CFIs---Does anyone still use kneeboards?

timwinters

timwinters

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I have a nice Jepp IFR trifold kneeboard that hasn't seen the light of day for at least 6 or 8 years. Free to any student under 21 who needs one. I'll even pay shipping (it fits nicely in a priority mail flat rate envelope).

First one to PM their name and address to me wins the kneeboard lottery. Must be for a PRIMARY student UNDER 21 YO.

That is IF anyone still uses these things:

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I still have the unused strap for the aluminum kneeboard and...since unused...in new condition.
 

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Pretty much all my trainees use a simple kneeboard of some sort -- just too hard to copy clearances and write down frequencies and the like without a pad of paper on a kneeboard. I've had a couple use the scratchpad on their iPad/ForeFlight for that, but most folks prefer good old pencil-and-paper, and without something to secure the pad, it tends to be a lot more difficult.
 
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None of my guys used them, just a legal pas and pen.

Hope it finds a nice home though.
 
I have a young student who might be interested. I just pinged him to see if he's interested.
 
I use a kneeboard but its only purpose is to hold paper and pen so I can scribble if needed.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I use a kneeboard but its only purpose is to hold paper and pen so I can scribble if needed.
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Much the same, but mine has a side pocket I use to keep my instrument covers handy for partial panel training. But I must admit they get less and less use as more folks have PFD's instead of 6-packs.
 
I use a small clipboard. I never was a fan of those trifolds. They are too bulky for me.
 
I use normal sized clipboards, three of them. Even when I was flying a lot of "hard IFR" this was my system:

1. had all the departure information.
2. had all the enroute info.
3, had all the arrival info.

99% of my flying was solo so the co-pilot's seat was my desk. The active clipboard was typically on my lap, the other two on the co-pilot's side...tucked under the seatbelt to keep them put.

There's always enough blank space in taxi diagrams, approach plates, etc. to scribble down clearances and other misc info.
 
Use post its and a small notebook,to supplement my fore flight on the IPad.
 
I still use them. Rarely reference anything on it though.
 

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Ron Levy said:
Much the same, but mine has a side pocket I use to keep my instrument covers handy for partial panel training. But I must admit they get less and less use as more folks have PFD's instead of 6-packs.
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I remember those covers.... more suckers on a single one than whole groups of octopi.

For longer flights, I use a kneeboard like Tim is flogging. Much easier to write down items when ATC is rapid fire with gusts to 90 wps and half of my attention is to flying the aircraft.

Another nod to Ron for the tips and tricks he taught me to make my scribbles legible and quick to write down.
 
RalphInCA said:
Ummmm.... There's a hole in your floor McFly. You may want to do something about that.
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I know. I'm scared of heights too so I just avoid looking down there.:D
 
While i primarily fly with my iPad mini mounted on the yolk, i use my trusty kneepad by Sporty's continually. Right side has a pad for frequencies and the left side has my checklists and airport printouts. yes, i know i could use the scratchpad on the mini but i don't find it convenient or quick to use.
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I just use a simple metal knee board with a pad of paper. Nothing fancy, no fold out leaves.
 
I use the same little kneeboard as mcfly, with a nice wide Velcro strap. My checklist lives there, which also has performance charts. I put my handwritten Nav info there for trips, along with highlighted airport diagrams from AOPA Airport, printed in kneeboard format. Don't needd a trifold monster with pockets, there ain't room to open it!

And paper to write clearances, frequencies, times, etc. I've had to refer to inbound frequencies when departing several days later and Departure would never answer my calls; the clouds were getting close and I needed a code and a clearance. Did I say the grass strip I visited at the beach was uncontrolled and the next county north of ILM? They had time to give flight following to other folks inbound to outlying fields, but not to open my IFR flight plan.
 
Someone once gave me a nice kneeboard for a gift, it had an aluminum box inside with a clip board top just the right size to stick a short stack of plates in, and had a pad of pre printed IFR sheets with CRAFT and several other labeled spaces, also some reference sheets of general stuff. I loved the box, it allowed keeping all the potential plates for the trip right in it, as well an extra pen or two. For training, the sheets are nice because they give you reminders on what details to IFR you need to think about.

Anymore, iPad and a simple note pad. If I flew IFR more, I'd probably pick up a clearance recorder.
 
