kneeboard Recommendation

Haven't used any devices to clip my iPad to my knee, but I would imagine there would be several disadvantages. First, its good practice to write down clearances from ATC -- a piece of paper is much easier to use for that than an iPad. Second, I think the iPad would be difficult to see and use at the distance and angle of your thigh.

I went through a period of trying various cockpit organization ideas. My conclusion was that nothing beats paper and a pen. I use a regular kneeboard and a yoke mount for my iPad.
 
There are several of those clip-type straps. A lot of people love them. Major disadvantage is that you're likely to touch the screen accidentally and off you go into ForeFlight Never-Never-Land.

If you want to be able to write on old fashioned paper and also have a place to safely put your hand without making screen inputs, look into either the iPro Aviator/M or iPro Air Commander at www.ForPilotsOnly.com. If those things don't matter to you, you'll probably be plenty happy with a strap-on clip.
 
KISS...Paper Pen...

New pilots tend to overthink these things... I did... The more you fly the less crutches you'll need... IMHO...
 
Another disadvantage is positioning... I find it too difficult to read an iPad on my knee, my head is way down (versus eyes up outside the aircraft or scanning instruments), and glare can happen more frequently.

As Russell and Ash point out, Pen and Paper are best suited for your kneeboard or lap board. iPad is best placed on yoke, windscreen, or stowed in pocket.
 
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Have several different knee boards,changed boards as I chased different ratings. Now pencil and paper work fine,with IPad mounted on side window.
 
How new of a newbie?

I use an iPad kneeboard that folds shut and has a spring loaded paper holder on top. The paper is for writing on and quick reference to expected freqs, runways, TPAs and such at intended airports. Fold open for chart reference on the iPad. iPad is in view about 10% of the time.

I'm a low time pilot (~350hrs). My girlfriend is a solo student. She's been told by her instructors and me that the best place for her iPad while she's flying is her CAR!
 
99 cent small clipboard from Staples works for me. No need to get a fancy knee board/iPad holder/ball scratcher
 
I used it for awhile. Went with a yoke mount for the iPad and military style kneeboard (that I got years ago as a gift) for keeping track of clearances, weather, and squawks.

Taller pilots seem to like the iPad on the knee. Long legs mean that it is angled toward the pilot. So, its easier to see and less interference with yoke.

My legs aren't so long. So, the iPad on my knee is angled away from me and is more likely to interfere with flight control travel.
 
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jordane93 said:
99 cent small clipboard from Staples works for me. No need to get a fancy knee board/iPad holder/ball scratcher
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I have the same, but added some Velcro to the back that attaches to a Velcro strap I put around my leg. Works well.
 
Not a fan of knee boards and crap you start to your legs, yoke, or anything else.

Just a legal pad in your lap for the win
 
I sometimes strap a ifr board with a pad of paper to my leg when I know I'm going to get lots of vectors. Mostly it sits on floor beside me with ipad beside. I wouldn't spend the money for anything elaborate.
 
Never had a need for a kneeboard(too new to the game I guess) but you'll get a lot more responses if you call Sporty's pilot shop and ask them to sell you one for like $2 cheaper through Amazon.com and then post about it on here when they understandably tell you they are not interested.
 
I bought a fancy new kneeboard when training. Used it a couple times. Now I just swipe that little pad of paper and pen from the hotel rooms and keep a stack of those in the plane.
 
IPad on the yoke. It fits well in my plane and doesn't block the view of anything. This doesn't work as well in some other planes. It's mounted landscape for VFR flights, portrait for IFR.

One 8.5x11 clip board for VFR flights with a hard copy of airport diagrams and a few sheets of paper. It sits on my lap or is stuck in the back pocket of the copilot's seat.

Three clip boards for IFR flights. Each with a few sheets of paper and each with info for one stage of flight...departure, enroute, arrival. The appropriate one is typically in my lap, the other two are stuck in the back pocket of the copilot's seat.

