Airport Checks

[Stephen Puckett <spuckett@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Of possible interest to some of you with certain kinds of panoramic 
cameras that have wireframe and similar finders.

Usually I have some cameras with film still in them so I have these 
hand-checked also.  They usually ask to 'look through' the camera 
so I show them how, etc.  Sometimes they just look through without 
asking so I have to watch them closely to stop undo fiddling.  The 
biggest surprise was when I had some cameras with only wireframe 
finders.  I told them that there was nothing to look through and 
they insisted that they 'look through the lens'.  I thought that I 
must unload the cameras, etc., etc., then it dawned on me the 
procedure that might satisfy them.  I told them how to look through 
the wireframe finder, they then looked through the finder (ie. 
through just thin air) at various places in the building, were 
satisfied, and so let me go.  8-)  This works now all the time.  A 
lot of it seems to me to be just going through the motions (CYA) 
for them - I stay courteous and try to be helpful with their CYA 
motions.  

I'm prepared for it all now.  I set the bags down and immediately 
lift out all the film (in 1 place for this) and spread it out, lift 
out the cameras and spread them out, and start to undo the rest of 
the bags.  They then stop me and check some of the film, some of 
the cameras, etc.  Takes 1-5 minutes to go through the motions.