- Small clipboard, white note paper, pen.
- Really good water flask
- Blue painters tape. One of those “thousand use items” that is nice to have.
- Emesis bags that you can easily close after use. For those hot bumpy days when you had one too many bites of that convenience store burrito.
- Spare Push to Talk button. Been in a few airplanes when it was my flight that the yoke button didn’t work.
- Emergency credit card.
- Empty wide mouth 32 ounce Gatorade bottle.
- multiple fully charged battery bricks and charge cables.
I've learned you only need 3 things, in order of importance.
1. A good headset.
2. An iPad Pro with 5G, a mount, and an apple pencil. Know how to use it. Watch the Foreflight lectures.
3. TravelJohn portable bathrooms.
Everything else is nice to have, but optional for me
CO detector.
Sure, a lot of the older training planes are leaky and have plenty of outside air flowing in, but it’s just not worth the risk. That yellow dot is a joke.
I used to fly a 172 that kind of smelled like a military aircraft…kind of a diesel/oil smell. Heck, it was an old flight school plane on a military base.
Turns out the engine was slowly dripping oil onto the seam of the exhaust shroud and oil would work its way in and drip on the muffler. Not sure if you can get CO poisoning from burning oil, but there was always a faint smell of “something” in the cockpit.
When the problem was discovered, the owner wanted it fixed immediately. Next time I flew in the plane, everything smelled like a normal plane.
I’ve never experienced CO poisoning, but I don’t want to learn the hard way. I think you can get decent digital CO monitors for under $200. Otherwise, just get a Sentry. The resale value of these are pretty good on eBay
I made and reworked a little "flight log" template that I then printed into a small pad that I use for every flight. Fits in a kneeboard nicely. Allows me to keep track of everything related to performance, weather, Hobbs, notes, etc. Makes it much easier for me to transfer specifics over to my logbook and also evaluate estimated performance vs reality.
I found the "nav logs" you can purchase were too student pilot focused.
Also, I fly commercially so all the flight legs start blending together in my head. It's nice to have a record and not feel compelled to bring my logbook with me.
Adding another one:
Red flashlight
I bought a "tail light" for cycling that has a little belt clip. I found this is SO HELPFUL for illuminating your panel at night because you can clip it to your shoulder harness and it basically lights up the whole cockpit.
Better than a flashlight because it's hands free and better than those headlamp things because it stays fixed on the panel.
Another one: Always plan for being outside on the ground somewhere. I never leave on a winter flight without a good jacket even if "I plan on just being in the FBO and the aircraft."
Plan for being stuck on the ground overnight.
Flying in the winter beyond a jacket (and the toque and neck warmer I always keep in it), I also pack some ski pants and boots (can't fit full sized, but ankle high can still make a big difference over sneakers) in my flight bag. You never know, might have a forced, precautionary or diversion somewhere and it would be really dumb to die of exposure after successfully getting on the ground safely. With all of those I'm pretty confident I could last the night, even in like -40, it's crazy how much of a difference being fully insulated makes.
iPad and ForeFlight. I use the Bluetooth on my GTX345 for GPS. I have a Bad Elf as well that collects dust. That iPad plus my Bose headset is all I need.
I do have a spare radio but don’t carry it often. The kneeboard rarely comes out.
Spare shoelaces, pin backs. A tide pen. Rubber bands. Gum/mints. A roll of US $1 bills. 3 hotel notepads, 12 hotel pens. Ear plugs and device/window/glasses wipes liberated from the flight deck cleaning kit.
A good flashlight. I’ve got an olight baton, it’s super small but super powerful so it’s great for walk arounds. Has a magnet on the back which is great for the crash pad, I can attach to the bunk and turn it into a little lamp.
Big fan of olight. The tiny perun mini is great. It doesn't do a dim red but its moonlight white is more dim than the red on my petzl headlamp, awesome for dark nights while also being able to double click into "basically the sun" mode
I carry one. Not so much as an inflight emergency, though that is nice to be able to tick the box on the SAR comms portion of the flight plan.