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Used a trifold with additional rings and pockets in the pre-iPad days. Stopped using paper altogether except for an emergency sticky pad (which also work as instrument covers). Recently began experimenting with a return of a basic kneeboard to hold a single pad of paper steady fior writing notes, clearances, etc - seems to be a litte more efficient than using the iPad for that although the jury is still out
 
midlifeflyer said:
Used a trifold with additional rings and pockets in the pre-iPad days. Stopped using paper altogether except for an emergency sticky pad (which also work as instrument covers). Recently began experimenting with a return of a basic kneeboard to hold a single pad of paper steady fior writing notes, clearances, etc - seems to be a litte more efficient than using the iPad for that although the jury is still out
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I don't like writing with my finger, anyone have 'pen' recommendations or warnings for writing on an iPad?
 
Henning said:
I don't like writing with my finger, anyone have 'pen' recommendations or warnings for writing on an iPad?
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Two summers ago, my first summer back in the Southeast, I discovered sweaty fingers do not write well on an iPad, so I started using a stylus. Nothing fancy. I use those pen on one end, stylus on the other ones you can pick up for $5 or less at discount stores and are starting to appear as give-aways.

Seems to work just fine although I doubt even a stylus is a good solution for those who are used to resting their hand on the writing surface.

The other stylus warning I have is that there seems to be a pressure "sweet spot" where writing works and outside of which you get skips like a pen running out of ink.

Those aren't, btw, the reasons I am looking at paper again - I learned how to write on a blackboard as a child and use the same hand-arched technique on the iPad.

Suggestion - get a cheap stylus and practice to see it it works for you.
 
I use a kneeboard, paper, and a pen. The iPad is on the other seat for when I need it.

I use those notepad and pens from hotel rooms. Because you know, if I don't take them, who else will? I will be able to copy a clearance until I die.
 
The more compact and simple the better IMO. Those big metal ones are like strapping a fridge to your leg.

Here's my home brew one, no straps, very lean and small.

Checklist lives under my right leg.

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If I'm doing a quick flight and I know the area I don't use a kneeboard. If I'm doing a XC I have a small Sporty's one that basically holds a pen and a notepad.

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I also don't like writing with my finger so I'll stick with this though Instrument Training.
 
This is something I've actually been considering (a lot, actually) as I start my training. I plan to use my ipad2 on my left thigh...nice and simple no frills attachment to my leg, and then on the right thigh I will have a simple ASA VFR aluminum knee board.

I want to have the ipad running fltplan go for constant gps-type navigation, plus it has lots of other great info I can easily look up. However, I don't like using electronic devices for note-taking. Never have. So the right kneeboard will be for jotting notes and such as needed. Under that kneeboard, between it and my leg, I am keeping my own custom checklist book with additional printed information that I may find helpful (tac/sectional pages where I am flying, airport directory info, checklist and emergency procedures for the aircraft I am flying, etc). It might be a bit too much...but I can refine later as I become more experienced. I am sure I will come to a point where I can assess and trim redundant data, but at this point I don't want to depend solely on my ipad.

Oh...and I haven't had my first lesson yet, so all of this may change after the first flight! ;-)
 
cipio said:
Oh...and I haven't had my first lesson yet, so all of this may change after the first flight! ;-)
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I would highly suggest you do not take a tablet on your flights until your closing on your PPL checkride. Your priority should be to aviate and a tablet could be both a distraction and a crutch at the same time. I didn't use my tablet until I started my XC flights and even then it was a backup to the paper Navlog I made for each flight. Same with my checkride, I had it but still used the Navlog for the flight but used the tablet as an EFB to reference the AF/D and sectional. Had GPS off.
 
cipio said:
This is something I've actually been considering (a lot, actually) as I start my training. I plan to use my ipad2 on my left thigh...nice and simple no frills attachment to my leg, and then on the right thigh I will have a simple ASA VFR aluminum knee board.

I want to have the ipad running fltplan go for constant gps-type navigation, plus it has lots of other great info I can easily look up. However, I don't like using electronic devices for note-taking. Never have. So the right kneeboard will be for jotting notes and such as needed. Under that kneeboard, between it and my leg, I am keeping my own custom checklist book with additional printed information that I may find helpful (tac/sectional pages where I am flying, airport directory info, checklist and emergency procedures for the aircraft I am flying, etc). It might be a bit too much...but I can refine later as I become more experienced. I am sure I will come to a point where I can assess and trim redundant data, but at this point I don't want to depend solely on my ipad.

Oh...and I haven't had my first lesson yet, so all of this may change after the first flight! ;-)
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Why do you feel you need to strap the thing to your body?

Between hard IFR, dual instruction, float ops, backcountry stuff, mod to sever turb, I've never missed not adding straps to my ipad/kneeboard
 
James331 said:
Why do you feel you need to strap the thing to your body?

