Flying with Celestron SC

I plan to fly with my new Celestron Nexstar 6 SC.
Question...
Does anyone have experience traveling with their Schmidt Cass as checked luggage only?
Is it preferable to carry on board the OTA ?
What equipment cases(s) and special precautions are other astronomers using these days to protect their...loved ones?

Thanks
John Stewart

John Stewart said:

I plan to fly with my new Celestron Nexstar 6 SC.
Question...
Does anyone have experience traveling with their Schmidt Cass as checked luggage only?
Is it preferable to carry on board the OTA ?
What equipment cases(s) and special precautions are other astronomers using these days to protect their...loved ones?

Thanks
John Stewart

If you are flying with any sort of telescope as checked baggage it had best be in a super durable hard shell case with at least 2 inches of firm foam surrounding it. Personally I wouldn't do it. I would chose the second option you mentioned and carry just the OTA and optical accessories (diag, ep, finder, etc) with the mount and tripod in checked luggage. You will be charged per bag of checked luggage and it cannot exceed 50 pounds total weight per piece without incurring some significant over-weight charges. Most airlines are getting very restrictive on the size and amount of carry-on luggage you can take, usually one regular size carry-on bag and one smaller laptop sized carry-on. Also, on some regional carriers, the jets or turboprops are small, both underseat and overhead compartments are smaller than usual, and the larger carry-on ends up going in the baggage compartment as well.

I'd probably try to take it as a carry-on. Get a reasonably strong bag meeting all the carry-on requirements for size. Put the scope in a plastic bag, then pack lots of clothes around it. You need to avoid the phenomenon where the airline decides at the last minute that your bag needs to be checked -- because it won't be packed well enough for that -- arrange to be early in the boarding sequence to you can find space in an overhead bin.

If you need to check it, I like the Pelican 1600 series cases. Something like a 1620 might work for your C-6. They are big and heavy, but I've never had anything damaged in one.
http://www.pelicancases.com/1620-p/1620.htm
I've sometimes seen bags go off the side of the bag loader / conveyor belt as they are loading the plane -- about a 10 foot fall down to the tarmac. Checked baggage can get pretty rough treatment.

From what I've seen around the web, the corrector plates are what usually get broken. Try to make sure nothing is pressing on the center of the front lens cap. Not sure about the C-6, but in some of the other Celestron SCTs the flexible lens cap is in direct contact with the secondary mirror assembly. If something tweaks the front of the scope in transit, and secondary and corrector plate are history. The lens cap gives essentially no protection from mechanical shock or intrusion.