Saying the word "bomb" on a flight

dfw11411

dfw11411

Pre-takeoff checklist
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dfw11411
I saw this news article today:
"Man Apologizes to Passengers as He’s Cuffed By Police After Plane Diverts Because Someone Said ‘Bomb’ During an Argument"

I recall when one of my programmers and I flew to Dallas in about 2003 to meet with a manufacturing client. My coder was explaining the problems he was having with creating an accurate Bill of Materials from their data. In manufacturing lingo, the acronym for Bill of Materials is BoM. As soon as he said the acronym I saw a nearby passenger suddenly turn his head and stare. I quickly interrupted my programmer by loudly saying "when you say BOM do you mean the Bill of Materials for the automation program you're creating for XYZ Manufacturing?" He looked at me like I was crazy, but the concerned passenger seemed satisfied. In the post-911 era, two middle-aged white guys weren't all that suspicious. The rest of the flight was thankfully uneventful.
 
You dropped the bomb on me, baby. You dropped the bomb on me.
 
dfw11411 said:
I saw this news article today:
"Man Apologizes to Passengers as He’s Cuffed By Police After Plane Diverts Because Someone Said ‘Bomb’ During an Argument"

I recall when one of my programmers and I flew to Dallas in about 2003 to meet with a manufacturing client. My coder was explaining the problems he was having with creating an accurate Bill of Materials from their data. In manufacturing lingo, the acronym for Bill of Materials is BoM. As soon as he said the acronym I saw a nearby passenger suddenly turn his head and stare. I quickly interrupted my programmer by loudly saying "when you say BOM do you mean the Bill of Materials for the automation program you're creating for XYZ Manufacturing?" He looked at me like I was crazy, but the concerned passenger seemed satisfied. In the post-911 era, two middle-aged white guys weren't all that suspicious. The rest of the flight was thankfully uneventful.
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Reminds me of the time when my carry-on was an oscilloscope, and a very scared kid asked me, "Is that a BOMB?"
 
I have been told the story countless times about when I was three years old aboard a military transport from Hawaii to Guam. It was my birthday, I had a balloon, and I popped it. It apparently caused mass panic.
 
Is that an aerosol can in your luggage?
(bomb is lingo for such an item in certain countries)
 
I was clearing security at Heathrow back in the days when the IRA was still pretty active. I got the usual, where have your bags been, who packed them? questions. The guy was not happy with my perfunctory answers. I'd been going there monthly so I knew the script. He finally asked "do you know why I am asking you these questions?" My answer was "yes" which made him more frustrated. Finally he lost his cool and yells " It's because of BOMBS!!!" I tried to explain that using that word in the US would get you arrested. He had no idea what I was talking about, but finally let me through.
 
Hang 4 said:
I was clearing security at Heathrow back in the days when the IRA was still pretty active. I got the usual, where have your bags been, who packed them? questions. The guy was not happy with my perfunctory answers. I'd been going there monthly so I knew the script. He finally asked "do you know why I am asking you these questions?" My answer was "yes" which made him more frustrated. Finally he lost his cool and yells " It's because of BOMBS!!!" I tried to explain that using that word in the US would get you arrested. He had no idea what I was talking about, but finally let me through.
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It was amazing how vigilant folks were in the UK back then. I stopped at a pub in London back in the mid 90's. Had a day bag under my stool. 3 different staff approached me in an hour to confirm it was mine.
 
Palmpilot said:
Reminds me of the time when my carry-on was an oscilloscope, and a very scared kid asked me, "Is that a BOMB?"
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Back in the 80s, a buddy of mine had been supporting a missile flight test at WSMR. Coming back, in his briefcase he had several data stripcharts rolled tightly with a rubber band around them. He happened to toss his travel alarm clock in next to the stripcharts.

He said he saw the xray image when it went through, and said to himself, "Oh, noooo..." He spent a while talking with security, needless to say.
 
This stuff cracks me up. I used to travel with an EOD guy and my carryon was a 3-day pack that served as a rifle rest for probably 10,000 rounds of 5.56, so it was literally covered in GSR. His carryon was a similar 3-day pack that I know has had pounds of C4 in it at one point or another.

We hit 12 countries (including the US) and three continents over a 2 year period and never even got a raised eye.
 
