Hey,

What all do you carry in your flight bags? I ask becuase I am trying to decide on a flight bag!!

 

i got a soft brief case when i worked at ace hardware back in 1999 and i have carried it ever since. It is hunter green and made by eastpack with the ace logo on it. It is probably 18" long but 6" wide by 12" high or so. It is soft so it expands as needed and has many pockets.

I usually carry....
FAR AIM for those innevitable stormed in arm chair pilot debates
All the charts for the area i plan on flying in
Timer
Kneeboard
yoke clip for approach plates
Headset
Approach plates for wherever i think i may land that day
a set of wet erase markers for the chart (it is in a plexi cover thing)
flight ruler
a few pencils, a few pens
logbook
headlight (flashlight for my head with red and white lens)
foggles
flight guide western states
e6b both manual and electronic
2 barf bags (you never know who is going to get sick)
2 glow sticks incase i ditch at night
solar blanket (looks like folded tinfoil)
an IR/non IR strobe in one. got it in the Marines for a Helo LZ..works good if you have to ditch
I think i carry a few misc blank flight plan sheets
dramamine in case someone feels they want to barf in my plane

I think that is it....it sounds like a TON of stuff but it really isnt that much once it goes in the bag...most of it is no thicker then a chart. The whole bag weighs 7 lbs and the bulkiest item is the headset which is not in there while i fly. The bag actually has nice neat pockets for most all of these items.

 

Thanks For The Info,the Glow Sticks Sound Like A Good Idea!!

 

Don't waste your money on a "pilot's" flight bag. A bag to hold your stuff is a bag to hold your stuff. Avoid pilots shops and Sportys, go to Walmart. Spend your money on flying.

 

You can have my E6B! Ground school is coming to an end and I still haven't mastered it. I was in a coffee shop all day Friday and almost caused the people there to call the police. There I was turning the darn thing around and around, all the while mumbling numbers to myself. Almost needed those barf bags.

 

the whiz wheel is a piece of cake once you get used to it. Do what i did when i was learning, i wrote on my E6B with a pen little hints with arrows pointing to --> fuel quantity here etc

It looked like junk but it helped me out. Dont try to master all of its functions because it is like trying to learn PI to 30 decimal places, just learn the functions you need to know and will be tested on. In the private ride I only had to use it for my groundspeed and estimated time of arrival to my new destination when we diverted.

 

Thanks, Shawn. I think I need private, personal tutoring. You know, like a newbie learning to play golf. The instructor stands behind you and shows you how to hold the club. Oh, but I digress. Sorry. hee hee.

 

I went thru the book that comes with it - the practice exercises are excellent and helped me understand what it is capable of doing. Its like math - the more practice problems you do the more confident you'll get with it...

Enjoy...Hang in there...

-LAFF

 

What about your pocket protector? j/k

 

As you get to flying cross countries the usage of the whiz wheel will become much easier. Lots of people at my flight school are getting the electronic ones now but I usually will show them up in the airplane because while they're hitting buttons to change modes I'm already figuring out what I need to know.