Kneeboard Items

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ATC_av8er

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ATC_av8er
So now that I am soloing, and prepping for X-Country flights, I'd like to put together a list of items I should have on my kneeboard. What are some of the things the PoA community has with theirs? Thank you for your help.
 
For me I just use a small clipboard with a blank sheet of paper. For my solo cross countries, I had my map and nav log and maybe a blank sheet of paper. As you get more experience, the less clutter you'll have on your knee board.
 
For VFR ops I just had a folded sectional under my left leg, checklist under my right leg, knee boards are a little unnecessary outside of IFR ops.

Draw your lines on your chart with a fat drafting pencil, add on the times and fuel burns along those lines.


The mass info needed is outside your windows and on the time off of your watch, all the airport info you need is on that sectional.

Don't make things complicated.
 
A sectional,pencil,and some paper.
 
Some cool stickers would look good on the clipboard. :D
 
I like to,print out the airport information from AOPA. There's a link that says "Kneeboard Format" that fills one sheet of paper, and folds in half to fit my kneeboard exactly. It has the runway numbers (missing from the sectional), all frequencies including Approach and Departure (perfect for picking up flight following). There's often a small map showing the ramp, FBO, etc., complete with phone numbers.
 
Basic freq's for airports in your area. Of course a sectional will have that, but sometimes a "quick guide" comes in handy. I also keep my aircraft checklist on my kneeboard. I do the AOPA kneeboard format also, but beware. On a multi-state cross country, I had those printed for each stop. Two of the listings had errors.
 
Since it has been mentioned in every other thread today, boobs. You should out pictures of boobs on the knee board


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I don't use a kneeboard, but the VFR chart, pencil and paper. AFD is nice too, but now with GPS, well, just about everything you need is in a good GPS. Still need paper and pencil in case ATC gives you something you have to write down. Have to have access to the airplane checklists of course.
 
Yeah how about boobs coming from together...how does that work, on a kneeboard I mean....anyone?
 
As a student I kept my flight log, a page with airport frequencies and an example dialog sheet for going into Class-C. Usually a printout of airport diagrams. My chart usually on top, folded so I could see my route.

Today - airport diagram and chart. Maybe frequencies.
 
mscard88 said:
Yeah how about boobs coming from together...how does that work, on a kneeboard I mean....anyone?
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Too distracting for a student pilot. Maybe a single photo after 100 hours. Save the real boobs for later . . . Gives you something to look forward to! (OK, OK, you'll be looking sideways at them in the other seat . . . o_O )
 
Pre EFB...I had my pad of paper, TWO pens (cuz I would always drop one) a half sheet printout of airport diagrams for each airport I was headed to and my sectional folded in the side pocket...that was it.

Now with my EFB, I still like the kneeboard for frequencies and ATC instructions..but no sectionals or airport diagrams in my kneeboard anymore (but I still keep a set on board).

Only addition I have made since PPL training is a red/white flashlight in the kneeboard pocket when flying at night.
 
Notepad, something to write with, maybe a sectional folded up on the other side. Airport diagram or two as well. That was my kit as a student pilot.

Now all that stuff is on an ipad clipped to the yoke, and I just use a knee mounted clipboard with a notepad.
 
A pen, paper, pencil, cell phone, and most important....Chap stick!
 
simtech said:
and most important....Chap stick!
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More important than the chap stick in the kneeboard is the quarters in the flight bag for a soda and candy bar that the FBO when you stop for your XC!...still keep a bag of quarters in my flight bag.
 
Shawn said:
More important than the chap stick in the kneeboard is the quarters in the flight bag for a soda and candy bar that the FBO when you stop for your XC!...still keep a bag of quarters in my flight bag.
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Soda and a candy bar...the universal pilot lunch. If the soda is a Diet Coke the FAA sez it cancels out the candy bar calories.

On my kneeboard I use large, lined yellow sticky notes instead of regular paper.
 
I have my flight plan on my kneeboard so I can time my waypoints and see how things are going and deal with fuel consumption.
The flight plan has the frequencies I need on it and the wind correction angles to get where I am going.
I have the airport diagrams for the airports along my route.
I fly an open aircraft so I have my marked chart in a zippered bag so I can follow along without losing the chart of having it flutter so badly I cant read it.
 
