Pens that can fly

[bahnstormer]

Hi guys,

 

forgive me if this has been discussed before, but i was wondering what pens can be taken and used in aeroplanes without leaking??

 

i know the Mont Blanc Traveller is designed to fly, and the modern Parker Duofold can fly too??

 

what about the Parker 61 capillary?? since the ink is held in felt instead of sitting liquid is it usable in-flight?

 

any other pens that are plane-proof?

 

cheers,

Paolo.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

The 61 is a good choice. it has a rolled up sheet of plastic that attracts the ink into its rolled-up layers (not felt). Any pen should do on the airplane. Just be sure to clear the collector of the "51" before flying and only write when you have reached altitude. (The 61 is the exception to this rule).

 

Dillon

[BruceW]

I always fly with my Pelikan M200 and never have problems.

[BillTheEditor]

Modern Parker Duofolds can fly. At least mine can.

 

Not to sound like a broken record here, but the DaniTrio Densho Raw Ebonite eyedropper filler can fly because it has a "safety cutoff" valve that will keep the ink from leaking out. Also it holds enough ink that if you fill it before your trip, even if you are going to be gone for a couple of weeks, you won't need to take a bottle of ink along. And it's a great pen.

[southpaw]

Rotring Initial has an a Air Pressure Compensation System which Rotring claims prevents ink leakage and ensures smooth writing even during flight. It was the first FP I reviewed, so the review's not too good (not that more recent ones are any better), but you can read it Rotring Initial Review.

 

Personally, I haven't flown since I started using FPs, so no idea.

[Richard]

A friend told me this week that he flies all over the country with a Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown that works flawlessly throughout the flight. This is hearsay only, so take it for what it's worth.

[DrPJM1]

Just flew to & from sunny Florida with my Sheaffer Balance LE lever fill.

I am pleased to report no extraneous drops of Aurora black ink in my pocket, fingers, or blind cap!

[chainwhip]

I think the Waterman Edson is advertised as a "Flyer".

[playpen]

A pen that can fly? Someone must have invented that one, no?

[Hobo Bob]

The way I understood it, the problem isn't when you take the pen with you in the cabin, which remains pressurized (i.e no problems) throughout the flight, but rather if you store it in the luggage hold, which is not kept pressurized. Perhaps not?

[Mac in Alberta]

A pen that can fly? Someone must have invented that one, no?

Flighters

[Escribiente]

I'd flown with a Pelikan M805, an Omas MoMA, a Pelikan M215, and an Aurora 88. All of them worked flawlesly while in the air, and none of them leaked. Two things to consider:

• I filled them completely before taking the plane.
  
• I open them upside down, always.
  

[JimStrutton]

Parker "51" Aero OK, 61 ditto and also a Sonnet, in the cabin in a 3 pen holder, but kept upright.

 

Jim

[Mac in Alberta]

I haven't had any disasters flying with pens, but like a lot of us, I've heard stories.

The standard advice is: Don't have your pen(s) half or three-quarters full, but nearly full or nearly empty. Carry the pen upright unless you're actually writing. Take pens or ink on your person or your carry-on, not in checked luggage. (There is no word on striped or solid-coloured luggage.)

I usually fly with a Monteverde Sonata with cartridges because that makes a small convenient pen with a small, convenient ink supply. I used to always take a bottle of blue-black, double bagged in plastic bags, in my carry-on and use a Reform piston-filling italic medium (.9mm).(For years that was the only fountain pen I had. I was just a social fountain pen user, not an addict.)

No problems to report there.

I recently bought a Senator piston-filler, marked down below $20 Cdn. I'm considering taking it and a bottle of ink on a trip to Ottawa next winter, just so I can be in the nation's capital with a Senator in my pocket.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Mac in Alberta

[kissing]

A pen that can fly? Someone must have invented that one, no?

Flighters

 

these fly too

 

http://www.lorillake.com/images/Flying%20Pen--4-2003.jpg

[bahnstormer]

Thanks for the advice,

 

im not planning on flying anywhere anytime soon, but was just wondering which pens could operate under the conditions without leaking.

 

last year i flew interstate and i had a 51 and a safari in my pencil case in my carry on bag that i didnt think about. a day or two later i opened them up to find the caps full of ink and i realised it was because of the flight.

 

i have however used my modern duofold to write with in-flight and it worked perfectly. this was years ago when i first got it, and i really only took it with me on the flight to see if it would leak because id been told it wouldnt. i think i was more worried about what would happen to the duofold than what would happen to me should the plane have crashed!

 

cheers,

Paolo.

[formerchickenscratcher]

I think that as a general rule you should always carry your F-pens upright while on a plane. I have flown successfully with my Pelikans and Bexleys no problem. They seem to write fine during flight as well. As a precaution I make sure they are not completely full and bring along a bottle of ink for when back on the ground.

[playpen]

Kissing:

What a flight of fancy!

[ConnallMac]

I just flew home to Upstate NY last week. I carried my Pilot Vanishing Point and my Lamy Safari with me in my shirt, as well as a Pelikan Go in my carry-on. I had no problems with leaking on any of them. I also used both the VP and the Safari at cruising altitude without any ill effects! Both of them worked quite well in fact, though the flight was a bit turbulent and my handwriting looked as though I had had a three martini lunch!

 

 

J. Haney

 

Actually, I am not a martini fan, it would be much more likely for me to have a three single malt twelve year old scotch lunch!

[Bill]

Flew last week successfully with filled Parker "51", Pelikan M215 and Lamy Safari.

 

Same for this weekend with Pelikan M200 Citroenpers and Hero 100.

 

All pens were filled (with two-drop bleed) at the beginning of each flight, although the Citroenpers level got lower during the last flight

 

"Please return your seat back to the upright position, replace your tray table, turn off all electronic instruments, and...hey you in row 5...cap that Pelikan!"

 

Interestingly, a woman doing sudoku across the aisle in front of me incessantly fought a stubborn ballpoint the entire flight. I should have handed her the Hero.

 

Bill