Flying snacks

Pilawt

Pilawt

Final Approach
Gone West
Joined
Sep 19, 2005
Messages
9,486
Location
Santa Rosita State Park, under the big 'W'
Display Name
Display name:
Pilawt
The "Things You Use in Your Cockpit" thread brings up another question. What snacks do you pack for cross-country flying trips? I'm talking about munchies while flying; an emergency survival kit is a different question.

I try to pack things that are non-perishable, aren't messy, don't require two hands, and are reasonably healthy (or at least not too unhealthy). I'd also rather not choke on anything while flying, or eat anything with untoward physiological effects. Lately, besides water bottles, I've been packing Power Bars, granola bars, and a baggie full of Cheerios or other dry cereal.

What say you?
 
Beef jerky, water, and just a little blow.
If weight is an issue, ditch the water and beef jerky.

Coke weighs like nothing.
 
We have two ovens, a fridge, and a freezer. On long flights people get pretty creative. Had some awesome meals that were better than what I made in a full kitchen the night before. My flight bag always has a roll of aluminum foil, utensils, and an assortment of spices. Will usually prep a meal the night before a flight and throw it in the oven to cook during the flight. Chicken kabobs and Mac & cheese are a hit. Corndogs are good too! When I don't have an oven or fridge in the small stuff, I am usually not flying long enough to need to eat/drink. If I drink it is just gonna make me have to go sooner. If I bring a snack it is stuff that wont get my hands sticky(apples), leave stuff behind(apples, bananas), and not require utensils(basically the stuff we make in the 10). Usually sunflower seeds and I spit the shells into a empty water bottle I drank earlier in the day, Granola bar(not Natures Valley, that stuff will get everywhere), and things in containers like pringles.
 
Last edited:
Big honking two handed sandwiches. A/P makes it nice to have a meal. Also when I have to pee.
 
Zeldman said:
Big honking two handed sandwiches. A/P makes it nice to have a meal. Also when I have to pee.
Click to expand...

I hucked a pi$$ jug out over the shelikof today in mod turb. no AP - I was quite proud.
 
DavidWhite said:
I hucked a pi$$ jug out over the shelikof today in mod turb. no AP - I was quite proud.
Click to expand...

:rofl::rofl::rofl: Did the same close to Russian Mission one day flying a sled..... didn't spill a drop.... in winter, Carhartts and all....
 
Beef jerky,power bars,and on long flights a sandwich . Always have water aboard. Decaf coffee also works.
 
Not a lot, but then the things I fly don't have much endurance. I tend get a dry mouth up there and found Starburst candies are great for that. The airplane I owned was so short on headroom I had to get a headset that had a behind the head headband, and it didn't have an A/P, don't get me started on ****in in flight.
 
LMAO. The *'s in ****in weren't mine, I papa india sierred it. After some of the stuff I've read in here I cannot believe that gets censored.
 
We tend to pack roast beef and provolone sandwiches and some other snack foods (nuts, etc...). It's almost always the case that as soon as I get a mouth full of sandwich, ATC calls with a handoff or the like.
 
I take stuff too, but how many of you eat alone?

I never thought anything of it until I mentioned it to my flight instructor. "What do you do if you get choked?"

Ummmm....
 
On longer trips (>800nm) my girlfriend will generally pack sandwiches, chips, drinks etc. On shorter flights, I usually just bring a small cooler with some drinks in it. I'm not much of a snacker. I have learned not to open coke zero cans above 18,000 ft in an unpressurized airplane. In the flight levels we only drink uncarbonated beverages.
 
I also sometimes pack dog food and treats since I'm almost always bringing my dog along. In fact, I'm about to start packing up for a return from teterboro to Columbus this afternoon which is why I just remembered the dog stuff.
 
For morning flights, chocolate milk. Gives me a little kick and very filling without the diuretic effect coffee has. The little non-perishable pouches can be frozen the night before to help keep them colder longer.
 
Mistake Not... said:
I take stuff too, but how many of you eat alone?

I never thought anything of it until I mentioned it to my flight instructor. "What do you do if you get choked?"

Ummmm....
Click to expand...


Then it's my time. If I can survive 3 meals a day at home alone then I should be able to survive an in flight snack. If not, then it was meant to be.


Goldfish crackers FTW.
 
StinkBug said:
Then it's my time. If I can survive 3 meals a day at home alone then I should be able to survive an in flight snack. If not, then it was meant to be.
Click to expand...

But I wonder if the NTSB would report that the crash was due to the choked snack and not bad piloting.

In answer to the OP question, I eat before I fly. My stomach can usually outlast the fuel tanks.
 
One of my favorite subjects .. food!

I started traveling with good food and haven't looked back since. I like to make my own sandwiches with French bread and rat cheese. I'll carry celery, carrots, broccoli and dip and drinks in cooler.

