How Do Parker 51S Do With Air Travel?

[markh]

How do Parker 51s handle air travel? The pen in question is a vac filler, but I'm going to guess that doesn't matter.

 

Many pens made before about 1960 will barf up at least a little ink on takeoff or landing. But the unique construction of the 51 might make a difference.

 

If you've tried it, let me know how it worked out.

 

thnx,

 

.

[Bo Bo Olson]

P-51 was designed just for Parker and his pre-war twin motor Beechcraft (then a big civilian plane..The Lear Jet of it's pre-war day) )...still big....so should fly very well.

I've always heard the P-51's fly well.

 

Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat,^[2] twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937-1970.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Another question for someone to answer would be whether the Vacumatic and Aerometric versions handle flight equally well.

 

The worst leaking I've seen from fountain pens in flight is from those with squeeze fillers, but I don't recall specifically using one of my Parker Aerometrics.

[markh]

P-51 was designed just for Parker and his pre-war twin motor Beechcraft (then a big civilian plane..The Lear Jet of it's pre-war day) )...still big....so should fly very well.

I've always heard the P-51's fly well.

 

 

It's not the size of the plane. It's that jets compress/decompress faster than prop planes. That's why most pens were re-designed after about 1960, as commercial jet travel took off. Feeds were improved. Sacked pens also have trouble with rapid pressure changes.

 

Most modern pens have less trouble - though a partially full pen that takes off or lands with the nib down can still leak out.

 

Parker 51s aren't sacked, and have a collector instead of a feed. So should work better, but experience is a better test than my theories.

 

 

.

[ac12]

I think the aerometric 51 is the "flighter" and was the model that was designed for flying.

So if you have an aero, you should be OK.

But since you have the vac, you are likely at risk.

[Chrissy]

 

It's not the size of the plane. It's that jets compress/decompress faster than prop planes. That's why most pens were re-designed after about 1960, as commercial jet travel took off. Feeds were improved. Sacked pens also have trouble with rapid pressure changes.

 

Most modern pens have less trouble - though a partially full pen that takes off or lands with the nib down can still leak out.

 

Parker 51s aren't sacked, and have a collector instead of a feed. So should work better, but experience is a better test than my theories.

 

 

.

 

Thank you for this. I learned something new today

[kestrel]

Fly with the nib pointed up. I have done it for years with pens as old as a 1905 Conklin and as new as a 2016 Ranga including vac and aero filling "51s" with nary a leak, hiccup, burp, or barf.

I just wish the small children that always seem to end up in the seat next to me were as well behaved as my pens.

[mitto]

I have flown quite often with the 51 aeros and have noticed no problems at all. They are well behaved during flight. Poor little kids.

Edited July 29, 2017 by mitto

[Drone]

My experiences flying with the 51 Aerometric filler have been trouble free. Just be sure to completely fill the pen before flying. I have never flown with a vacuum fill 51, so I can't help you there.

 

David

[overwriter]

I agree with Drone. Make sure the converter is full and like me you will not have any real issues.

[mitto]

Are we talking about the C/C 51? The one that came with the converter?

 

Or are we talking abiut the aerometric 51?

Edited July 29, 2017 by mitto

[Buzz_130]

You can't "completely" fill a vac. You can only fill to the end of the filler tube. Same with aeros.

 

As a military pilot and international traveler on commercial airlines, my favorite pens to use are Parker "51"s. I've detailed my experience with a rapid decompression with a "51" Flighter. I was taking notes and jotting air traffic control instructions with my fountain pen without realizing what I was doing until after the flight. The pressure equalized in the pen perfectly due to Mr. Parker's design.

 

Quick notes for traveling by air with your pens. Keep the nib of the pen up for departure until level off. The air inside the pen is higher pressure than the cabin air. That pressure will take the path of least resistance (through your nib) to equalize. If the ink is in the way, the ink will fill your cap, reach your shirt, etc. Once leveled off, enjoy your writing experience.

 

Buzz

[Drone]

You can't "completely" fill a vac. You can only fill to the end of the filler tube. Same with aeros.

 

Hi Buzz,

 

I'm not so sure this is true - with the Parker Aerometric filled pens anyway.

 

With the Aerometric filler, when you push the pressure bar the sac expels air through the breather tube. When you release the pressure bar ink is sucked into the sac through the breather tube due to the sac's pliability. Repeated pressing and releasing of the pressure bar expels more and more air, which results in the pen being more full each time.

 

This fill process continues even if the ink level exceeds the hight of the end of the breather tube (assuming the pen is being held vertical with nib-down immersed in ink). Picture the ink coming out of the breather tube like a "fountain" when it enters the sac. The total amount of ink in the pen is based on how much air can be squeezed out of the sac by deforming it with the pressure bar to conformally match the internal parts of the pen - not the length of the breather tube.

 

In practice however it is impossible to expel all the air in the sac by using only the pressure bar because it is impossible to entirely deform the sac. But what air remains in the sac after filling is not due to the length of the breather tube.

 

For further clarification, please see the explanation and cross-sectional schematic diagram of the Parker 51 Aerometric pen on this page (be sure Javascript is enabled in your browser to view the page):

 

http://richardspens.com/?page=ref/anatomy/51.htm

 

Regards, David

[Bidle]

Just a comment from my side.

 

 

I've already read a lot about fountain pens in a plane and saw some movies. Fully understand the importance of filling or emptying the reservoir. Unfortunately it is only 50% of the solution.

Still when I would do it like this,... than I still have to catch at least one flight back home. Therefore I'll always need to bring ink with me. Sometimes I've even more flights to multiple countries.

 

Still, I'm going it to try it and experience it. In the end it is the only way to see if I can justify the 'trouble'. When I do, I'll share my experience. :-)

 

ps. Of course will use all the tips mentioned.

Edited July 30, 2017 by Bidle

[Drone]

Just a comment from my side.

 

I've already read a lot about fountain pens in a plane and saw some movies. Fully understand the importance of filling or emptying the reservoir. Unfortunately it is only 50% of the solution. Still when I would do it like this,... than I still have to catch at least one flight back home. Therefore I'll always need to bring ink with me. Sometimes I've even more flights to multiple countries.

 

Still, I'm going it to try it and experience it. In the end it is the only way to see if I can justify the 'trouble'. When I do, I'll share my experience. :-)

 

ps. Of course will use all the tips mentioned.

 

Hi Bidle,

 

I used to happily travel often for extended periods through multiple countries per trip. [For the most part I've stopped doing that now because air travel has became a torturous experience, instead of a pleasurable one.]

 

One solution to the ink problem you describe is quite simple - take cartridges...

 

Heading off on another flight or returning home? No problem, toss that half-empty cartridge and pop in a new full one. Back home and ready to go back to bottled ink? No problem, pop in the converter.

 

Of course cartridges are not a solution with a pen like the vintage Parker 51 Aerometric. But they are a solution with most any other modern fountain pen.

 

Enjoy, David

[Sasha Royale]

Kenneth Parker was thoroughly seduced by aviation. He saw a great future in commercial flying. just before 1950, Parker introduced the "flighter" model Parker 51. The silvery body was tribute to the beautiful polished aluminum body of passenger airplanes. It incorporated features that allowed complete filling of the ink sac, as a full ink sac is less likely to "burp" ink. The feed design allowed excess ink to drain instantly into the ink reservoir, when the pen is turned "nib-up". Subsequent Parker 51 pens, though without the metal body, included these features.

 

Personally, I like airplanes that are blue on top and white on the bottom.