All this stuff is on foreflight, of course, but I like hard copies.
 
write-stuff said:
If you want to be able to write on old fashioned paper and also have a place to safely put your hand without making screen inputs, look into either the iPro Aviator/M or iPro Air Commander at www.ForPilotsOnly.com.
Click to expand...

This is what I have. Ridiculously over priced. But it does the job. Foreflight has all of my charts, and I have easy access to a piece of paper for writing down clearance, frequencies, squawk codes, etc. Nice and streamlined, and simple.
 
newbiepilot said:
Has anyone used this kneeboard before? Pros and Cons

http://www.myclipforipad.com/kneeboard.php

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I agree with the comments regarding writing things down on paper but I also like to use FF while flying XC. I found the best of both worlds with this kneeboard

http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/9161

I keep a pad clipped to the outside cover, notes and other oft-used information taped to the inside cover and my iPad mini available in the space provided. it's easy to flip back and forth as needed.
 
PPC1052 said:
This is what I have. Ridiculously over priced. But it does the job. Foreflight has all of my charts, and I have easy access to a piece of paper for writing down clearance, frequencies, squawk codes, etc. Nice and streamlined, and simple.
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You say it's overpriced, but I promise, you have no idea what the manufacturing costs are. There was a guy several years ago made the same statement in a forum. Maybe even here. He said he could make them for $10 a piece. I offered to buy as many as he could make. Unsurprisingly, he never made any.
 
Agree about wanting paper on my knee, but my tablet solution is one that hasn't been mentioned here.

I mount a small tablet (Nexus 7) to the side window using RAM hardware & suction cup. This brings the small screen up almost under my nose, making it very readable and it does not block my view of anything on the panel or outside the airplane. This works just as well if I am flying as safety pilot, mounting to the right window.
 
write-stuff said:
You say it's overpriced, but I promise, you have no idea what the manufacturing costs are. There was a guy several years ago made the same statement in a forum. Maybe even here. He said he could make them for $10 a piece. I offered to buy as many as he could make. Unsurprisingly, he never made any.
Click to expand...

Oh, I agree with what you are saying. It's a specialized item with a small production run. I paid for it willingly because despite it's price it was worth it to me. And, as a free market econ guy, I fully appreciate that an item is worth what a willing buyer and willing seller agree to. So I get where you are coming from.

$80.00 for essentially a metal clip board is much greater than the average consumer expectation, and that really is what I was trying to say. Of course, most people are buying things that are much more mass produced, which is not, as you note, a fair apples to apples comparison.
 
What's a kneeboard? Seriously, forty years flying two-pilot airplanes and I've only seen one pilot use one. When you need to write something down a pad of large Post-It Notes or a pad of note paper is all you really need. Personally I like post it notes because you can stick them where you can see them.
 
My wife got me a nice kneeboard
http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/fl...neeboards/flight-gear-ipad-air-kneeboard.html

Tried it a few times. The rotation always kicks in and now my stuff is sideways, or wrong direction. An accidental tap or bump of my hand closes FF or switches the page I want. Now I just keep it in the smart case by my side and pull it out when I need it and put it back when I am done. I have the mini with the ram yoke which works perfect.
 
I used to have a kneeboard with a single clip on it. Then I started carrying around charts, etc.

The one I use is:

https://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/sporty-s-tri-fold-kneeboard.html

I can stuff my E6B (electronic and manual) in the left pocket. I also stuff my security badge in the webbed pockets above that and any receipts I get from the FBO.

My sectional/low enroute goes on the right pocket (which is see through) so I can quickly pull it up and glance at it if I need to in flight.

In the middle I have my scratch pad and below it, my checkmate checklist for my cherokee. Been working great and it even has two spots for pens (I've dropped one on occasion so a backup is nice).

It's a bit large but once you unfold it, the two sides just sorta hug your leg on either side while still giving you the items you need.

Pilots license goes right in the front plastic sheath and any other maps, etc in there. Beats having to waste storage space in the plane for all this crap..

For me, this was a HUGE upgrade from the single clipboard I used for PPL. Can even stuff IFR plates in plastic in the pocket behind the center section.
 