Yea, the guys who have been doing this a while may sound like they are over simplifying things. But not really... You'll eventually learn what is important to have at your fingertips... The rest, you'll have available but not cluttering up your leg or YOKE clip... At your stage of training, thinking back, I had written down the frequencies I would need, the TPA, field elev, and traffic pattern of the airports, (or just highlight them on the AP/FD) and I would make a rudimentary diagram of the runway layout with an arrow indicating the direction from which I would be approaching (helped me to more easily identify the runways). Had a NavLog filled out and a blank piece of paper. My sectional had a route line and my checkpoints were circled . BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN DEPARTURE TIME or your first checkpoint ETE might be moot. Nowadays, I just touch the GPS screen and its all right there... So now I just have a clipboard with a piece of blank paper a copy of he AP/FD page and a sectional in case my GPS goes "south"
 
FlySince9 said:
I would make a rudimentary diagram of the runway layout with an arrow indicating the direction from which I would be approaching (helped me to more easily identify the runways). "
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.

I did that too. Helped a lot except on a solo xc to Kunsan Air Base in Korea. Controller cleared me for one end of the runway, I got turned around and approached the other end as they told me to go-around. There was an F-4 on the active waiting to go but dumb arse me was in his way.
 
mscard88 said:
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I did that too. Helped a lot except on a solo xc to Kunsan Air Base in Korea. Controller cleared me for one end of the runway, I got turned around and approached the other end as they told me to go-around. There was an F-4 on the active waiting to go but dumb arse me was in his way.
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When were you in Korea? I was at Osan AB Feb 76 to Feb 77
 
FlySince9 said:
When were you in Korea? I was at Osan AB Feb 76 to Feb 77
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Beat ya by a few, 73-74 @Osan too. Started flying there in the aero club. They had F-4s, O-2s later replaced by OV-10s, a U-2 (shhh don't tell anyone I told you), a DC-130 (drones, shhh again), and a combat rescue squadron w/ H-3s. And always other TDY planes in and out.
 
I was USAF... dispatch MEDIVAC and Launched the F-4s to intercept the MIGS playing cat and mouse... I was there when Cptn Bonifas, and Lt. Barrett were axed to death at the DMZ. Other than that, I really enjoyed the NCO club and the local people. House-boy for $15 a month kept my uniforms and room spotless... What a great tour!

Okay... I'll stop hi-jacking this thread... :rolleyes:
 
My kneeboard is the mini legal pad kind, and before I depart I draw a line halfway down the page. Top half, I write all my local freqs, the current ATIS and any other important notes. Below the line, I write my next destination freqs. This leaves me enough space to write taxi instructions, CRAFT, etc in the top half, and then the space in the bottom half is where I write the destination ATIS, tower instructions or whatever.

While I do lean on my iPad/FF for most things, I like having the most critical stuff on paper right in front of me.
 
I have a xls saved that I jot down some stuff. it's set up as landscape and whatever I enter in the left side automatically gets copied to the right side. then I fold it in half and if fits perfectly in my kneeboard for easy reference. some stuff I use often, other stuff is just old habit. I also have the same setup minus the copy feature in case I want to do the return flight on one half.

deleteme.jpg
 
FYI, AOPA Airports has much of that information, already in "kneeboard format."

So does fltplan.com.
 
Flashlight, I don't think anyone else mentioned that. I even carry it for day flights.
I carry sectional, pencil, EB6, plotter, checklist, Nav log with frequencies written on the back for each leg, and blank paper to write on, knife, and a snack and some water.
 
jaymark6655 said:
Flashlight, I don't think anyone else mentioned that. I even carry it for day flights.
I carry sectional, pencil, EB6, plotter, checklist, Nav log with frequencies written on the back for each leg, and blank paper to write on, knife, and a snack and some water.
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Might be the difference between a renter vs owned thing, but I keep my white/red headlamp in the glove box of the plane, for me it's the planes equipment not "on my person" equipment, also keep some survival stuff, float pump, fuel stick, GPS 406 EPIRB, qt of oil, backup/pax DC headset and short term due list in a seatbelted duffle bag in the back.

For local area VFR flights I really only walk up to my plane with just my headset in hand, nothing else is needed for short range VFR hops
 
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