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Scuba tanks in planes??? I'm glad someone already shot down the pressure ratio rational as being somewhat absurd. If this was true then every space shuttle would explode! I'm not an expert on what can and cannot be carried on a plane so I talked with a friend who knows a little about it on the way diving this past weekend. First you can take a charged scuba tank on a plane; but you can't do so as checked baggage. You must air freight the tank (if greater than 120psi) as a Hazardous Material and fill out all the paperwork at the freight office (and pay the fees). The paperwork in addition to identifying the contents (compressed gas) is also used to notify the pilot of the contents of the plane. The US DOT laws restrict checked baggage to pressures less than 120 psi. This is to accommodate aerosol spray cans such as hair spray, etc. So by definition you could check a tank as long as the pressure is less than 120 psi (by DOT law). However some airlines may have their own policies which are more restrictive regardless of what the law states. Why should there be limits on the transport of compressed gas cylinders. 'Because they are potential bombs!!! Explosions are very rapid changes in pressure which typically develop shock waves. Its not necessarily the additional volume of gas that causes a problem in a large structure such as a plane (although it could be a problem in smaller volumes). Its the near-field shock from the explosion that causes the problem. If a tank explodes (lets say on impact during a plane crash) it will cause further damage and stress in the situation as a result of the shock. 'And I am not going to debate whether tanks explode because they do. I saw a picture of a garage and what was left of a car and the garage after one exploded in the car trunk. Airlines do maintain there own O2 cylinders (fortunately). 'But lets put this HazMat thing in perspective: you would have a hard time taking your favorite 1/2 gallon of gasoline on the plane, but when you look out the window at the wings you are looking at thousands of gallons of fuel. There are reasons! Please direct comments to my home e-mail address: doug@su*.ne* Just my own 2 cents (with help) Doug Chapman
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