Fountain Pen On Airliner?

[dcxplant]

I found the information.

 

Sorry for the redundant thread.

 

No fountain pens for use on pressurized aircraft.

Edited September 29, 2011 by dcxplant

[Quixote]

I could have sworn to have read somewhere you can use them...now I have to research so I can post...

[kazoolaw]

Yes, fountain pens are entirely usable on airplanes.

[Mkim]

I've used MB 149, Pelikan M800, Parker Sonnet Cisele on a plane before. (+10hr flight at that)

 

All survived and performed flawlessly except for the Parker.

The parker did not take the plane well...leaked purple ink EVERYWHERE, lets just say it was quite embarrassing...

 

I was so upset that I never returned to Parker ever again

Edited September 29, 2011 by Mkim

[Ernst Bitterman]

Keep the point up during ascent and all should be well.

[nxn96]

Keep the point up during ascent and all should be well.

That's been my experience as well.

 

It's worth keeping in mind that one of the "sell points" of the Parker "51" Aerometric was its ability to be carried on an airplane without mishap. While I generally don't carry a "51" on a plane (if I'm on a plane, that probably means I'll be away long enough that I want a cartridge option), I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

 

Nib up until wheels up.

[Ghost Plane]

Waterman Carenes loaded with cartridges are my pens of choice for deployment as they behave well including unpressurized aircraft to 10k ASL. Above that or on high G turnouts, you're exceeding the design parameters by an exponential factor Pressurized aircraft are a doddle - enjoy!

[PianoMan14]

When traveling with fountain pens:

 

1. Keep the nib up when you aren't writing with it.

2. Try to have the pen completely full or completely empty (the idea is to minimize any "air bubbles" which could expand at lower pressures and force ink out of the pen).

3. Try to avoid writing with them during the ascent and the descent. This is when your pen will spit ink all over the paper (if it does at all). It is better to have your pen spit ink in the cap.

 

Though this isn't a hard and fast rule, I have found that pens with large, heavily finned feeds (like Pelikan) handle flying better than pens with smaller feeds like an Esterbrook or an Aurora Ipsilon.

 

Edit: Here are some more threads:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=10420

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=8749

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=27287

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=26078

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=21642

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=18656

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=17327

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=12382

Edited September 29, 2011 by PianoMan14

[NomadUK]

For what it's worth, I've travelled between the UK and the US three times now with my Lamy AL-Star (essentially a Safari with an aluminium body), with no incident. I leave the pen in my carry-on as I go through security -- I prefer to avoid any questions about liquids and all that (though the maximum carry-on volume is 100ml, which is far, far, far more than will fit in my pen!) -- and then return the pen to my shirt pocket, so that the nib is up, afterward. I don't write with it until we're at altitude, and I don't generally worry about bleeding off air and all that, although I think I did once or twice in the gent's before boarding. (One does wonder whether there are cameras in the loo -- there probably are -- and whether they notice someone messing about with a fountain pen before boarding a plane ... if I were writing a screenplay, that's how I'd do it!).

 

I do notice that the pen seems to require some coaxing to get the ink flowing at the other end. Sometimes just cleaning the nib works, other times I have to use the plunger on the ink cartridge to force a little ink into the front.

 

So, anyway, no real problems so far.

[mori45]

I've only had a problems sporadically, and mostly with vintage Pelikans and my M90. Haven't really had a problem with anything else.

[deadmongoose]

Supposedly the Rotring Initial is designed to work at high altitudes (although I have no idea how this would work). It has never leaked for me...

 

"Air Pressure Compensation, a system of the fountain pen which Rotring claims prevents ink leakage and ensures smooth writing even during flight."

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2367-rotring-initial-matte-black-metal-review/

[Kaptenmork]

Modern pen that are either full or empty = no problem.

 

Im pretty sure they test pens on planes, but vintage pens, before therere were planes may be a different story...

[BearsPaw]

I've done a half dozen roundtrip flights with modern Pelikans and a Parker "51", and not had problems with any of them. I fill them up before I go on a trip, but then I use them before flying back, so they're not full anymore. Still, no leakage or other problems.

[sessyargc]

I'm adding my recent experience about this topic.

I do hope people will learn how to use search to find this information.

 

 

 

I brought several fountain pens (<30) on a recent flight from Tokyo to Manila. The airplane was a 767-300. My ears popped 3 times before we reached our cruising altitude. Total flight, 4 hours. The FPs (all of them are inked, except for an MB 220) have varying volume of ink in their reservoirs. I did not fill them all to max, didn't empty them either. I just put them in the pen case while packing. Foolish it seems.

 

Had several problems with the vintage pens, Swan 1501 was a total mess. An Onoto had a wet section. As does my Eversharps (Skyline and a Doric). My other Swans had no problem. The modern pens had no problems. The nib was parallel to the floor (I put the bag containing my pens under the seat in front of me).

 

I used a Pilot 743 (Falcon nib) while we were cruising to fill up the immigration and customs declarations forms. There was one small glitch though. The ink flow was weird. For a time it kept making ink blobs on the paper. Ink would come out as little drops.

 

So that's it. I hope people will find this information helpful or informative.

[fronsac]

When traveling with fountain pens:

 

1. Keep the nib up when you aren't writing with it.

2. Try to have the pen completely full or completely empty (the idea is to minimize any "air bubbles" which could expand at lower pressures and force ink out of the pen).

3. Try to avoid writing with them during the ascent and the descent. This is when your pen will spit ink all over the paper (if it does at all). It is better to have your pen spit ink in the cap.

 

Though this isn't a hard and fast rule, I have found that pens with large, heavily finned feeds (like Pelikan) handle flying better than pens with smaller feeds like an Esterbrook or an Aurora Ipsilon.

 

Edit: Here are some more threads:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=10420

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=8749

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=27287

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=26078

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=21642

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=18656

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=17327

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=12382

 

 

Thank you PianoMan14 for the links. Very helpful

 

Mario

[Gerd W]

I've used MB 149, Pelikan M800, Parker Sonnet Cisele on a plane before. (+10hr flight at that)

 

All survived and performed flawlessly except for the Parker.

The parker did not take the plane well...leaked purple ink EVERYWHERE, lets just say it was quite embarrassing...

 

I was so upset that I never returned to Parker ever again

That's a pity and I do understand your irritation.

 

I've used my Parker Sonnet Ciselé (Cartridge), Parker 75 (Converter)

and a Pelikan M215 during two Transatlantic-Flights and they all performed

very well without any leakage.

[richardandtracy]

Any pen without a breather tube, held nib upright during ascent will be fine, so long as the ink is shaken so it drops to the bottom of the pen.

 

Any pen with a breather tube AND an aero hole will be OK at any state of fill if held nib upright. The only one I know of here is the P51.

 

Any pen with a breather tube, no aero hole and filled so the ink does not reach the end of the breather tube when nib up will be OK if held nib up (P17, P21, Hero 616, 329, 330 etc).

 

If the pen does not fall into those categories, then it may splurge ink.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

 

 

[JLT]

Parker 61 capillary fillers - no worries with these!