Cliff,
For my monster HD video rig, I have a large Pelican style plastic hard case on luggage style rollers.
It is a checked bag. With lights, it is just under the 70lb max checked baggage restriction for scuba equipment. make sure you tell them it is scuba equipment.
I don't know about domestic, but for International, all airlines we've used so far allow 70lbs per each of the two checked bags if scuba gear, and they never have drawn a distinction between underwater video gear or scuba gear, nor do they check.
I do know they make backpacks for photogs, and I use a non photog backpack for my REALLY heavy smaller stuff in case I need to take things out, but I use the blue backpack shown in this thread and employ strategies of that post.