Half Fast said:
Back in the 80s, a buddy of mine had been supporting a missile flight test at WSMR. Coming back, in his briefcase he had several data stripcharts rolled tightly with a rubber band around them. He happened to toss his travel alarm clock in next to the stripcharts.

He said he saw the xray image when it went through, and said to himself, "Oh, noooo..." He spent a while talking with security, needless to say.
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I had already been through security screening when the scared kid approached me. They didn't even bat an eye, that I saw. Of course this was also in the '80s, long before 9-11.

People have some funny ideas about what bombs look like. TV and movies have conditioned them to think that they always have a blinking red light, or a countdown display. (Gotta warn your victims, right? :rofl:) However I think most adults in the boarding area could recognize a brand-name piece of electronics when they saw one, and since this was in the heart of Silicon Valley, probably a higher percentage than normal knew exactly what it was.
 
TCABM said:
This stuff cracks me up. I used to travel with an EOD guy and my carryon was a 3-day pack that served as a rifle rest for probably 10,000 rounds of 5.56, so it was literally covered in GSR. His carryon was a similar 3-day pack that I know has had pounds of C4 in it at one point or another.

We hit 12 countries (including the US) and three continents over a 2 year period and never even got a raised eye.
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On the other hand, I went thru Kuwait on the commercial side a few months after retirement, and they found one expended 5.56 brass casing in my kit bag. Got interrogated for about a half an hour.
 
Ed Haywood said:
On the other hand, I went thru Kuwait on the commercial side a few months after retirement, and they found one expended 5.56 brass casing in my kit bag. Got interrogated for about a half an hour.
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I can see that at KCIA. Doha was usually the worst for me in that part of the world for some reason.
 
Martin Caidin wrote about walking through an airport with his partner in restoring a Ju-52, and the other guy was talking about a machine gun they were going to put on the plane. Security overheard and detained him, until they learned his credentials and history - SAC crew member, combat flights in WWII, Top Secret clearance.
 
Grandpa flew 121 and 135 out of MIA/OPF/FLL and in industry lingo when crews were "out of time" they were "dead".

Something that raised an eyebrow or two when a non-savvy family member was told "Steve is dead in San Juan right now".
 
Back shortly after 9/11, my wife and I were at SeaTac heading through security bound for Maui. At the time I was competitively shooting and spending a fair bit of time at the range. For some reason, when I was younger, I always seemed to get stopped for "random" security checks.

They cleared my wife, then stopped me. Wanded me, and took a wipe of my carry on and shoes. The shoe wipe lit up the GSR machine. Instantly, tensions rose, they started peppering me with questions.

"Do you take heart medication?"
"Have you fertilized your yard?"
"Have you handled fireworks?"

I was completely clueless. My wife leaned over and whispered in my ear, "You were at the range."
"Oh!" I said, I was at Wade's shooting range in these shoes."
The nearest security agent, probably recruited off a pizza box, shouted, "We got a shooter!"
Security and police materialized out of thin air. Fellow passengers ducked behind counters. I stood very still, hands in plain sight. The brainiac agent quickly explained, and everyone got a chuckle except my wife.
She said, "Why is it always you?"

Which reminds me of another trip and a errant condom.
 
I always make sure I comment how silly it is that you can't say bomb in line for security and I make sure to say the word when I do. Nobody has harassed me about it yet. Not any more than they harass everyone else at least. People don't like to travel with me. Which I consider a good thing.
 
Back in 2002, I was jump seating from Alaska to Texas, which for some reason made me a person in need of extra security. The guy was going through my carry on, asking the normal questions. Until he asked me if my bag has always been in my control. Well, no. When was your bag not in your control.?? Um....right now....

He slammed my bag closed, didn't even zip it up and shoved it back in my direction.
 
In the mid 90s, I was on my way to a powerlifting meet, going through security at San Jose, CA airport. My carry-on goes through the x-ray machine, and a guard sees something large and oddly-shaped, so he opens the bag to inspect it. What he saw was the lever buckle on my lifting belt. Everything was stuffed in so tightly that he couldn’t get to the belt. After trying to dislodge the contents for about five seconds, he shrugs and says “go ahead”.
 
So many things out of bounds.

