No ID while flying? No problem.

Good news for people who prefer to live “off the grid.”* Not only has California DMVs told the Department of Homeland security it needed more time to consider implementing Real ID, the national identification system, even if it were too go ahead with the plan it won’t be until after the desired 2010 launch date.

Now the bad news for Californians, along with residents of other states who aren’t following the Federal i.d. plan:

They would have needed to dig out their passport, if they had one, every time they boarded a plane, or go through an extra level of TSA screening at airport metal detectors. Los Angeles and San Francisco airports could have had security lines stretching to the Sierras. [Threat Level]

In similar news, after his wallet was stolen, author Tim Ferris discovered that lack of i.d. doesn’t bar anyone from flying. In fact, it may get you through security faster.

Sans i.d., he printed out his boarding pass and headed to the airport:

Told them very casually, “Oh, by the way, I’m flying without ID today because my wallet was stolen.” They gave their condolences and marked my boarding pass for additional screening with “SSS” in bright red block letters… Because you are now a bigger security risk, they put you in your own line!

*”off the grid”: (adj.) Unrecorded, untraceable through normal means (Urban Dictionary)