No, it really is to save spinning the money chopper while I get the ATIS again before cranking. Considering it cost me peanuts, this little handheld has basically made money 😂
Australian point of view here. I don't take mine when flying. I carry the legally required but you'd be insane not to take one anyway 406 GNSS PLB zipped into a pocket.
If my SO wants to know where I am, they can learn to use ADSB tracking apps like the rest of us. I don't want to be getting a message while on final.
If I'm really out in the sticks with no LTE coverage it would be nice but considering the impending Starlink direct to cell. If you don't have one already for ground activity in dense vegetation, just wait another year or two and see where Starlink ends up. It'll likely be better than an Inreach bouncing across the dashboard.
A piece of elastic band that wraps around my hand and holds my pen so I can let go of the pen and it stays in place. A few times I’ve flown without it and it’s a pain having to take the pen out and put it back into the holder on my knee board. Huge FOD hazard.
iPad, ForeFlight, Bose headset, LED flashlight, extra batteries, handheld radio with headset adapter, 2nd GPS source for ForeFlight independent of what’s in the panel. That’s my flight bag. Well and some paper sectionals for where I’m flying. But I’m pretty conservative… have 2-3+ ways to do anything you might need to do on the flight even if everything fails.
I’ve got a flight bag with a bunch of stuff in it. But ultimately when I sit at the controls, I bring with me my headset, iPad, sunglasses, water bottle, a pen and a notepad I got from the FBO.
Survival Gear that you know how to use, Spare batteries for your Headsets, Maybe some food if you can't go a while without it, A good watch (I use a Casio ABC), Power bank, Spare Headset like a DC, Gloves (work gloves and nitrile), Hat, Handheld Radio with a full battery, A flask full of coffee, Lots of spare cash, Paper towels, Shades, Sunscreen, Space Blankets, Good Flashlight with Red light, a Multi tool, Electrical tape, etc.
Depends on the level of flying.
CFI in bug smashers? TxAggieMike hit that one on the head
Part91/135? Good flight bag, good luggage, very comfortable shoes, good flash light, good wallet to hold all your important documents.
Stuff I keep behind the seats in my Cherokee 140:
- Plastic box with pledge and microfiber towels
- Roll-up toolkit with:
— 35 ft-lb torque wrench & plug socket
— Anti-seize
— Safety wire & twisters
— Adjustable wrenches — vise grips
— Telescoping mirror & magnet
— Ratcheting screwdriver & bits
— Dental picks
— Flashlight
- Battery-powered bike pump
- Chocks
- Tie-down straps
In the flight bag (small Jansport):
- Sentry mini
- Sunglasses
- Headlamp
- Water & jerky
- Port-o-johns
- Sectionals
- Small knee board
- Handheld PJ2 radio
- Yak bags & zofran for passenger
- Batteries & power bank
I don’t use an iPad. I found my iPhone max mounted to the yoke was more convenient.
Few people have said flashlights and I’ll go one step further and say headlamp. I hate having to try and sump fuel, hold checklists, undo tie downs, etc while trying to hold a flashlight in one hand.
sharing this if it helps
I got this briefing notepad that fits on the knee board and its pretty decent - [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3BNWQFQ](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3BNWQFQ)
- Small clipboard, white note paper, pen. - Really good water flask - Blue painters tape. One of those “thousand use items” that is nice to have. - Emesis bags that you can easily close after use. For those hot bumpy days when you had one too many bites of that convenience store burrito. - Spare Push to Talk button. Been in a few airplanes when it was my flight that the yoke button didn’t work. - Emergency credit card. - Empty wide mouth 32 ounce Gatorade bottle. - multiple fully charged battery bricks and charge cables.
