[Dixielandjazz] Re: Flying With Your Instrument

[dhs at ev1.net]

Dear Elazar:

My advice is to join the Tuba-Euphonium List.  Try tubaeuph at smartgroups.com.  My fellow tuba players and I have spent a long time discussing this, and you can get a lot of good material out of the List Archives.

The best advice I can give off the cuff is only to use cases which are stoutly constructed, and hold the tuba firmly in place.  A good traveling case such as a Walt Johnson or an Anvil is recommended.  Yes, they are expensive, but I once saw a tuba player at the 1988 Tampa Jazz Jubilee with a badly damaged sousaphone.  It was Labor Day Weekend, and he had no chance of making repairs.  Fortunately, the horn still played, although it looked terrible.

Take out all accessories and doodads.  Some people even remove pistons, although the valve caps go back on for rigidity.  Wrap the tuba in sheet plastic foam or bubble wrap.  Insure the tuba to the max with the airline (this usually ensures better handling), and put Fragile stickers all over the case.  If possible, work with the airline and the airport security people to gate-check the tuba.  That is, carry it to the gate and have it loaded directly onto the airplane, rather than let it ride around on conveyors and baggage trucks.

Always get to the airport early.  If possible call the airline a day or two in advance, and obtain a contact whom you can talk to directly when you get to the airport.

Alternatives include shipping the tuba in advance of the trip.  This may allow you to put the case into a cardboard tote and surround the case with packing material.  You may also rent or borrow a tuba at the other end.  The latter is what I did for the Tampa Jubilee.  I explored cases for my Holton BB-350 bell-front, and in the end left it at home.  I packed a couple of mouthpieces, and the bandleader (my brother Ed) had a bell-front tuba waiting for me at the other end.  Learning a new instrument in a few days was a challenge, but not so bad as packing the Holton and flying with it.

Lots of luck.  Flying with a tuba can be done, but I very much doubt that you will get the tuba into the cabin unless you purchase a separate ticket for it.  It probably will go as baggage.

Regards,
Dave Stoddard
Round Rock, TX