what's in your flight bag, middle age edition

Htaylor said:
If you had a plane full of locals coming home from a trip to Walmart, you prolly had plenty of Pabst or Rainier as well. Maybe even some Fireball.
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Yeah, flying out of Juneau alcohol was legal in the villages so no problem.

Out in ''real'' Alaska alcohol is a serious problem and was forbidden in the villages. That being said it seems like Gilbys gin was the most favorite at that time. Gilbys came in small plastic bottles and tasted like sewer water, but were easy to hide. Usually the bottles were wrapped in towels and packed tightly in small bags. It would raise suspicion when loading the airplane and picking up a small overnight bag that weighed 40 pounds. Pilots have the right to inspect suspicious bags.

I used ''pilots discretion'' though, which could have gotten me in trouble. Finding 5 or less bottles was for personal consumption so I usually let go through. Finding 20 or more bottles was for illegal resale and usually got reported. Gilbys Gin was 5 bucks a bottle in Anchorage and sold for around 80 bucks a bottle in the bush. Not a bad profit margin...
 
Pinecone said:
Ibuprofen is for kids. :) But the really good ones are prescription.
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AFAIK the only difference is the dosage.
Typical dosing for ibuprofen (Advil)
Ibuprofen (Advil) is available both over-the-counter (OTC) and by prescription. The OTC strengths include 100 mg and 200 mg, and the prescription strengths include 400 mg, 600 mg, and 800 mg.
https://www.goodrx.com/ibuprofen/what-is​


Not that I'm suggesting you could just swallow more pills without a prescription or anything like that. Besides, I am neither a physician nor pharmacist. Read the labels and proceed at your own risk.
 
chemgeek said:
Not if you take the 800 mg puppies...:eek: BTDT for certain annoying conditions of advancing age.
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No, still for kids. :D

Now, when you get serious, you take something like meloxicam. :D
 
Half Fast said:
AFAIK the only difference is the dosage.
Typical dosing for ibuprofen (Advil)
Ibuprofen (Advil) is available both over-the-counter (OTC) and by prescription. The OTC strengths include 100 mg and 200 mg, and the prescription strengths include 400 mg, 600 mg, and 800 mg.
https://www.goodrx.com/ibuprofen/what-is​


Not that I'm suggesting you could just swallow more pills without a prescription or anything like that. Besides, I am neither a physician nor pharmacist. Read the labels and proceed at your own risk.
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When I started having back problems, the orthopedic surgeon says, " I can give you a prescription for 800 mg ibuprofen, or you can just take 4 of the OTC ones for about 1/4 the price."
 
But as the saying goes, what is your life worth?
 
Pinecone said:
But as the saying goes, what is your life worth?
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I'm guessing this was attributed to my surprise in the cost of the survival kit?!

Hard to put a price on anyone's life, I agree with you 100% there. At the same time, for me personally, I make my best attempt at balancing cost vs reality vs diminishing returns. All three of those will be different for different folks. The end result for me is... my (and my family/friends) life are certainly worth more than $3,000 but I don't believe having a $3K survival kit (for me and my flying) will make that big of difference in the end. I have a PLB, a handheld radio, a handheld marine radio, and a few other things to help but I'm lacking a $3K survival kit... I may be screwed... hopefully not.
 
I only carry one of those really small pilot bags. In it: Flash light, headlamp, a few sectionals of places I frequently fly to (but I never use them), two power banks, phone charger, iPad and charger, pilot's license, medical, radio license, spare keys, electronic flight computer, manual flight computer, spare phone, batteries, lots of pens, a pencil, kneeboard, notepad, and if flying across the border my passport and other documents I'd need to clear customs.

Always on the plane (but not in my bag): A blanket, a few travel johns (never had to use it), a few sick bags (never had to use it), dip stick, fuel strainer, journey log, aircraft papers (registration, insurance, etc.), water bottles, tow bar, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, survival kit, random sh** I grabbed, stuffed into a pocket somewhere on the plane and forgot it's still there.

By the way, I was born after "Roughly 500 to 1500 AD" so probably not qualified to answer this question, but, oh well.
 
Inventory:
2 iPads
Backup mobile power supply
Sentry
small notebook
flashlight
phone/ipad chargers+cables
backup keys
TravelJohn x3 (life saver)

No need to carry airsickness bags since I mainly fly solo. And if I'm barfing, I shouldn't be flying :eek:
 
iPad with ForeFlite and back up power plus a Levil Astrolink. A lot of other crap that I haven’t looked at in quite a while but will now that this thread has been open.

Thanks
 
Pinecone said:
Two different things. In plane survival kit and what I carry in my flight bag that comes and goes with me.

Airplane is getting a survival kit from here - http://www.dougritter.com/

My flight bag has headset or two. Some sectionals (not too far out of date). iPad. Mounts. Flashlight. Headlamp. CPU-26A/P (USAF small E-6B, just because I have always carried one). A plotter. Knee board.
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What the... you could go full Robinson Crusoe with that kit. Where are you flying?? My guess would be over Honduras. :D
 
I carry the stuff in post 50, above. I found this

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076ZTCLJQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

It is about as small and light as could be, and very bright. I also carry finger lights, but they are attached to the visors by their velcro strips. One very early LED light saved my bacon one dark night, and I vowed to never travel without one in a place I could find even in total darkness.

