Flight bag


It’s been a while; I should probably revisit what’s in my flight bag. The exact configuration will change depending on if I’m renting or flying one of the planes in our “fleet,” the following is pretty typical for “grab the bag and go flying” no matter what aircraft it is. Note that my flights tend towards the cross-country, and I’m usually hundreds of miles from home. I fly a lot of missions (Pilots n’ Paws, etc) and I’ve, e.g., been stuck in Las Vegas overnight when mountain waves suggested it would be a really good idea to wait out the ~50 knot headwinds. So, here goes. Everything in this list has saved a flight at least once.

The bag: BrightLine Flex B4 Swift I paid $164 for this in 2014; it’s gone up a bit since then ($196) but I think it’s still a great deal. It’s incredibly durable, expandable (e.g., I have a Center Section Three ($40 in 2015, $46 now) I can zip in when I need a bit more storage - an overnight change of clothes, a second headset, whatever), and I like having a place for everything. I can reach behind me and grab whatever I need without taking my eyes off the horizon - priceless. The B4 configuration comes with the following modules:
  • Center Section Four
    •  Top pocket: 
    • Main compartment:
      • A Stratus GPS and ADS-B receiver, with the RAM suction cup mount (not sure if it comes with this?). (I had a Stratus 2 that Appareo swapped for a 2S when I sent it in for repairs. There are other options, but there weren’t when I got the Stratus and it works very, very well.)
      • Bose A20 headset with Bluetooth. No, they never go on sale (best you get is a $200-300 freebie thrown in, and maybe a slight discount if you’re buying multiple headsets during one of those promotions). But totally, totally worth it. Durable, lightweight and comfortable to wear for long flights, great noise cancellation. Definitely worth spending the extra $100 for Bluetooth, which gets you music, iPad alerts from ForeFlight (“traffic, six o’clock, 2 miles, same altitute”), and easy calls to, e.g., TRACON to get an IFR clearance from an uncontrolled airport. With local Class D towers closing early due to COVID-19, I’ve been using this feature more and more.
      • Velcro PTT switch. I’ve had the PTT switch in the yoke fail, in both “our” planes and (especially) rentals. Also, if you end up relying on the handheld radio, this will work with that, too, and helps to make an already stressful situation more manageable.
      • RAM RAM-HOL-AP20U Cradle for iPad Mini 4 / 5, with a RAM RAM-B-202U plate (similar to this?)
      • RAM RAM-HOL-BC1(mount for electronics with belt clips; I use it with the Yaesu FTA550 to mount it to a window, keeping it in my scan (it has a VOR receiver and CDI for use in a pinch), and helping with reception / transmission) with a RAM-B-238U 1" rubber ball / diamond base.
      • RAM RAP-B-400U claw, to hang the iPad off a yoke shaft (so far, confirmed this works with the yoke shafts in a Piper PA28, Mooney M20, and Beechcraft BE76).
      • RAM RAM-B-224-1U suction cup base with ball, to mount the radio on a window or in a plane like the Cirrus SR22 (side yoke), to hang the iPad mini in its cradle from a window.
      • RAM RAM-HOL-AP25U cradle for the iPhone X.
  • Pocket Cap Front
    • Top inner pocket:
      • Holds my iPhone in flight.
    • Top large pocket: 
      • Various length RAM arms: RAP-B-201U-A (short; 2.42"),  RAP-B-201U (standard; 3.75"), RAM-B-201U-C (long; 6"), for different combinations.
      • Keys and wallet in flight.
      • A MagSafe battery pack to recharge an iPhone away from the plane; I have several, but I toss this Anker 321 in the flight bag usually (good bang for the buck, larger capacity).
      • A pack (8) of spare AA batteries (the radio uses 6, the headset 2, the flashlight 2...)
      • Other things to have with you (especially on longer, higher altitude flights):
    • Top outer pocket:
    • Middle inner pocket:
    • Middle large pocket:
      • Battery pack - I like to make sure I have one that can feed at least 10W to two devices at the same time, and a minimum of 10,000 mAh. I have a cheap Insignia I picked up for some reason and while it’s 10,000 mAh with a micro USB B connector for charging (5V 2A) and two USB A ports to connect devices to, both devices share 5V 2.1A: “If your device does not charge fast enough, disconnect the second USB device,” the manual helpfully recommends. Or get a better battery pack with a beefier charging circuit!
    • Middle front pocket:
    • Bottom inner pocket:
    • Bottom large pocket:
      • 12V two-port 24W USB charger (for use in the plane - if the cigar lighter socket works! - and in courtesy cars)
      • 120V 24W USB wall charger (for topping off devices at the FBO or in the hotel you suddenly find yourself overnighting, unexpectedly) - or, now more likely (I always need more battery power in the cockpit, it seems) an Anker PowerCore Fusion 10000 combined battery pack and AC charger, which can charge an iPad at 15W over a Lightning / USB-C cable, while also feeding an iPhone, etc)
      • Lightning cable. (Should be longer than you think, so you can power an iPad with a 12V socket all the way on the other side of the plane, or a battery pack tucked out of the way.)
      • USB-C cable (ditto, but for the Stratus that’s on a window somewhere).
      • MicroUSB cable (to top off the battery pack).
      • Travel-sized deodorant. (Planes get hot. Pilots get sweaty.)
    • Bottom front pocket:
      • Aleve
      • Loose batteries.
    • Inner pocket:
      • iPad mini (latest model), in a Logitech keyboard case. I always get the WiFi-only mini; you don’t get the built-in GPS, but the GPS units in the plane, and in the Stratus, are typically more accurate and better anyway, and don’t deplete the iPad battery the way running the internal GPS constantly does. Plus, it saves $130 or so per iPad, and since I’ve gone through four iPad minis so far (original, a mini 2, the mini 4, and now a mini 5), that adds up! The keyboard case provides some protection, and also makes it at least somewhat feasible to use the iPad to do some work (write emails, etc) if I end up needing to, somewhere, but it’s obviously totally optional.
  • Flat Cap Rear
    • Inner pocket:
      • Occasionally a 13" MacBook Air laptop (about the biggest I’d try to slide into that pocket)
    • Outer pocket (open):
      • Kneeboard (when I’m not actively flight training, I tend not to use this, though, and just use the scratchpad functionality in ForeFlight)
    • Outer pocket (velcro flap):
      • Medical certificate
      • Pilot certificate
      • Passport
      • Other paperwork
  • Side Pocket Alpha
    • CamelBak Eddy 0.6L water bottle (the bigger ones - I found 0.75L most commonly - don’t fit) or, now in rotation, a 24 oz. Contigo, doesn’t have the straw, but keeps the water cool; a Hydro Flask would probably work too.
  • Side Pocket Charlie
    • Yaesu FTA550 handheld radio (comes with a headset adapter, belt clip, 12V adapter, etc). I spent about $200 on it in 2017 and money well spent. The antenna slips securely into one of the “pen holders” on the side of this pocket.
    •  Smith & Wesson Galaxy LED flashlight, red or white illumination. Appears to be no longer available, which is a shame, it’s the perfect size and brightness.

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