Between hard IFR, dual instruction, float ops, backcountry stuff, mod to sever turb, I've never missed not adding straps to my ipad/kneeboard
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I agree. As I mentioned before, all I use is a small clipboard as my kneeboard. When I'm VFR, the clipboard goes in the side pocket until I'm beginning my approach. VFR I don't really need to write anything down except for the ATIS and sometimes taxi instructions if I'm at an unfamiliar airport. After I finish the runup, the clipboard goes in the side pocket.
 
James331 said:
Why do you feel you need to strap the thing to your body?

Between hard IFR, dual instruction, float ops, backcountry stuff, mod to sever turb, I've never missed not adding straps to my ipad/kneeboard
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Ipad: it's slippery? [shrug] When i right right or back seat wtih my ipad, I am glad to not have it sliding around on my lap.

Notepad...just so it's always there right where I left it?

Is this unusual thinking? Every pilot I've flown with in the last 6 months has either used a kneeboard for their ipad or had it strapped to the yoke somehow.
 
The case my ipad is in, which doubles as a legal pad holder, doesn't slip or slide at all.
 
James331 said:
The case my ipad is in, which doubles as a legal pad holder, doesn't slip or slide at all.
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What case do you use? I currently have one of those suction cup RAM mounts that I put on the left window. That's great and all but it can overheat on long flights. Something I could just open and close as I need it might be a better option at times.
 
James331 said:
Why do you feel you need to strap the thing to your body?

Between hard IFR, dual instruction, float ops, backcountry stuff, mod to sever turb, I've never missed not adding straps to my ipad/kneeboard
Click to expand...
On the kneeboard, I generally find strapping the notepad to my leg makes for a better stable writing platform. That's about it. YRMV.
 
cipio said:
This is something I've actually been considering (a lot, actually) as I start my training. I plan to use my ipad2 on my left thigh...nice and simple no frills attachment to my leg, and then on the right thigh I will have a simple ASA VFR aluminum knee board.

I want to have the ipad running fltplan go for constant gps-type navigation, plus it has lots of other great info I can easily look up. However, I don't like using electronic devices for note-taking. Never have. So the right kneeboard will be for jotting notes and such as needed. Under that kneeboard, between it and my leg, I am keeping my own custom checklist book with additional printed information that I may find helpful (tac/sectional pages where I am flying, airport directory info, checklist and emergency procedures for the aircraft I am flying, etc). It might be a bit too much...but I can refine later as I become more experienced. I am sure I will come to a point where I can assess and trim redundant data, but at this point I don't want to depend solely on my ipad.

Oh...and I haven't had my first lesson yet, so all of this may change after the first flight! ;-)
Click to expand...

Chuck all that out the window. You need to learn the Plane first. Until you can perform standard maneuvers without reference to instruments and have pilotage down, it'll just be a distraction. Checklist and scratch pad only.

***This is from somebody who has had multiple CFIs shove clipboards in front of the panel with the injuction to "look outside, d*** it"
 
Zero room on the Fly Baby panel, but I found a wrist (not knee) strap for my phone works. I use Avare GPS flight software.
 
OkieAviator said:
What case do you use? I currently have one of those suction cup RAM mounts that I put on the left window. That's great and all but it can overheat on long flights. Something I could just open and close as I need it might be a better option at times.
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Just a $20 canvas Belkin one from walmart.

I had a elastic strap from the arts and crafts store stitched on the front and back of the lid of it to attach the legal pad, with the extra I made a loop to hold the pen too.

There is a picture posted of it on the first page of this thread, it works great, normally I have it on my lap sideways.
 
OkieAviator said:
If I'm doing a quick flight and I know the area I don't use a kneeboard. If I'm doing a XC I have a small Sporty's one that basically holds a pen and a notepad.

22205.jpg


I also don't like writing with my finger so I'll stick with this though Instrument Training.
Click to expand...

Same here. I use an iPad but keep the knee board for jotting down a clearance or a new freq.
 
I use the VFR version of the kneeboard in the OP. It has a clear pocket on the right flap that doesn't look like it exists on the IFR version.

I've used it since training, so am used to it. There's always room for it, the flaps that hang down pretty much just act as pockets for me to stuff a sectional or check list into rather than tucking it under my leg or next to the seat. I always have a writing surface in front of me, a pen and pencil right where I left them, and no sunlight glare on a tablet surface to worry about. I do use a tablet, too, but I don't use it for primary navigation, so I normally just set it wherever is convenient and reference it as needed.
 
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