For air sickness, I carry kitchen trashbags in the copilot's seatback. I can reach it and pass around as necessary. There are some paper towels in the bottom of the trash bag. If someone gets sick, they can just stick their heads in the trash bag and I don't have to worry about their aim. The trash bags are pleasantly scented.
 
schmookeeg said:
Sorry, as opposed to, say, Water? What are they doin for ya that they're a packable item.
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After a few hours of hand flying at the speed of smell, I need about 20oz of coffee and 20oz of gatorade or similar. Maybe I should add instant coffee packets to the mix...
 
1000RR said:
I'm guessing this was attributed to my surprise in the cost of the survival kit?!

Hard to put a price on anyone's life, I agree with you 100% there. At the same time, for me personally, I make my best attempt at balancing cost vs reality vs diminishing returns. All three of those will be different for different folks. The end result for me is... my (and my family/friends) life are certainly worth more than $3,000 but I don't believe having a $3K survival kit (for me and my flying) will make that big of difference in the end. I have a PLB, a handheld radio, a handheld marine radio, and a few other things to help but I'm lacking a $3K survival kit... I may be screwed... hopefully not.
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Agreed, it might not be needed. And it also depends on where you are flying. I plan on retiring in about a year or less. And plan on flying all over the country, some places where I will want this security.

You can also use the info on Doug's site to build a kit that works for you.
 
He does training.

And he personally tests all the things he recommends.
 
On my last XC, I discovered that my 12oz travel mug fits in the side pocket of my flight bag. I didn't have any coffee syrup, so I filled it with cold milk, some instant coffee, and a little sugar. I sipped water during the flight, but enjoyed the (still cold) coffee upon landing.
 
I carry a Caden camera bag for my video cameras (5), two power bank batteries, iPad mini 5, Foreflight Sentry, and miscellaneous power cables. Headsets and camera mounts stay in the plane. For overnight trips I toss in Tylenol arthritis and some Advil, just in case the body tells me it's had enough. My bride and I pack pretty light for clothes so that makes it easy on the get-aways.
flight bag full.jpg
On short breakfast hops I'll use a small iPad case to carry the iPad, a camera, power bank, cable, and my foreflight sentry.
allant bag.jpg
 
It's interesting to head all the things you guys carry. I must be a minimalist in aviation.

EFB, phone (with Foreflight) and some well placed empty water bottles are all that I have in the plane. Each seat does have a headset though.

When I am flying to the Bahamas I bring a backpack that has an EPIRB, flares and a VHF radio along with our PFD's
 
Decades later and I'm still figuring it out. I flew for CAP for 14 years, long ago, and it became real evident how difficult it is to see a rolled up ball of aluminum. . .guys think because they can see civilization, then civilization can see them, too. Not. Mountains out west, heavily wooded areas in the east, even in-close to metro areas. So, I hauled a PLB for a long while, small survival kit, too. (the CAP airplanes had a ridiculously huge survival kit) Added a hand-held VHF, as well. . . but gradually dropped them all - just too much junk I never used. The handheld was the last to go.

Looking in my bag there's a headset, iPad mini with a knee board holder, a Sentry, Foggles, chargers, flashlight (and a small Mag Lite). Paper POH, a year-old paper sectional, and a 550 cord "bracelet" looped through a handle.

When traveling I'll print the plates for the most likely approaches. Sometimes I find batteries in the bottom of the bag. There's a drawer in my desk with a couple plotters, an E6B, and a small strobe light. Oh, yeah, I have a Bluelink II for using my phone in the airplane, but we got a comm panel upgrade and I don't need it any more.
 
WDD said:
??
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My poor attempt at humor re the Palmer flyover thing, and the prior list of items useful if you were to run into a group of dancers.

In my bag I normally carry a bottle of water, VHF radio, old sectional, a cheap 7" tablet, a battery pack to charge phones, spare glasses, some hand wipes, headset, spare battery for headset, flashlight and a watch. (Only wear a watch when I'm flying.)
 
Am I the only one that carries pistachios?
 
Walking stick and hiking boots
Fire starter and small boil pot
Aluminum foil

prompted by some dopey show about crashing in Alaska
 
Hmmm besides the normal stuff Glucose tabs (T1 Diabetic), medical grade barf bags (ya never know what people will do) and change of drawers (you said middle age and farts can really do strange things).
 
iamtheari said:
For a cross-country trip: One forty-five caliber automatic. Two boxes of ammunition. Four days' concentrated emergency rations. One drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills. One miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible. One hundred dollars in rubles. One hundred dollars in gold. Nine packs of chewing gum. One issue of prophylactics. Three lipsticks. Three pair of nylon stockings.
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This is still the best answer……
 
dragon_soldier said:
Hmmm besides the normal stuff Glucose tabs (T1 Diabetic), medical grade barf bags (ya never know what people will do) and change of drawers (you said middle age and farts can really do strange things).
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Maybe one of the engineers here can come up with a wearable inline gas/liquid separator. :idea:
 
How about a small drone? It can be very enlightening to "pop up above land, trees and obstacles, and get a Birds Eye view of the surroundings".
 
Nice idea. How about a “Loyal Wingman Piper”?
 
Got my ppl lic in Jan. I have become worst than my wife as far as shopping goes. I am on sportys website every day. lol

Currently, in my flight bag I have the A/FD, sectional charts, nice and long lasting portable battery, handheld radio, flash light, fuel gauge stick, fuel drain/testing cup. I am sure I'll be adding other stuff(sentry but the planes I rent already has the ADSB in/out) in near future.


P.S I have the IPAD and foreflight mounted in front of me.
 
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