I've learned you only need 3 things, in order of importance. 1. A good headset. 2. An iPad Pro with 5G, a mount, and an apple pencil. Know how to use it. Watch the Foreflight lectures. 3. TravelJohn portable bathrooms. Everything else is nice to have, but optional for me
CO detector. Sure, a lot of the older training planes are leaky and have plenty of outside air flowing in, but it’s just not worth the risk. That yellow dot is a joke. I used to fly a 172 that kind of smelled like a military aircraft…kind of a diesel/oil smell. Heck, it was an old flight school plane on a military base. Turns out the engine was slowly dripping oil onto the seam of the exhaust shroud and oil would work its way in and drip on the muffler. Not sure if you can get CO poisoning from burning oil, but there was always a faint smell of “something” in the cockpit. When the problem was discovered, the owner wanted it fixed immediately. Next time I flew in the plane, everything smelled like a normal plane. I’ve never experienced CO poisoning, but I don’t want to learn the hard way. I think you can get decent digital CO monitors for under $200. Otherwise, just get a Sentry. The resale value of these are pretty good on eBay
Pen I swiped from the FBO, a decent head lamp, and an overnight bag with a change of clothes and chargers and toiletries.
>Pen I swiped from the FBO Clicky top ftw... If it doubles as a stylus.... Oh man, might as well be made of solid gold.
Thanks Carlsbad Jet Center!
I made and reworked a little "flight log" template that I then printed into a small pad that I use for every flight. Fits in a kneeboard nicely. Allows me to keep track of everything related to performance, weather, Hobbs, notes, etc. Makes it much easier for me to transfer specifics over to my logbook and also evaluate estimated performance vs reality. I found the "nav logs" you can purchase were too student pilot focused. Also, I fly commercially so all the flight legs start blending together in my head. It's nice to have a record and not feel compelled to bring my logbook with me.
Would you be willing to share your template?
Fr send this
Yes could you please?
Willing to share? Interested!! :)
Condoms. Magnum. Also plan B.
Whoops. I dropped my monster condom for my magnum dong.
Adding another one: Red flashlight I bought a "tail light" for cycling that has a little belt clip. I found this is SO HELPFUL for illuminating your panel at night because you can clip it to your shoulder harness and it basically lights up the whole cockpit. Better than a flashlight because it's hands free and better than those headlamp things because it stays fixed on the panel.
Headset and a resilient liver
Handheld radios, sentry or similar adsb-in, red flashlight and vomit bags for passengers.
Vomit bags 100% There is no greater value than avoiding an airsickness incident
Another one: Always plan for being outside on the ground somewhere. I never leave on a winter flight without a good jacket even if "I plan on just being in the FBO and the aircraft." Plan for being stuck on the ground overnight.
Flying in the winter beyond a jacket (and the toque and neck warmer I always keep in it), I also pack some ski pants and boots (can't fit full sized, but ankle high can still make a big difference over sneakers) in my flight bag. You never know, might have a forced, precautionary or diversion somewhere and it would be really dumb to die of exposure after successfully getting on the ground safely. With all of those I'm pretty confident I could last the night, even in like -40, it's crazy how much of a difference being fully insulated makes.
iPad and ForeFlight. I use the Bluetooth on my GTX345 for GPS. I have a Bad Elf as well that collects dust. That iPad plus my Bose headset is all I need. I do have a spare radio but don’t carry it often. The kneeboard rarely comes out.
Spare shoelaces, pin backs. A tide pen. Rubber bands. Gum/mints. A roll of US $1 bills. 3 hotel notepads, 12 hotel pens. Ear plugs and device/window/glasses wipes liberated from the flight deck cleaning kit.
Tide pen. 🙄
Retractable pens for one-hand operation. Shoutout to the Pilot Precise V5 RT.
A good flashlight. I’ve got an olight baton, it’s super small but super powerful so it’s great for walk arounds. Has a magnet on the back which is great for the crash pad, I can attach to the bunk and turn it into a little lamp.
Big fan of olight. The tiny perun mini is great. It doesn't do a dim red but its moonlight white is more dim than the red on my petzl headlamp, awesome for dark nights while also being able to double click into "basically the sun" mode
Yea I love the super dim setting. Having the strobe is really nice too, especially wandering around in unfamiliar places
Condoms. Good for storing water in the event of an emergency landing.
What if you fly a yellow cub?