Do NOT talk about

- Canadian aircraft built in Toronto.
- Leather military flying coats from WW-II, especially the ones with fur collar
- Spanish drinking straws with an integrated strainer
- Well built, beautiful women or bars named after them
- The former name of Mumbai
- The meteorological process that occurs during a 24-hour period when the atmospheric pressure of an extratropical cyclone drops with enough intensity to produce explosive cyclogenisis
- Domed dessert cakes

And so much more...
 
bflynn said:
Do NOT talk about

- Canadian aircraft built in Toronto.
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My wife and I were in the car one day and heard an ad on the radio…Bombardier was recruiting employees, but the announcer pronounced it “bombadeer.”

The commercial was corrected by the next day. :rofl:
 
Zeldman said:
I think this is the story we need to hear... :yesnod:
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Twist my arm ...

Coming back from Maui and going through security I was in cargo pants, Hawaiian shirt and slippers (flip-flops). After two weeks, I'd slipped into a laid back, laissez-faire island attitude. The metal detector dinged and once again security plucked me from the line for special attention. My wife just shook her head. I shrugged.

Arms out, legs spread, the agent wands me. Beeps at my waist. ****! I'd forgotten to take off my belt.
Belt comes off. Magic wand waves. Beeps again. Damn a couple coins stuck in one of the pockets. Coins come out. I cleverly say, "Too many pockets, sorry."

Agent glowers.

By now, I've drawn the attention of some folks in line.

Magic wand waves, beeps again, and the agent sighs, and taps a calf pocket with the wand. I dig in and pull out a single-dose vitamin-I packet. Comes out. Wand waves. Nothing on in my pants. Beeps at my chest. Ah, hell.

Now everyone, passengers and agents alike, are enthralled with the ongoing saga.

The Hawaiian shirt has one pocket. I reach in, pull out, and hold up a wrapped condom.

Everyone giggles--except my wife.
 
Zeldman said:
Again, a story we all are wanting to hear.!!
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The diaphram was supposed to be held between two thin flat pieces of metal and trapped like a gasket by the top and bottom of the pump housing. But it was torn. Using a hot needle I made seven holes in a latex condom, fitting the holes over the center shaft, and the studs that held the halves together. Voila!

If only I had a gasoline-safe condom it might still be running.
 
Entering a federal property, not an airport, I was standing behind an off-duty cop who removed his case with it's metal badge, several pens, a big key ring, and a holstered Glock 42.

The rent-a-cop wands him, and satisfied that he poses no threat allows him to pick up his case with it's metal badge, several pens, a big key ring, and holstered Glock 42.

I fear scientists may have the theory of evolution backwards.
 
My most memorable TSA story pales compared to those. The agent asked what was in my instrument case, and I said, "It's a bassoon. That's a musical instrument" (as I always did). She said, "I know, I'm an oboist."

I thought that was cool, although she didn't look like she was enjoying it. I guess there's no reason to think that TSA inspectors would enjoy anything about their work.
 
Yooper Grrrl said:
View attachment 123111
The diaphram was supposed to be held between two thin flat pieces of metal and trapped like a gasket by the top and bottom of the pump housing. But it was torn. Using a hot needle I made seven holes in a latex condom, fitting the holes over the center shaft, and the studs that held the halves together. Voila!

If only I had a gasoline-safe condom it might still be running.
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That's not nearly as interesting as the story I had in my head... :lol:
 
Yooper Grrrl said:
View attachment 123111
The diaphram was supposed to be held between two thin flat pieces of metal and trapped like a gasket by the top and bottom of the pump housing. But it was torn. Using a hot needle I made seven holes in a latex condom, fitting the holes over the center shaft, and the studs that held the halves together. Voila!

If only I had a gasoline-safe condom it might still be running.
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You should submit that with an application for an STC.
 
Palmpilot said:
My most memorable TSA story pales compared to those. The agent asked what was in my instrument case, and I said, "It's a bassoon. That's a musical instrument" (as I always did). She said, "I know, I'm an oboist."

I thought that was cool, although she didn't look like she was enjoying it. I guess there's no reason to think that TSA inspectors would enjoy anything about their work.
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I guess that says all you need to know about the job market for oboists.... ;)
 
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