Talkback: Monday Tip - Flying With Fuel

I agree - too many of these generic 'Tip's' that lack finesse and detail IMO...

In May last year I found myself with half a litre of meths, purchased at great expense in Iceland. As it wasn't allowed on the flight home, and as I intended returning to Iceland only a few weeks later, I decided to hide it among some boulders at the airport. Well... on my return... it had gone. So much for that idea!

A German guy pointed out to me... "What's the problem? If they allow vodka on-board, why not alcohol fuel?" Good question... to which I don't know the answer!

One of the headings in the article is "Learn the words for fuel". That's a very good point, but it only gives one example. If you try and use Google Translate for terms like "methylated spirit" or "gas", it's almost 100% certain that whatever words are returned, they wont be the words that local people use! What would be helpful is a list of fuels, with appropriate translations in several languages.

Not like it is rocket science (or is it); fuel names

Ahh... that's more like it!

As for 'rocket science'... I did a trek with a German woman. A guy she knew on an air base at the start of the trek told her not to bother buying meths for her Trangia, and he kindly gave her a bottle of some kind of 'rocket fuel' instead.

I'll draw a veil over the first night's cook-out... except to mention 4ft high flames, clouds of black smoke, and her looking like she was auditioning for a part in the 'Black and White Minstrel Show'.

  I know a few women who I'd like to play that trick on Paddy!

An alternative take on flying with stoves here from Andy Kirkpatrick...

Getting Your Stove Past Check-In

I've used the coca-cola trick a couple of times to clean my Optimus Nova multifuel ahead of a return flight. (I guess Pepsi works too as long as you're nowhere near the Olympics!)

What kind of socks does Andy wear? I mean... if he wraps his stove up in a sock... does that mean that the airport scanners can't spot it? I once had to empty my entire pack onto a table because of one tiny 'suspicious' item picked up on a scanner, which turned out to be one of those 2 inch x ¾ inch 'Baby' can openers!

IATA Regs, including how to clean petroleum fuel bottles, can be found on this thread.

Of course, bear in mind that those regs date from 2005, IIRC...

 Unless you want a la carte camp meals, best idea is to learn how to make a Supercat stove here and then make one and buy fuel at your destination.

Meths stories. In France at one time had to buy meths and probably had to get a litre and which was about 50% too much to carry. Being a gram weenie I proceeded to place the remainder of the bottle in a litter bin.This was in a shopping mall with Cctv so I had some explaining to do. Similar experience in a camping shop in Scotland asked where I could donate other half of the bottle or leave it in the shop. Was no use so asked  where I could dispose of it safely, they told me to go upstairs which turned out to be a hairdressers, I asked same question and they told me to pour it down the toilet!

Andy's linked advice is good & what I usually do.  Send ahead is another if I'm using a hotel for the first night.

I got called to security in Reykjavik airport on the way out of Iceland.  I'd bought 3 vintage stoves in a Reykjavik antique shop which are hard to disguise.  They likely hadn't had fuel in them for 50-60 years.  Their solution was simple.  They fetched a full kettle & filled the tanks with water.  Problem solved.  I know an airline in Alaska had considered a similar approach with fuel bottles pre 911 but I don't know if anything came of it.

I often fly to Ireland with Easyjet from Liverpool to Belfast.

First rule - know the airline's own regulations - print out their webpage on the subject (that can take some finding) and make sure the print also includes the date printed.  Airlines own regs can be different to IATA/CAA (as in more stringent, not less).  Take it with you.

Second rule. Stand your ground. Ask for a manager and show him/her the print - pointing out the date it was printed (I have had a manager argue my page was out of date, till I showed him the date and the time it was printed as 2 hours earlier).

Third rule. Make sure your stove doesnt smell of any form of hydrocarbon. That might be a problem on your way back - cos you've been using it.  I have had staff do a sniff test - and as it didnt smell they let it through.   I have yet to try cleaning a pocket rocket clone stove - TBH, I have just shoved it in its wee box and put it in the post.