Pilot Accessories Archives - Page 4 of 5

What every pilot needs to have in their flight bag

Jason Schappert of MZeroA.com has put together a great 5 minute video in response to a question asked about what a pilot should have in their flight bag. The items mentioned by Jason included:

Kneeboards. A kneeboard is a simple piece of metal and elastic that has a hook for a pin. Jason uses a ASA-VFR kneeboard which costs around US$10 to keep everything he needs on there including different frequencies that you may need to use, the FAA flight plan, VFR cloud clearance requirements and other important information.
Headset. Jason uses a Zulus headset but he also mentioned a Bose headset. Both are higher end and very expensive headsets. However, Jason noted that you should not be afraid to spend extra money on a good quality headset – especially a noise canceling model.
Handheld Radios with an Adapter. Jason noted that not only should you have a handheld radio but you should also have one with an adapter so that you can plug your headset in and hear into it. This is especially useful if the cockpit is loud and you can’t hear the speaker. Jason also noted that there is a new Sporty’s model, the SP-200, which lets you do nav and tune through a VOR

At the end of the video, Jason asked viewers to leave a comment about any important item left out and he will then select the best item for part 2 of his video with the commenter receiving a free Sporty’s flight bag. Already, Jason has received nearly 70 thoughtful comments in response to his contest.

What’s in your pilot flight bag?

Evan Krueger has recently written a useful post on the Let’s Go Flying blog about what he keeps in his flight bag. And while Evan noted the old Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” in the beginning of his post, he then wrote that he does not lug his entire flight library with him and that he uses a fairly small flight bag. Moreover, Evan also wrote that while some pilots spend hundreds of dollars on a flight bag, he finds spending this much to be unnecessary. In fact, he just uses the free one AOPA sent him when he renewed his membership.

As for what Evan keeps in his flight bag, he noted the following items:

Headset
Logbook
E6B Flight Computer
Airport/Facility Directory and Charts
Flashlight
Sunglasses

Hence, we would like to ask our readers: What do you keep in your pilot flight bag? Do you prefer a small flight bag for the bare essentials or a large flight bag with everything you could possibly need?

A great new flight bag from BrightLine Bags

Blake, the blogger behind the Fly With Blake blog, has recently noted that he has stumbled upon a great new flight bag from BrightLine Bags. According to Blake, the bag simply “blows the ASA bag out of the water” and some of the great features that he noted about the bag included:

The colour coded zippers! Ever asked a passenger to grab something for you out of your bag?
The fact that you can separate it in half so that you don’t need to take everything on that short flight/city tour.
It holds two headsets!
The pocket on the top of the bag for your sunglasses

The only problem he noted was the pocket designed for the fuel tester was meant for a tester style that he does not use.

Nevertheless, if you want to know more about the bag and whether or not it is a fit for your flying needs, BrightLine Bags has produced this comprehensive seven minute video that will tell you everything you need to know about it.

MotoArt: Sculpture and furniture out of old airplane parts

Hat tip to the Winged Victory Women in Aviation Webzine for posting a link to MotoArt – a California based design firm that makes art and furniture out of used airplane parts. Apparently, artist and aviation buff Donovan Fell III had spotted some old and dented B-17 propellers that were in the back of a metal junk man’s scrap pile and destined for the scrap heap. This gave him an idea and he spent a few weekends degreasing, sanding and polishing the blades in beautiful artistic sculptures. Eventually, his new hobby became a full time and lucrative business making artwork and furniture pieces such as bars, beds, credenzas, desks, tables and chairs. And as you can see from some of the creations below, it is amazing what can be done with an imagination and old airplane parts!

e-Book readers: The Kindle and the Nook

e-Book readers are becoming increasingly popular with JP Morgan estimating that some 10 million Americans alone either own a Kindle e-book reader or plan to get one soon. In fact, the Kindle and other e-Book readers may soon become the iPods of the book world.

The Kindle

Given their increasing popularity and potential uses in every day life, Max Trescott has recently written a post about the Kindle noting that he has read about the potential aviation uses for the device. Hence, he invites readers to take a short survey intended for pilots to see whether they currently own a Kindle and he also invites readers to post comments about any aviation experiences they may have already had with the device.

The Nook

Meanwhile, Glenn Calvin, the blogger behind the Rant Air blog, has posted a detailed review of the Nook e-reader which is available through Barnes and Noble. Although his review does not cover any potential uses for the Nook in the cockpit, he does make the general observation that:

Picking up the Nook is just simply not the same as picking up a well-worn used book and smelling an untold number of owners’ perfumes or pipe tobaccos and wondering about the history of that volume. And being able to lend a book you’ve greatly enjoyed to a friend or coworker whom you know will enjoy it as much just isn’t doable (though there is a somewhat restrictive “sharing” feature built into the Nook).

However, he does recommend the Nook – although he is clear to say that it will never replace the physical books in his collection but it will definitely save him some weight and space in his travel bags…

Choosing a poor man’s electronic flight bag (EFB)

An Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) is a handy electronic information management device that helps pilots and flight crews be more efficient and can literally replace just about all of the paper-based reference materials such as the Aircraft Operating Manual and the navigational charts found in a pilot’s flight bag. However, choosing such a device, let alone one that is affordable and light weight, can be a challenge. Hence, John Ewing of Aviation Mentor has posted a comprehensive post about finding a low-cost method to store and display aviation charts.

John begins by acquiring a small notebook computer (a Dell Mini 0 to be exact) and then he tested various online services that provide electronic charts and procedures. What readers will like about John’s post is the fact that not only does he provide links to some of these services but he also includes graphics showing what you will get with some of these services.

However, it is important to remember that if you intend to use any electronic device to store or view charts during an actual flight, be sure to always have the printed charts handy as backup because you never know when a battery or something else will fail. After all, the Dell Mini that John uses has a 3 hour plus battery life but only if it is left closed and in sleep mode when not in use. However, John points out that he can also buy a cigarette-lighter power adapter for US$15 as an added measure to ensure longer life.

The total cost for John’s poor man’s electronic flight bag? US$300. Not a bad alternative worth considering.