[thedoc (OP)]

It occurred to me when I was listening to the Olympic torch being discussed recently – how do you transport a naked flame on an aeroplane? It has to be a naked flame I think to conserve the Olympic spirit but even without the current security situation I’m sure it must be quite difficult. It’s obviously possible so I wondered how they did it.
Asked by Graham Watson, South London

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[thedoc (OP)]

Jordan Parham, part of the team that worked on the Sydney, Athens and Asian games torches.  
How they keep the flame alight on aeroplanes and therefore continuous along the whole relay journey is in miners’ lanterns. These miners’ lanterns are specially designed to maintain a small flame alight in all wind conditions. They actually carry four of these lanterns at a minimum as back-up flames for the mother flame at all times during the relay. When they take the flames onto an aeroplane the miners’ lanterns are approved prior to taking them on by the commercial airline or by the chartered airline, depending on how they run the relay. They are then stored in an appropriate vessel. In the case of the Sydney Olympics that was a specially designed seat and in other games such as Athens and the Asian games they used specially-designed storage racks on the side of the aeroplane. These miners’ lanterns don’t create any emissions. The fuel is a methylated spirits type flame to keep it burning, it won’t create any risk to any other occupants. That’s how they keep the flame alight on the aeroplane.  

 

[another_someone]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7327079.stm

The torch, which is fuelled by propane, is used to carry the flame during each day's relays, when runners in the relay city carry it, mostly on foot.

But there are several lanterns which are lit from the same source and they keep the flame alive at night or on aircraft when the torch is extinguished.

For air travel, where open flames are not allowed, the flame burns in the enclosed lanterns, which act like miner's lamps.

The torch, the lanterns and the team of attendants, plus other security, fly in a specially-chartered Air China plane bearing an Olympic flame design.

The lanterns spend each night in a single hotel room with three guards - one of which must be awake at any time.

"Security people try their best to keep the flame safe," says a spokeswoman for the Beijing Organising Committee.

"The flame is always burning, whether on the plane or during the relay or overnight. It's kept in the hotel where the core operation team is staying."

It does seem a lot of expense to go to for something that is merely symbolic.

[rosalind dna]

It is just a propane torch which as been shown can easily be
extinguished as re-lit. So not a "real" torch then. What a waste
of time, money and fuel too. very un-ecological.

[lyner]

The same could be said of the Games, themselves. What does sport prove, anyway?
(Lights blue touch paper and retires. . . . . )

[LeeE]

<off to find a safe vantage point from where the outcome of this experiment can be observed>

[lyner]

I have already left the country and am living under an assumed name!

[JimBob]

Cowards

Direct observation is required to confirm the science - and you run and hide. For Shame.

[Alan McDougall]

Well the lastest touch had to be frequently re-lighten, but I know this is not helpful