Whatever you choose, these containers from Hefty are the best I have found. They snap on all four sides and fit in most small coolers and are just great and very heavy duty. We eat like Kings when we fly! :)



aa6fa48d-9b5d-4a82-9f44-b34e68cd7941_300.jpg
 
For my 4 to 5 hour glider fllghts I typically drink 2 quarts of water and eat a ziplock sandwich bag of a mix if crunchy cheetos and pretzels. This is often after spending 30 to 90 minutes in 80-100 degree temps preparing and launching gliders. Note the glider is equiped with a relief system which helps with the water consumption.

There are probably better snacks but I find that drinking that much water I usually need something a bit salty, I don't usually care for sweet snacks. Usually find I don't eat things like Granola, Carrots,or Celery

Brian
 
I can tell ya what not to bring...avoid Quaker toasted oat squares like the plague...
 
Cold cuts (roast beef, pastrami, ham, etc.) rolled up in "Tootsie Roll" style with the appropriate cheese is a godsend on really long all-day cross countries. Wash it down with a plastic bottle of iced tea and you've got a human element range extender that satisfies the hunger and provides a container (after the tea is gone) for downloading excess hydraulic fluid.

34 Oshkoshes from California and counting with this simple recipe. Can anybody suggest a simple way for the copilot (air cooled engine) to pee in the iced tea bottle???

Jim
 
Last edited:
For planned longer flights I pack apples, bottle water and maybe trail mix.
I dont like eating anything greasy or heavy while flying, especially with turbulence, it seems to turn my belly into a gastrointestinal version of a paint mixer.

I also found that keeping a few nature valley granola bars in my flight bag has staved off hunger more than a few times during unplanned deviations. Plus they stay good for a few months if I dont use them, but they are always there.
 
For 3+ hours: beef jerky, cashews, and dried fruit. Particularly mango. Sweet, and refreshing. Also Gatorade.
 
Anything low carb...usually nuts of all kinds, and a few raisans if I need the carbs. Love Kirkland's Diet Green Tea - the Caffiene and Green Tea stimulants are great for flying. Also keep Glucose tablets in center console for low sugar emergencies. Although I've never had a low, can't be too careful when PIC. (Type II Diabetic here.)
 
I pack a gatorade bottle in the cooler with 2 frozen water bottles. If they:thaw I'll drink them too. I carry pretzels and red licorice for snacks - twislers.
 
Lots of good ideas.

Suggestion: Don't eat a whole bunch of mangos at the beginning of a long cross-country.

I ate a bunch about halfway through such a trip, and based upon subsequent events, no way, no how, I would have been able to find a place to land in time from the onset of the need. Glad I had landed. Very, very glad.

That is all.
 
luvflyin said:
Is there a story here?
Click to expand...

Toasted oat squares?

Think of them as crunchy, tasty, highly concentrated little mangoes that strike viciously, mercilessly and with very little warning.
 
I always bring water. As for food I may throw a non-meltable snack in, but don't do it very often. I depend on FBO vending machines for carbs and fats.
 
I take water and that's it. My longest XC to date was 6 hours which I'm able to do without eating. I suppose if it gets longer than that then I would have to take something like a breakfast bar or something.

Kids aren't allowed to eat on the plane either. After spending the time and money on a new interior it's not happening.
 
Water, typically in one of my sport bottles (no-spill).
Coffee in a no-spill vacuum thermos mug.
Sliced apples.
String cheese.
Raw cashews.
 
hook_dupin said:
Is this code for "How can the woman pee?"
Click to expand...

Yuppers. With the addendum to your question " ... into the bottle?"


BTW, nice looking PP ground school. Would you consider doing one for the "pinch hitter" course? I'm only interested in one thing, getting the copilot on the ground alive, getting the incapacitated pilot on the ground alive, and getting the airplane on the ground in one piece. In that order.

Most of the pinch hitter courses I've been able to find go into theory of flight, navigation, rules, and all that crap. Not necessary. Find out how to talk on the radio. How to find somebody on the other end that can find them an airport quickly. How to let the airport know there is a problem. How to set up for a landing. How to get the sucker on the ground preferably without bending anything. Period.

Jim
 
If its green its trouble, if its fried get double....

Fried hard and covered in Ketchup....
 
MyassisDragon said:
For planned longer flights I pack apples, bottle water and maybe trail mix.
I dont like eating anything greasy or heavy while flying, especially with turbulence, it seems to turn my belly into a gastrointestinal version of a paint mixer.

I also found that keeping a few nature valley granola bars in my flight bag has staved off hunger more than a few times during unplanned deviations. Plus they stay good for a few months if I dont use them, but they are always there.
Click to expand...

Cliff bars are good and last for quite a while as well.
 
SCCutler said:
Lots of good ideas.



Suggestion: Don't eat a whole bunch of mangos at the beginning of a long cross-country.



I ate a bunch about halfway through such a trip, and based upon subsequent events, no way, no how, I would have been able to find a place to land in time from the onset of the need. Glad I had landed. Very, very glad.



That is all.
Click to expand...



Hehe. I wish I could find the ATC audio from a few years ago of someone why had to land, NOW, to go poop at the FBO at OSH.
 
Last edited:
Water and power bars is all I pack on trips. For longer legs, nothing at all from 2 hours before departure until about one hour from my destination.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top