Solo?

Do you place the batteries in your checked baggage and carry on the quad or vice a versa?

Thanks.

Never flown with Solo, but know that airlines don't like LiPOs in checked bags because they can't get to them to control the (potential) fire.

There are some battery size limits, but you may want to check with your specific airline AND read FAA rules as you don't want to take your definitive advice from a forum and get a surprise at the airport. Airlines are running scared with the latest Samsung Note 7 battery fiasco.

Hyper · Oct 20, 2016

If you prefer to take your Solo with you on a flight and check your bag, make sure it's pack well! The jerks packing one flight I was on dropped my equipment bag from the top of the luggage cart a good 5'. I was standing in the terminal and just happened to see this go down, I was beyond pissed and the crew at the gate heard about it. I usually ship my spare batteries ahead of me so as to not exceed the max allowed by the airlines.

H-

Deleted member 7413 · Oct 21, 2016

Thank you everyone...good advice.

Pedals2Paddles · Oct 21, 2016

It's not that airlines don't like it. The LiPo batteries are not permitted in the cargo hold of a passenger airliner at all. Which means you cannot check a back with those batteries in it. It doesn't matter how nicely you pack them. Their presence is not permitted. They have to go with you as a carry on. I can tell you the solo backpack fits in most overhead bins. It is larger than the official carry on maximum size, but it generally fits. If it becomes a problem and doesn't fit, you cannot let them gate-check it. They will have to put it in a crew closet.

Deleted member 7413 · Oct 21, 2016

Thank you...this is all good information.

SARDG · Oct 21, 2016

Pedals2Paddles said:
It's not that airlines don't like it. The LiPo batteries are not permitted in the cargo hold of a passenger airliner at all. Which means you cannot check a back with those batteries in it....

That is exactly what I meant by "don't like it" - don't do it or you may bring down the plane with you in it! Hyper's post wasn't clear whether there were ANY loose Solo bats in that checked and mishandled bag...

Ultimately, advice should come from the horse's mouth - FAA and the Airlines. It's an easy search. And for the uninformed ticket agents or even TSA employees, it may hot hurt to print out the 'rules' and carry with you. Gov't employees are often confused... I was one...

This thread reminds me of the Glocktalk forum and the recurring questions about flying with firearms - which I do and have always done 100% of the time. Knowledge is power... and your friend!

Corrupto · Oct 30, 2016

Sam007 said:
I'm sure many have done this, but unfortunately I haven't.

Can someone please tell me if there are any restrictions when traveling with your 3DR Solo?

Do you place the batteries in your checked baggage and carry on the quad or vice a versa?

Thanks.

I bought mine in Pittsburgh and I brought to Puerto Rico in my hand luggage and had no problem passing it through the check point. But that was a year ago !!!

quick_dry · Nov 2, 2016

For most of the world and airlines the rule is that _spare_ lipo batteries must be in carry-on, a Lipo battery installed in a device is technically allowed in the hold e.g. a laptop or a battery inside some device.

Batteries under 100Wh are not limited in the quantity of batteries you can take, batteries from 100Wh up to 160Wh are limited to 2 - this is why all the consumer drones have battery packs that top out under 100, and at least one drone runs on 2 packs so that each pack can stay under the 100Wh limit.

Solo batteries are under 100Wh.

I fly with the Solo + batteries in the backpack. I've only ever put a drone in check-in baggage when it was inside a hardcase with foam cutouts.

Pop a print-out of the rules in your battery bag and then you'll always have it. I print out the IATA rules and the local regulators rules e.g. CASA,, FAA, CAA and stick them in my battery bag so I always have them.

Deleted member 7413 · Nov 3, 2016

Thank you all for your continued advise. Sorry for the late gratitudes, I've just updated my device and still in the process of getting everything installed and setup.