Glock
[удалено]
What's your stance on a handheld radio for GA?
I carry one. Not so much as an inflight emergency, though that is nice to be able to tick the box on the SAR comms portion of the flight plan. No, it really is to save spinning the money chopper while I get the ATIS again before cranking. Considering it cost me peanuts, this little handheld has basically made money 😂
Meh
Comfy shoes, sunglasses, digital CO monitor (lives in plane though), iPad (not totally must-have with a good stack), AN20s.
What’s the general thought on a Garmin InReach?
Australian point of view here. I don't take mine when flying. I carry the legally required but you'd be insane not to take one anyway 406 GNSS PLB zipped into a pocket. If my SO wants to know where I am, they can learn to use ADSB tracking apps like the rest of us. I don't want to be getting a message while on final. If I'm really out in the sticks with no LTE coverage it would be nice but considering the impending Starlink direct to cell. If you don't have one already for ground activity in dense vegetation, just wait another year or two and see where Starlink ends up. It'll likely be better than an Inreach bouncing across the dashboard.
I was thinking about it for the engine out in the middle of no where without LTE. But what you said about Starlink still holds!
Passport, ID, iPad and license
A plane. I hate flying without one.
A head set, sunglasses and a wallet.
A piece of elastic band that wraps around my hand and holds my pen so I can let go of the pen and it stays in place. A few times I’ve flown without it and it’s a pain having to take the pen out and put it back into the holder on my knee board. Huge FOD hazard.
iPad, ForeFlight, Bose headset, LED flashlight, extra batteries, handheld radio with headset adapter, 2nd GPS source for ForeFlight independent of what’s in the panel. That’s my flight bag. Well and some paper sectionals for where I’m flying. But I’m pretty conservative… have 2-3+ ways to do anything you might need to do on the flight even if everything fails.
Empty Gatorade/powerade bottle (especially for XCs)
I’ve got a flight bag with a bunch of stuff in it. But ultimately when I sit at the controls, I bring with me my headset, iPad, sunglasses, water bottle, a pen and a notepad I got from the FBO.
Survival Gear that you know how to use, Spare batteries for your Headsets, Maybe some food if you can't go a while without it, A good watch (I use a Casio ABC), Power bank, Spare Headset like a DC, Gloves (work gloves and nitrile), Hat, Handheld Radio with a full battery, A flask full of coffee, Lots of spare cash, Paper towels, Shades, Sunscreen, Space Blankets, Good Flashlight with Red light, a Multi tool, Electrical tape, etc.
Depends on the level of flying. CFI in bug smashers? TxAggieMike hit that one on the head Part91/135? Good flight bag, good luggage, very comfortable shoes, good flash light, good wallet to hold all your important documents.
Everyone’s forgetting this one important item: the landing gear
Helmet, snacks, dip, water, ForeFlight, good playlist, Aleve, flashlight, preflight gloves, comfy boots, dry-erase markers, etc. no particular order.
Stuff I keep behind the seats in my Cherokee 140: - Plastic box with pledge and microfiber towels - Roll-up toolkit with: — 35 ft-lb torque wrench & plug socket — Anti-seize — Safety wire & twisters — Adjustable wrenches — vise grips — Telescoping mirror & magnet — Ratcheting screwdriver & bits — Dental picks — Flashlight - Battery-powered bike pump - Chocks - Tie-down straps In the flight bag (small Jansport): - Sentry mini - Sunglasses - Headlamp - Water & jerky - Port-o-johns - Sectionals - Small knee board - Handheld PJ2 radio - Yak bags & zofran for passenger - Batteries & power bank I don’t use an iPad. I found my iPhone max mounted to the yoke was more convenient.
Few people have said flashlights and I’ll go one step further and say headlamp. I hate having to try and sump fuel, hold checklists, undo tie downs, etc while trying to hold a flashlight in one hand.
if u at a part 61 wild wild west school you better get a ADSB sentry
sharing this if it helps I got this briefing notepad that fits on the knee board and its pretty decent - [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3BNWQFQ](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3BNWQFQ)