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EJWall said:
So in my search for kneeboards I found one that looks like it could work, but wanted an opinions from people who used a kneeboard similar to it.

http://www.flyboys.com/clipacsaf.html
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I have a "Flyboys" kneeboard that uses that clipboard and like it.

Your link is to buy the little clipboard alone. The kneeboard that comes with and holds the same clipboard in a pocket looks like this: http://www.flyboys.com/fb1316.htm

FlyBoys Kneeboard.jpg


  • It fits an 8-1/2x11 sheet folded in half.
  • The clear velcro-ended strap will help secure your papers or separate some top sheets from an active sheet.
  • the pen pockets that are located on the right side drape over the side of your leg and give you place to tuck your pen between uses
  • you can buy sleeves and rings to "perma-clip" pages to the binder bar on the left (I did that at first, but haven't continued to use it).
  • you can even mount an iPad mini on the left in a special sleeve (http://www.flyboys.com/fb2250.html)(I'd rather bring it up to my eyeline, but your mileage may vary)

Overall, works well for me.
 
register@teamandras.com said:
I have a "Flyboys" kneeboard that uses that clipboard and like it.



Your link is to buy the little clipboard alone. The kneeboard that comes with and holds the same clipboard in a pocket looks like this: http://www.flyboys.com/fb1316.htm



FlyBoys Kneeboard.jpg




  • It fits an 8-1/2x11 sheet folded in half.
  • The clear velcro-ended strap will help secure your papers or separate some top sheets from an active sheet.
  • the pen pockets that are located on the right side drape over the side of your leg and give you place to tuck your pen between uses
  • you can buy sleeves and rings to "perma-clip" pages to the binder bar on the left (I did that at first, but haven't continued to use it).
  • you can even mount an iPad mini on the left in a special sleeve (http://www.flyboys.com/fb2250.html)(I'd rather bring it up to my eyeline, but your mileage may vary)



Overall, works well for me.
Click to expand...


Ahh ok, I really just need something to hold some charts and a few extra sheets of checklists and the sort.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
newbiepilot said:
Has anyone used this kneeboard before? Pros and Cons

http://www.myclipforipad.com/kneeboard.php

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I have a few different kneeboards including an iPad mini.

As a VFR student I found that there was so much going on, the ipad was just a huge distraction and it seldom worked as i'd expect. I ended up finding that PEN AND PAPER was the best way to keep my stress level low. I figured after I got my PPL i'd give an ipad a try, but I'm still enjoying the simplicity of pen and paper.

http://pilotgearonline.com/vfr-kneeboard

Anything like this I'd highly recommend. I see some higher hour pilots with nothing but iPads, but i'm not there yet (85 hours and still using pen and paper!).
 
I reached a very similar conclusion as an instrument student. You have to write a lot more, as you have to get clearances and holds read back verbatim. Some people use "CRAFT forms" but I just practiced a shorthand. No way that works on a tablet. I keep several sheets of paper in a too-big kneeboard (I've had it since I was a student, and it's one of those massive tri-folds -- I only ever use the clipboard and pen holders in flight).

And that's 390 hours now. The tablet is a planning tool and occasionally a chart holder. It does not go in the kneeboard. There is WAY too much to do immediately prior to and during an instrument approach to be screwing around with a tablet, especially that far outside the field of view. Some approaches are very twitchy and terminate as close as 200 feet above the ground. And a lot of stuff has to happen on a missed approach. Foreflight does NOT support those (but real IFR GPSs do), and reprogramming it while 200 feet up in the soup is a way to make a smoking hole.
 
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I used to say the best kneeboard was the one that cost the least. Lose less when you toss it.
 
I have a simple 8.5" x 11" aluminum clipboard and on the back I have two large bands of the fuzzy velcro so it won't slide off my lap. It is nice to be able to move it off my lap when it is not needed.
 
My choice...

I copy info on IFR flights, wouldn't leave home without it. VFR it sits on the floor behind the passenger seat.



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