I didn’t realize how much trouble I’d be causing by taking the MK Low D whistle. We thought that it would be a good idea to pack it inside a long, discarded ski sock with PVC pipe at either end to protect the bell and the windway, plus an alto sax pad-saver stuffed up the bore. I didn’t think anything about it until I saw it on the x-ray scanning screen: it showed a thin pipe with large endcaps plus a twisted wire running up the middle.
Big problem.
The TSA agents became extremely unpleasant and brusque, and forced us to remove the whistle from the sock and endcaps, and then pull the pad-saver out of the whistle. Essentially, a pad-saver is a very thick, long bottle-brush that looks like an improbable creature from Jim Henson’s Muppets. The TSA agent grabbed the whistle from me before I had completely removed the pad-saver. So, like some demented baton twirler, the agent began waving around the whistle with the wooly pad-saver sticking out a good 16 inches demanding an identification of the suspicious object from the other agents, all the while coming dangerously close to smacking the windway and fipple agaist various tables, conveyors and fellow agents. I thought for sure that I would either wind up with a broken whistle or bent over in a back room. After another agent identified the threatening object as a ‘flute,’ the now-thoroughly irritated agent thrust the whistle back at me for repacking.
In Dublin’s Temple Bar, we were telling the tale to Paul Ryan, the proprietor of an inconspicuous shop dealing in high-end woodwinds. He offered an excellent suggestion: instead of packing it in a heavier, more protective case, wrap it up in bubble wrap and rubber bands. That way, the whistle is still well-protected in a transparent, easy-to-remove cover. That, and leave the pad-saver in the checked baggage. Excellent idea. He also added that happilly offering to play a tune while standing at the checkpoint helps to quickly resolve any impasse with a musical instrument, as no agent wants to be the focus of ‘a scene.’
Comments
One response to “Traveling with a Whistle”
This is too funny! Though at the time I am sure it was NOT…