Liquids on aircrafts

[srebbe64]

Apparently Virgin are pressing for a rethink on the issue of fluids on aircraft. The BBC did an experiment (click on the film on this web page) and my goodness it goes bang. As such, I'm firmly of the view that having fluids on aircraft is probably a bad idea. That said, you then have to wonder what other materials could be taken on board an aircraft which could cause an explosion if ignited or mixed with something else!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7606892.stm

[mybrainhurts]

A bigger worry is filling the tanks with diesel...

[jmorgan]

Sure someone with more knowledge will be along but that plane was missing the bits that sealed it all up. It have been worse at altitude and pressurised? Not that that would been any better for your health though as it was.

Someone has pointed out fixor in the past.

[SS HSV]

Heathrow Airport Ltd and British Airways are some of my clients and I frequently have to go 'airside'. As all UK airports have to provide 100% security screening it means that ALL employess going through security checkpoints have to be screened for liquids. At the moment there is a very small container provided for us to take milk etc through if we want to make tea etc, but if they banned liquids as hand luggage on the plane they would have to do so on the ground as hand baggage!

The airport would stop without tea

Edited by SS HSV on Tuesday 9th September 19:05

[Alfa_75_Steve]

I can't see airport owners pushing very hard to get the ban dropped - they're making far too much money on overpriced bottles of spring water in the airside shops.... as are most airlines.

Not that I'm cynical about this or anything - but I predicted this 'short term' measure would more or less become permanent when it was introduced.

[RLK500]

I was under the impression that it was actually very difficult to combine the liquids in a manner necessary to create the explosive in anything other than a decent lab. Anyone care to elaborate ?

[JMGS4]

Alfa_75_Steve said:

I can't see airport owners pushing very hard to get the ban dropped - they're making far too much money on overpriced bottles of spring water in the airside shops.... as are most airlines..

Take an empty 200ml plastic bottle with you and fill it up at the fountain in the toilets airside! Why fill their boots when they're ripping you off anyway????

[HundredthIdiot]

As I see it, that video just shows that such a bomb could cause decompression of the cabin, death to the bomber and overcrowding in the other toilet.

Presumably it's still OK to take solid explosives on a plane?

[BoRED S2upid]

Last week I was in Germany and was allowed to take an Electric Razor (Battery and blade) a torch (battery) toothpaste (Liquid) Roll on Deoderant (More liquid) laptop (more batteries) surely I would have enough in all that for a bomb?.

[blade runner]

Ok - so first off some hijakers took over planes using craft knives, so anything sharp was then banned on-board flights. Then it was that shoe-bomber bloke and so now you have to take your shoes off at security. Most lately it was a liquid bomb (prompting the liquid ban) and that nutter in Scotland who decided to drive his car into departures, meaning now you can't drop-off outside the terminal building at many airports.

If I were a terrorist, I'd persuade some willing female Jihad'ist to stick something explosive in her bra (the bra bomber). Even if it didn't work it'd be fun to see every bird have to strip off at security from then onwards. Imagine the chaos?

[MitchT]

mybrainhurts said:

A bigger worry is filling the tanks with diesel...

Apparently they have a bloke on hand who can remap the engines if that happens

[Finlandia]

JMGS4 said:

Alfa_75_Steve said:

I can't see airport owners pushing very hard to get the ban dropped - they're making far too much money on overpriced bottles of spring water in the airside shops.... as are most airlines..

Take an empty 200ml plastic bottle with you and fill it up at the fountain in the toilets airside! Why fill their boots when they're ripping you off anyway????

But the limit is 100ml for the bottle/container, and it doesn't matter if it's full/half/empty, as I was told by a security check guard recently.

[hairykrishna]

RLK500 said:

I was under the impression that it was actually very difficult to combine the liquids in a manner necessary to create the explosive in anything other than a decent lab. Anyone care to elaborate ?

Depends on your liquid. The original 'liquid bomb' plot that led to all the restrictions was supposadly a plan to manufacture TATP on a plane. This would have never worked. The recent guys planned to use a hydrogen peroxide mixture which was much more feasible.