[LUTE] Re: theorbo on airplane
On Wed, 6/18/14, John Lenti johnle...@hotmail.com wrote: So that's just four incidents in maybe 120 flights. Just four incidents!? That's pathetic. Who would feel like getting on an airplane at all if passengers faced the same odds of coming out the other end unharmed? What kind of review would be written about a concert in which the ensemble couldn't even make it through the same percentage of pieces? Folks, we need to stop buying the airlines' schtick that delivering goods intact is some kind of incredible courtesy. They are in the transportation business and are PAID to transport people and goods safely and effectively. Most stories, (like John's of instruments being dropped from great heights or run over by trucks) tell of either gross incompetence, willful negligence or outright malevolence on the part of handlers. That should happen basically 0% of the time. I think the only reasonable solution is to enact a new policy: whenever a damage report is filed, the entire baggage crew responsible must get into locked coffins, be loaded/unloaded on the next outgoing plane by their fellow baggage teams and make the flight in the unpressurized cargo hold. If they survive, damages will go way down in the future. Chris Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A. Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer www.christopherwilke.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: theorbo on airplane
In the Dutch news last week: a cat had been 'lost' in transit. It was refused as handluggage, put in a basket, whatever, and checked in to be put int the warm and pressurised part of the the hold. On arrival there was no cat. I've had some bad experiences with luggage on planes, but never this sad a story. David *** David van Ooijen [1]davidvanooi...@gmail.com [2]www.davidvanooijen.nl *** On 19 June 2014 16:21, Christopher Wilke [3]chriswi...@yahoo.com wrote: On Wed, 6/18/14, John Lenti [4]johnle...@hotmail.com wrote: A So that's just four A incidents in maybe 120 flights. Just four incidents!? That's pathetic. Who would feel like getting on an airplane at all if passengers faced the same odds of coming out the other end unharmed? What kind of review would be written about a concert in which the ensemble couldn't even make it through the same percentage of pieces? Folks, we need to stop buying the airlines' schtick that delivering goods intact is some kind of incredible courtesy. They are in the transportation business and are PAID to transport people and goods safely and effectively. Most stories, (like John's of instruments being dropped from great heights or run over by trucks) tell of either gross incompetence, willful negligence or outright malevolence on the part of handlers. That should happen basically 0% of the time. I think the only reasonable solution is to enact a new policy: whenever a damage report is filed, the entire baggage crew responsible must get into locked coffins, be loaded/unloaded on the next outgoing plane by their fellow baggage teams and make the flight in the unpressurized cargo hold. If they survive, damages will go way down in the future. Chris Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A. Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer [5]www.christopherwilke.com -- References 1. mailto:davidvanooi...@gmail.com 2. http://www.davidvanooijen.nl/ 3. mailto:chriswi...@yahoo.com 4. mailto:johnle...@hotmail.com 5. http://www.christopherwilke.com/ To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: theorbo on airplane
I had one of those Czech cases. It survived a good long while, before it was destroyed, but honestly I think it was a freak accident. There is no good way to travel with a theorbo. If the airline says so, you'll have to check it and it might cost a lot of money if the agent decides it's oversize. If you can get it onto the plane in an extra seat, great. One crucial thing in the event that you have to check it is to slack the strings completely. It doesn't prevent the theorbo from getting smashed, but it will keep it from pulling itself apart, and it does make the instrument a little more resilient in the event of it being dropped or something. I do this weekly during the concert season and other than one time that the case went through Miami airport's theorbo guillotine (which is more humane than many other theorbo execution methods), one time the Czech case was dropped from a great height (I think), either in Detroit or in Seattle and the case wasn't damaged but a rib was broken and the seam opened most of the way around the top, and the time the Czech case was run over by a truck at Oakland Airport (was all I could surmise) and the end of the neck extension was wrenched off, spiral fracture style, my theorbo has always made it there in one piece. So that's just four incidents in maybe 120 flights. Oh yeah, except when I didn't slack the strings and the seams opened on top because any tension at all on the strings makes the instrument want to fold in half at low temperatures, and whichever glue joint is weakest will be the one to let go, and if you have tension on the strings when your theorbo is in the freezing cold hold of a plane, woe betide you. It's also kind of cathartic to finish a gig and pull all the tuning pegs out (ftpt, fthpt, ftpt they say as they wind down!), and put your theorbo in its case (also, ensure that the instrument is totally immobilized in there!) secure in the knowledge that there's a fairly good chance it'll be just fine and if not, well, the outpouring of sympathy and outrage on Facebook when you post the pictures is immensely gratifying. Good luck! John Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 22:20:49 +0200 CC: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu From: davidvanooi...@gmail.com Subject: [LUTE] Re: theorbo on airplane I've always taken my theorbo and archlute on an extra seat, but have only flown in Europe with it. It's a hassle, a bother, never want to do it, but I prefer it to checking it in. Mine is a toy theorbo with a case of about 175. I understand some airline companies only accept instruments up to 140 as extra seat. I have a smallish archlute with a case of 140. I prefer flying with that one. Well, I prefer flying with the little 6-course, but that's not always an option. YMMV David *** David van Ooijen [1]davidvanooi...@gmail.com [2]www.davidvanooijen.nl *** On 17 June 2014 19:28, Susanne Herre [3]mandolinens...@web.de wrote: Dear all, Sorry for a question which arises often here. I have to fly with my theorbo whose case is 1,63m long and I am wondering if it may fit on an extra seat. The body goes into the neck at approx. 56 cm and it is 40cm wide. Otherwise what are your experiences with theorboes in flightcases (in this case: the grey-white Czech one) in the storage of the plane? Would be nice if you could share your experiences! Thank you and all the best, Susanne To get on or off this list see list information at [4]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:davidvanooi...@gmail.com 2. http://www.davidvanooijen.nl/ 3. mailto:mandolinens...@web.de 4. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --
[LUTE] Re: theorbo on airplane
I've always taken my theorbo and archlute on an extra seat, but have only flown in Europe with it. It's a hassle, a bother, never want to do it, but I prefer it to checking it in. Mine is a toy theorbo with a case of about 175. I understand some airline companies only accept instruments up to 140 as extra seat. I have a smallish archlute with a case of 140. I prefer flying with that one. Well, I prefer flying with the little 6-course, but that's not always an option. YMMV David *** David van Ooijen [1]davidvanooi...@gmail.com [2]www.davidvanooijen.nl *** On 17 June 2014 19:28, Susanne Herre [3]mandolinens...@web.de wrote: Dear all, Sorry for a question which arises often here. I have to fly with my theorbo whose case is 1,63m long and I am wondering if it may fit on an extra seat. The body goes into the neck at approx. 56 cm and it is 40cm wide. Otherwise what are your experiences with theorboes in flightcases (in this case: the grey-white Czech one) in the storage of the plane? Would be nice if you could share your experiences! Thank you and all the best, Susanne To get on or off this list see list information at [4]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:davidvanooi...@gmail.com 2. http://www.davidvanooijen.nl/ 3. mailto:mandolinens...@web.de 4. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
