Fountain pens in air travel

[vicpen123]

Dear everyone,

I know this has been canvassed many times before but I am about to carry a fountain pen by air so that I can do some work while on holiday (to help pay for the trip).

For convenience, I would like to take a cartridge pen (eg. Parker Sonnet).

How can I carry this safely?

 

[inkstainedruth]

Either have it completely full or completely empty.  That way you'll have fewer issues with it burping with the changes in altitude (although with modern planes which have controlled climate cabin air systems, you'll have less of those types of issues in general).  And you probably want it capped unless you're actually using it, and with the nib upwards (as Parker recommends).  

Also, pay heed to security checkpoints -- I had a pen clipped to my collar and had to remove it when going through the scanner; the TSA agent made me put it in a bin, and it ended up having another bin put on top of the bin my pen was in, and I came very close to losing it!

As far as extra cartridges, either have them in a ziplock bag in your checked luggage, or within easy reach in your carry-on bag (the last time I flew someplace was a few years ago, and I had six or seven ink vials in a ziplock bag in my purse and the TSA people didn't bat an eye -- but because I was flying back from the Pacific Northwest and was then going to have to get up at the crack of dawn to pick up a friend and drive down from the Pittsburgh area to DC for the DCSS, I had shampoo and conditioner in my carry-on bag (in case the checked luggage got lost in the shuffle -- and because those were in larger than 4 oz. bottles THEY were confiscated!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[langere]

Best to just to take fresh cartridges and then pop one in once you get where you are going.  On your return, have the pen empty again.

 

If not, then keep the pen nib-up and carry it in a resealable plastic bag, with a paper towel in it.

 

Erick

[langere]

Ah, @inkstainedruth beat me to it!

 

Erick

[inkstainedruth]

 

Well, admittedly, it's been a few years.  Both of the previous trips by plane were to the Pacific Northwest for family weddings, and then driving from the Seattle area to Spokane to visit some old friends of ours -- one of whom is an FP person herself. 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[vicpen123]

Thanks for the advice. Seems that the best plan is to take an empty pen and insert the cartridge when on the ground again.

Same for the return journey.  Simple.

[inkstainedruth]

Well, you never know -- you may want to actually use the pen during the flight.  On one flight, I did a drawing of the wing, looking out the window, using one of my pens.  I had several with me on that trip, including a vintage Parker 51 on the first trip to the Seattle area (the day after my husband's niece's wedding, there was a group trip to the Museum of Flight, partly arranged for by my brother-in-law, who I think might still have been an engineer for Boeing at the the time).  And I had my husband take a photo of me in the WWII gallery, standing in front of the P51 Mustang in their collection -- while holding up that Plum Demi Parker 51....    
And it actually was good to have a pen handy -- my husband was going to use his newly acquired passport as ID (we thought there might be the possibility of going up to Vancouver during the trip, but it didn't work out time-wise).  Only the TSA agent pointed out that he hadn't actually SIGNED it (so had to use his driver's license after all.  And then I was mentally going "Oops!" because I realized that I hadn't signed MY passport, either....  And the pen I used for THAT purpose was one of the Noodler's Konrads -- freshly inked up for the trip with IIRC Noodler's 54th Massachusetts (which turned out -- as it happened -- to be pretty close in color to the printed text on my passport... )

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Monophoto]

I understand the theory of the case - there is a risk that air trapped in a cartridge or converter could expand as a result of changes in cabin air pressure and cause the pen to 'burp' ink.  If the pen is full, there is very little air to expand.  If the pen is empty, there is no ink to 'burp'.  Yeah - that makes sense.

 

But I've traveled with a fountain pen for more than 40 years - hundreds of flights - and that has never happened to me.  I suspect that there are a couple of reasons.  One is that pressurization in modern planes is handled so well that there are no significant changes in cabin air pressure.  The other is that even if a cartridge or converter is only partly filled, there is so little air in the reservoir that whatever expansion does occur is not enough to cause a problem.

 

So my approach is to always make sure that my pen (pens - I take more than one) is full before I leave home.  I use converters and starting out with them full means that there is less risk of running out of ink.  And taking multiple pens is really no different from taking spare cartridges - takes up a bit more space in my carryon but that's not consequential.

[SpencerianDream]

I personally think the best policy is just not to use them on the plane. In theory they shouldn’t leak if (blah blah) but in practice? Is 10 minutes of completely nonessential (but admittedly fun) writing worth the potential joy of dealing with a capful of ink in the comfortable confines of Coach? 
 

