Fountain Pens and Airplanes

[Pen Engineer]

Others' anecdotal experience does not imply your results will be at all similar.

Pens leak or they don't.

Traveling on an airplane may enhance any pen's tendency to leak or it might not.

I don't care how my pens may or may not react while traveling. My experience has nothing to do with orientation, brand, model, or capacity of ink reservoir. They leak or they do not.

I put them in plastic bags along with some absorbent material.

If they leak, for any reason, they clean up quickly.

If they don't leak, I'm delighted but it proves only that they did not leak. There is no way for me to infer why or why not. Might have been a bubble. Might not have properly secured the cart or convertor. Might have been user error. Aliens.

If you are interested in an explanation... go to my website

 

here is the link

 

Temperature and Air-pressure

[Sasha Royale]

This is an opportunity for some basic scientific education. What causes the ink to leak from a fountain pen ? If you don't know, find out ! Then, don't do that.

 

An airliner ascending and descending can be a rough ride. I put the pen away. During straight and level flight, I have never encountered a problem.

[Pen Engineer]

This is an opportunity for some basic scientific education. What causes the ink to leak from a fountain pen ? If you don't know, find out ! Then, don't do that.

 

An airliner ascending and descending can be a rough ride. I put the pen away. During straight and level flight, I have never encountered a problem.

If I may kindly comment:

 

you can find an explanation on my website

 

here is the link

 

Temperature and Air-pressure

[InkofLife]

I would like to bump this thread to make sure I am not missing anything here (a lawyer not so good with physics, and, sometimes, common sense): I have a 16 hour flight later this week during which I am eager to enjoy fountain pens. I would gladly sacrifice a mini universal converter or two to the cause. How would this plan work: Travel with totally empty, flushed cartridge/converter fountain pens and brand new, unused cartridges. Wait until plane is at altitude. Pop a cartridge into the fountain pen. Enjoy for 14 hours or so. Remove (hopefully well-used) cartridge, and chuck it when I dispose of my beverage cup and before plane starts to descend. Put pen in plastic bag for descent just in case there is still any ink left in the feed that might leak.

 

I adore my piston fillers but they tend to be very old Parkers/Schaeffers and Montblancs that I don't need to traipse around Asia with.

 

Thanks!

[eharriett]

I just got a vintage Parker "Flighter." Supposedly they are fine when you fly, even during the pressure changes during takeoff. Of course, I just read that. I won't be taking a flight for another month.

[bogiesan]

Go for it and let us know how things worked out.id suggest two pens, one as a control.

 

I can't write for 14 hours. I can't use a full load of ink in that time. If you're going to bag the pen, you probably don't need to discard the cartridge. Just be prepared to clean the pen.

[bogiesan]

If you are interested in an explanation... go to my website

 

here is the link

 

Temperature and Air-pressure

Equally kindly, your text needs a skilled copy editor to make it stylistically and grammatically correct and comprehensible to your audience of fountain pen users. If you actually answered the question, I could not find it because too much energy was required to penetrate the gloss.

[AL01]

I know this sounds repetitive but ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS keep your nib facing up. I flew with a Super 21 and a Prera, (both now deceased), and the 21 burped ink. Why? Cous me genius self forgot to keep the nib up. On my way back I kept the nib up - no leaks no nuthin'. It wuz all good.

 

Quick Question: Can you fly with an Esterbrook??

[praxim]

Equally kindly, your text needs a skilled copy editor to make it stylistically and grammatically correct and comprehensible to your audience of fountain pen users. If you actually answered the question, I could not find it because too much energy was required to penetrate the gloss.

 

Equally kindly, he offered an explanation, and provided it in summary form in pretty plain English at both the beginning and the end of the document. One can afford to bleep over all of the equations.

 

Skilled copy editors are not normally employed on amateur web sites even allowing that English is not the author's first language, which fact you doubtless noted and allowed before commenting.

[jmaNeverDie]

Here's my experience, October, 2016.

 

Flight out: stored pen nib up in my carry-on. Once leveled out at cruising altitude I pulled it out and used it normally.

