Airport Security

Got a good laugh today when I was checking in at the airport. The TSA lady was around when the Detroit DN iceboat team headed off to europe to go win the worlds!  The DN guys must have had their charm on and inadvertently smoothed the way for me.  

I had one bag of mostly sailing gear and a little bit of clothes.  One long cardboard tube with a sail and my vertical foils, computer, and my tiller and horizontal foils taped together as a carry on.  Somehow the TSA people think a tiller with a rudder box looks too much like a club or weapon.  After about 20 min of pleading they made me check the rudder box and tiller but at least let me take my foils as a carry on.  

On my second try through security I got the full treatment after the metal detector for: 

a) my passport has been washed many many times and it looks like a poor fake id

b) they ran out of the little plastic bins that you have to put your computer and shoes in.  The TSA guy gave me some attitude about not moving forward in the line and I politely explained how it is really his fault that I cant move forward.  I knew that he would react poorly to me pointing out the error, but it was too good of an opportunity.  Oh well a pat down and a bag check later and I was off to the gate.  Par for the course for me.....

I can't believe how nice the NWA airbus A330-300 was versus, the crappy United 747-400 with the cathode ray tube screens that was our chariot to australia.  Each seat had a personal video display and I got to watch three oscar winning films on the flight across the pond. 

Next flight is a KLM 777 to Dubai.  I have never been on a 777 so this also should be an exciting flight for me...