Fully Prepared- Almost

When Timothy Harper was thinking of introducing a small harp into his production again, he asked what I would want in a travel harp. I had been thinking about this for some time and answered without hesitation, "27-string, C-a, fully levered". This would allow me to move many of my arrangements up an octave and play in the keys I can on a larger harp. I got a case with backpack straps, a set of detachable legs, and a flight case from Colorado Case Company. I was ready for my next big trip. I scanned the airline website to get a basic idea of how much it would cost to fly with this small harp. The only information I could find said that oversize items would be priced by a ticket agent. My friend dropped me off at the airport. I proceeded to the counter where I found that it would cost $175.00 one way! It would cost more for my harp to fly round trip to Idaho Falls than it would for me. When I asked if there would be any additional charge if I had said that these were ergonomic golf clubs, I was told, "No, but they would open the case downstairs and discover the deceit." I decided to bite the bullet since I had specifically gotten the harp for travel.

When returning, I arrived at the airport fully prepared to be outrageously charged again. The ticket agent asked me if the case was more than __ linear inches. Since I hadn't measured it, I said, "I'm not sure." The agent said, "I'm going to say that it's not." I breathed an internal, "Whew!" and proceeded to my gate.

This harp got played in Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and in the Grand Tetons on that trip. It's a great harp with a phenomenal sound, but I doubt I'll fly with it again unless I'm booked on Southwest Airlines. I'll have to adjust to my 22 string, G-g, with levers on F's and C's that fits into a sturdy cardboard box and fits the limits for checked luggage.