 

Flight back: I forgot and was using it as we ascended. Sure enough it started leaking. But I got the cap on soon enough not to make too big a mess. After I cleaned it up with some napkins I used it normally at cruising altitude.

 

[corgicoupe]

Equally kindly, your text needs a skilled copy editor to make it stylistically and grammatically correct and comprehensible to your audience of fountain pen users. If you actually answered the question, I could not find it because too much energy was required to penetrate the gloss.

The suggested link was not written to answer your question. The author was a professional engineer employed by a German fountain pen company as a designer. He offered the link as a resource that contains an answer to your question. It required work on your part, but the answer to your question was contained in the article.

 

Edit...What you referred to as "gloss" was the scientific basis for the answer to your question.

Edited December 22, 2016 by corgicoupe

[Pen Engineer]

I would like to bump this thread to make sure I am not missing anything here (a lawyer not so good with physics, and, sometimes, common sense): I have a 16 hour flight later this week during which I am eager to enjoy fountain pens. I would gladly sacrifice a mini universal converter or two to the cause. How would this plan work: Travel with totally empty, flushed cartridge/converter fountain pens and brand new, unused cartridges. Wait until plane is at altitude. Pop a cartridge into the fountain pen. Enjoy for 14 hours or so. Remove (hopefully well-used) cartridge, and chuck it when I dispose of my beverage cup and before plane starts to descend. Put pen in plastic bag for descent just in case there is still any ink left in the feed that might leak.

 

I adore my piston fillers but they tend to be very old Parkers/Schaeffers and Montblancs that I don't need to traipse around Asia with.

 

Thanks!

once the cartridge is taken off the section, there is no danger. It is the enclosed air volume which expands during take off which pushes the ink out of the cartridge (and if the feed can't compensate for that, the pen leaks, poor thing)

Edited December 28, 2016 by PenIngeneer

[Pen Engineer]

I just got a vintage Parker "Flighter." Supposedly they are fine when you fly, even during the pressure changes during takeoff. Of course, I just read that. I won't be taking a flight for another month.

it depends on how much ink or air is in the cartridge, or tank

[Pen Engineer]

Equally kindly, your text needs a skilled copy editor to make it stylistically and grammatically correct and comprehensible to your audience of fountain pen users. If you actually answered the question, I could not find it because too much energy was required to penetrate the gloss.

if you want to pay for it, feel free

[Pen Engineer]

 

Equally kindly, he offered an explanation, and provided it in summary form in pretty plain English at both the beginning and the end of the document. One can afford to bleep over all of the equations.

 

Skilled copy editors are not normally employed on amateur web sites even allowing that English is not the author's first language, which fact you doubtless noted and allowed before commenting.

Thanks, equally kindly

[Pen Engineer]

and just one more on ... equally kindly.

 

I am aware that my English has room for improvement, however, my knowledge is not educated enough and therefore, I don't realise when I slide into Germenglish.

 

Now, if there are any amongst you kind people who would have some time up your sleeves and like to assist me with editing my stuff, wow, that would be really great. No pressure, anytime when you feel like it.

[kilraughts]

My experiences. While flying to London for pen show had my Sailor 1911 which I had filled beforehand, in my shirt pocket, seemed fine at first but discovered when, I went to use my pen, that the nib and feed were forced a couple mm out of the section!! Just pushed back into place, pen fine.

[Mannyonpil]

I fly with fountain pens and I even use them during the flight. The key thing is to keep them nib up during take off and ascent. Once the plane has reached cruising altitude it will be OK. At least it has been for me. I have used piston fillers and lever fillers this way and not had any problem. There was one problem one time when I was too impatient and tried to write with the pen too soon. Aside from that, it's all been good.

 

I learned this a Goulet Pens video on the topic.

[mdhf]

I'll have to try the nib-up idea next time I fly. I've been nervous about traveling with FP and so have always just left them in my carry-on inside a zip-lock baggie. Never had anything leak, though.

[bogiesan]

The results of flying with a fountain pen are binary. Your pen will leak or it will not leak.