I’ve flown with a Platinum 3776 and its theoretically sealed cap, bouncing around in my carryon for dozens of flights, and no issues at all. I’ve also had a Caran d’Ache recently which I took the precaution of filling completely, and the pen was very keen to burp ink out as I was attempting to use it mid-flight. Not cool. 

 

 

Safest -fly with a few sealed cartridges. 
 

Next safest - fly with a pen and filling system of your choice and make sure it’s very sealed so pressure changes can’t affect the air volume inside the pen. Don’t use pen in flight. (some pens have sealed caps, for some pens this could be achieved with eg an otterbox case.
 

Last safest -fly with a pen of your choice, fill it up completely to minimize air volume, endeavor to keep the nib vertical during the flight, use the pen for normal writing during flight, and hope that modern planes + the sophisticated design of your pen’s feed or flight-safe design, all contribute to an ink-free experience. 

[vicpen123]

FWIW I would never use a fountain pen in a plane. I only need to transfer my pen from one terrestrial place to another 3.5 hours away for work related activities.

 

Why take such a risk?

[Beechwood]

47 minutes ago, vicpen123 said:

FWIW I would never use a fountain pen in a plane. I only need to transfer my pen from one terrestrial place to another 3.5 hours away for work related activities.

 

Why take such a risk?

 

Some people have reported no problems with pens on planes, others, such as me, have plenty. The last flight was short at only 300 miles and I thought I would be fine with a cartridge pen. The pen leaked into the cap and then over me when I removed the cap.

 

As has been said above, carry an empty pen and fresh cartridges plus a ball point for airport/plane use if essential.

[Lithium466]

I recently transported a Moonman (Majohn) A1 with me for a work trip, two planes including one in a terribly small Bombardier plane. 

Going back I had one half empty cartridge still in the pen and thought "whatever, if it leaks it leaks". The pen stayed clipped mostly vertically (or horizontally when I had it removed in the plane) on my vest, and didn't leak one bit.

[RedPie]

Put your pens in a plastic bag during the flight. Works for me and I had only a leak one time. Not bad at all. 

[knarflj]

I don't fly too frequently, but when I do, I almost always take a few pens (piston-fillers or w/converters) in my carry-on, and almost always write in my journal on at least one leg of my flight.  The pens may or may not be full when I leave home, but since I don't pack extra ink, they're never full on the way back, and so far I've never had a problem.  I do try to keep them upright at all times on the plane, but otherwise I don't worry about it too much.

[kestrel]

I flew with fountain pens for years and never had a problem.  Six pens per flight when I flew commercial, all inked, and not a single leak.  I used them in flight to grade papers, do crosswords, take notes on what I was reading, etc.  Most of the pens I flew with were vintage, pre-1945.  My basic rules:

1.  All pens not in use are stored nib up.  If you do this the amount of ink in the sac/cartridge/barrel is irrelevant.  The only thing that will pass out through the section is air.

2.  Don't even think about writing during climbs to altitude or descents to landing.  As ambient air pressure decreases during ascent while you try to write any air in the pen will expand and force ink out through the nib causing burps, blobs, messes.  During descents the increasing ambient pressure will cause uneven flow and skipping as the air goes back up through the feed into the sac, cartridge, barrel, or what have you.

3.  Writing when level at altitude is perfectly safe.  Just don't spill your complimentary beverage on whatever you are writing.  Cap the pen and store it nib up as soon as the plane starts to descend.

 

Addendum:  For the last 8 years of my Navy helicopter pilot job I flew with a lovely Elysee enamel fountain pen in my flight suit pen pocket.  Hundreds of flights without a single leak.  Of course we rarely flew above 300 feet/90 meters so air pressure changes were minimal.  Still, no leaks.

[jchch1950]

I have been flying many times in the last few decades and rarely had a problem with my fountain pens leaking, usually at least three . But recently, on two different trips,  I had some leaking problems; the pens were in a carry-on bag departing from a very hot place, and I think that the temperature change and the fact that the pens were not in a vertical position made them burp.

[Bristol24]

I have only one pen that I trust not to leak while flying and that is a certain 1951 Parker "51" Areometric.  While I have about a dozen other "51s", this particular 1951 Areo is the only one that has given me reason to have taken it completely apart.  After installing a new stainless steel replacement vent tube with the tiny side vent-hole near the collector and feed, I know it cannot possibly be clogged or corroded shut and therefore  have 100% confidence that the Parker Areometric filling system is working as designed and advertised.   It always travels nib up and writes without fault during flights.

[PennyTheDog]

I have been bringing fountain pens on flights for the past few years without taking any particular precautions, and I haven’t had an issue yet. I guess because of the way they sit in my bag I do keep them nib up.