Today at work was brought to you by the letter "T"

Today at work was brought to you by the letter "T" because without my TravelScoot, I wouldn't have been able to make it in. I'm just feeling really grateful today for my lightweight, durable, and fun-to-ride mobility aid.

CrampBuster Photos from Marlee

These photos are of the CrampBuster installed on Marlee's TravelScoot.

CrampBuster hand pedal for the throttle

From Marlee:

I wanted to share a new gizmo I discovered for the TravelScoot. It is called the CrampBuster (http://www.crampbuster.com/). I have developed tendonitis in my right hand and twisting the throttle is really painful. The CrampBuster was developed for motorcycles, but works just perfectly on the Scoot. It is, for all intents and purposes, a hand pedal for the throttle which operates with palm pressure. The size I purchased is the CB4 with the large palm rest. You just slide it over the hand rest, and up over the chubby, throttle, and adjust. It works perfectly, does not slip and does not impede using the brake. I wish I'd had it all along.

Marlee, please take a picture of this installed on your scoot.  It sounds like a wonderful addition!

Lithium Ion battery refused on Alaska Airlines flight

From Vickie:

I tried to take my Travel Scoot on a flight on Alaska Airlines last week and was denied boarding due to the litium ion battery. I have the 24 gram battery and was told that the FAA only allows lead acid batteries on mobility devices except for Segways. Anyone else ever have this problem?

Vickie,

I looked on the TravelScoot website, at http://travelscoot.com/prices.htm and there are two lithium ion batteries. There is the 9.6 Ah Li-Ion that is approved for air travel and the 18 Ah Li-Ion that is not approved for air travel. The 24 gram one is the smaller battery, which is approved for airline travel.

The Department of Transportation rules governing lithium ion batteries on airline flights are at http://safetravel.dot.gov/larger_batt.html . I print a copy of this and take it with me when I fly with my lithium ion battery.

The FAA regulations are available here:

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ash/ash_programs/hazmat/media/MaterialsCarriedByPassengersAndCrew.pdf

Look on pages 7-9 to see the battery regulations. If you go to page 9, regulation 49 CFR 175.10(a) is cited and says (in part), "...For a lithium-ion battery, an aggregate equivalent lithium content of not more than 8 grams per battery, except that up to two batteries with an aggregate equivalent lithium content of more than 8 grams but not more than 25 grams may be carried."

This is from the FAA's PDF:

"The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for the security screening of passengers and their baggage at U.S. airports. For questions about TSA "prohibited items" or other air travel security measures please go to: http://www.tra.gov or contact the TSA Contact Center at: 1-866-289-9673 or TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov."
Elizabeth

Public Transportation

This question is from Laurie P., a soon-to-be TravelScoot owner:

I'm getting my scooter soon and am a bit worried about using it on public transportation. I have experience using a heavier scooter and know that the drivers on the Boston buses tend to strap the scooter down using a lot of force. Will that damage the scooter? Any tips on where on the scooter the straps should go? I also will be using the scooter at Disney World and the bus drivers there seem to insist on tying the scooters down with multiple straps whether or not you stay seated on it.

I can't wait to get scooting! Thank you all for your input.

Too Fat to Fly Southwest

TOO FAT TO FLY SOUTHWEST

When Southwest Airlines told Kevin Smith to get off their plane, they pushed him to a place where he could not quietly retreat.

Listening to Smith rant about his Southwest drama, I nod my head, my heart swells. I feel his pain. When he says he just wants to blend in, that no fat person would choose to draw attention to themself in this way, I silently move to stand behind him as he takes the bullet for both of us. This is about more than one fat man who's been kicked off a plane.

Does a Rosa Parks comparison rankle your feathers? Careful now, you may be repeating history. Imagine yourself in 1955, and put yourself in the mindset of the white majority. The place for a black person was the back of the bus. Who was she to say things should change? Black people weren't allowed to ride unless they sat in their designated spot -- apart from the white folks. Fat people aren't allowed to sit on an airplane just like the average size passengers. They may not be segregated, but they pay twice the fare, or face ejection.

Kevin Smith was humiliated. Now he is staring right into the face of his bully. Is it going to take a court order (a boycott, a riot?) to require the airlines to provide seating that accommodates people who are wider than 17 inches?

There's a rumbling of posts on the internet asserting that fat people don't have the right to encroach on other passengers. This shouldn't be a turf war over a few inches of seat, it should be about human dignity and how we treat those who are in the minority.

Man invented the wheel, combustion engines, flight and airplanes. We've even put a man on the moon. Surely we can devise an equitable solution for airline seating that doesn't involve arbitrary ejection of passengers or doubling fares. The problem is the seats, not the people.

Come on Southwest, do the right thing.

(Please forgive the momentary diversion from TravelScoot talk, to post about something important to me.  If you'd like to hear Kevin Moore talk about being taken off a Southwest flight, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_rph_yqKrA .)

Basket 'o Breakfast

The first Saturday of the month was a scooter adventure to the Red Stick Farmer's Market with Rhonda, Melissa and Rae. Our first stop was a fun breakfast brought to the table courtesy of my Peterboro basket. It held 4 boxes of breakfast and all the fixings! I'm impressed and amazed at how much it holds. I've used my several times now for grocery shopping. It's much easier than pulling a grocery cart along and I can usually get what I need in 2 trips to the car. On average it holds about $50, depending on what you're buying.

I'd tell y'all what Rae and I bought our nephew Ben at the market, but I don't think it's arrived in D.C. yet and he might be reading.

Kay (Ben's mom) recently changed the motor on her scoot and took a bunch of pictures of it. I'll bet if you all give her some encouragement she'll send them to me so I can post them here.

What are you all up to with your scoots? I've got some pictures from Daniel in Poland that I need to post, so look for those soon!