Did You Know?, Flight School, How to (for pilots)

What’s in my Bag? Pilot Edition

Have you ever wondered what’s in a pilot’s bag? Well, we took a peek in for you…

Less than a decade ago, pilots carried bulky navigational charts, checklists, handbooks and other instruments in their flight bags. Now, with paperless cockpits, pilots travel a lot lighter. The Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) is usually equipped with an app like ForeFlight which has electronic navigation charts that get automatically updated. This equipment helps pilots improve their situational awareness in the cockpit, making flight planning safer and easier.

When United Airlines replaced paper charts with 11000 iPads as EFBs in 2011 for its fleet, a 1.5-pound iPad replaced nearly 38 pounds of paper per flight, saving 326,000 gallons of jet fuel and eliminating nearly 16 million sheets of paper.

Apart from the EFBs, pilots still need to carry flying supplies and personal documents like:

  1. Pilot certificates, photo ID and medical certificate (required)
  2. Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) and FAR/AIM manuals for reference
  3. Current Sectional charts as backups
  4. Kneeboard and writing instruments for quick calculations and to jot down instructions
  5. Fuel tester with a screwdriver for pre-flight inspection to check fuel quality
  6. High-quality flashlight or headlamp (to go hands-free)
  7. Portable phone/tablet charger or battery backup to keep the EFB charged during flight
  8. Aviation headsets (some pilots prefer foam earplugs or noise-canceling headsets for extra protection)
  9. Snacks and water to stay hydrated during flight (not only for themselves but also for passengers)
  10. Two-way handheld radio in case of an emergency for communication
  11. High-quality non-polarized sunglasses to protect from bright sunlight, eye fatigue and flying debris inflight and on the ground
  12. External GPS to track the aircraft’s position on a moving map display
  13. Flight checklist
  14. Manual plotters to calculate course and distance
  15. Logbooks (required for student pilots, but recommended for licensed pilots)

While this list is clearly not exhaustive, now hopefully you have a pretty good idea of the tools a pilot has on hand to keep themselves and their passengers safe in the air.