Just bag it

One of the first things that happens as a student pilot progresses through training is the process of accumulation. You accumulate hours, experience, knowledge, and that all-inclusive term: stuff. A package of books and study material usually is the new student's first purchase.

New pilot kits consist of textbooks, workbooks, a copy of the Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual, an E6B flight computer (and associated instruction booklet), and a plotter. You'll also want a pilot's operating handbook (POH) for your training airplane. Once you are hooked on flying, the list grows to include a headset, a good pair of sunglasses if you don't already own one, a kneeboard, and whatever maps, charts, and Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) editions you need for your area.

It doesn't end there. You will need a flashlight for night flight. You will convince yourself that you need an electronic E6B and a handheld radio and GPS. You'll need a stopwatch and pad of flight logs. You will also need a bag to carry all of this stuff hither and yon. Or will you?

The essentials

What do you really need when you fly? Is it necessary to carry so much stuff that you look like an Army infantryman? In time, you will adjust your view of what is nice versus what is critical to have. You'll get some ideas from watching other pilots, especially your flight instructor, when they embark on cross-country flights. My current flight bag for my airline job weighs in at more than 30 pounds, and there is very little in the way of extra stuff in it. As a result, I do whatever I can to shed as much as possible when the opportunity arises. So, what do you consider nice vs. must-have? This is my list. Feel free to add to it.

Headsets. This is critical. Headsets reduce the immediate noise of the environment around you, which greatly reduces fatigue. They also make radio calls much easier to hear, and in this day of a panic-minded public watching every move that general aviation aircraft make, safety must be maximized. Comfortable, rugged headsets do that. If you find a new headset to be too tight, you can loosen it a bit by putting the ear cups around a stack of books that is wider than your head for a few days.

Sunglasses. Another must-have item that makes dealing with a bright sun much easier. They also help in haze, when the sun is reflecting right back into your eyes. Without glasses, you may not be looking outside for traffic as much as you should be, especially in the traffic pattern. You may instead be crouching behind the panel to avoid glare. Comfortable, rugged glasses that can take a bit of abuse are the best bet. My flight kit contains a pair of Ray-Bans that I don't use for anything other than flying, and they have lasted me almost eight years.

Charts. You should only carry the charts you need, but some pilots are compelled to carry extra charts that they will never require on a given trip. If you are staying near the airport, you might only need a local terminal area chart or a sectional. If the trip is a simple VFR round robin with no chance of deteriorating weather, then you should definitely carry a sectional. If there is any chance at all that you'll fly near the boundaries of the sectional, you should take a copy of the chart that adjoins your primary sectional.

A/FD. The Airport/Facility Directory falls under the preflight responsibilities of having "all available information" about your intended flight. Carry current copies of the ones that you need. You can't go wrong.

Writing utensil. It doesn't matter what you use, but I like either a mechanical pencil or spring-loaded pen so I don't have to worry about losing the cap and drying out the ink. Pencils tend to be less messy, and you can erase pencil marks if space is tight. Just make sure that whatever you carry is something that you can see in low-light conditions. Crayons work too.

Something to write on. Do you really need a big, fancy folding clipboard or kneeboard? No. A small spiral notebook that fits in a shirt pocket is perfect. Another good choice is a pad of pocket-size Post-It notes. If that doesn't work, write on the charts. Should you decide to pursue an instrument rating, you will need more space for writing than the VFR pilot, as new clearances and more frequency changes are likely to occur -- making the spiral notebook a better bet. But both VFR students and veteran IFR pilots will need to be able write down weather, frequencies, and transponder codes. If you have a radio that has a standby frequency window, you can use that as your radio frequency scratch pad. If you want to truly minimize your gear and not carry anything extra, just write everything down on the back of the sheet of paper that your weather info is written or printed on. Legend has it that a few pilots along the way have used grease pencils and wrote on the windows. That's probably the origin of the aircraft cleaning industry if it's true.

Handheld radio/GPS. The handheld radio will really only help with cruise ATC transmissions if you have an aircraft antenna that you can plug it into. But it will work for pattern communications. The GPS function, however, will work as long as the batteries are fresh. Are the handheld radio and GPS necessary items, or just nice to have? For run-of-the-mill VFR flying, they are not really a necessity.

Flashlight. This one is necessary only at night. If you know that you won't be flying at night, you don't really need the light. When you do carry it, bring extra batteries.

Watch. You don't need a fancy stopwatch to keep track of your en-route times. Even if you don't have a stopwatch function on your watch, you can keep track of times just by writing them down. If you are using checkpoints on your sectional or en-route chart, you can write the anticipated times and the actual times right next to your checkpoints on the chart. It's a technique that creates an immediate reminder so that you don't forget to record the time.

What you don't necessarily need

The aircraft is required to have a copy of the POH on board, so you don't necessarily need to duplicate the effort by carrying your own copy. Likewise you don't need the FAR/AIM -- you should already have the need-to-know info stored between your ears. As noted above, don't carry charts that are so far removed from your planned route of flight that you won't open them. If you aren't flying over open water, then you can probably get away without carrying your water survival kit.

Could I add more to my list? Sure, and if the parameters of the flight require it, I will. I'll take extra clothes in the winter, extra water in the summer. For flights over an hour or so, I'll take some food, but nothing that will cause me to need to make an early pit stop. Most of us never leave home without a cell phone, which is a pretty convenient item (as long as it's charged), especially if it is on a belt clip. Many pilots won't fly without a few ASRS forms tucked in the bag. The form allows you to anonymously report any safety concerns or safety-related incidents to the FAA.

But this is a list of the bare essentials. I can carry most of this, if not all of it, in one hand, though a small bag does help.

The odds are you can go through your flight bag and remove a number of items that you have accumulated but don't necessarily use. Maybe you bought something for an airplane that you used to fly, but doesn't apply to the one that you fly now. Why clutter your bag with it? Remember, you need to consider the cumulative weight of all that you carry, especially if you will be loading up the airplane. After all, as the old saying goes, "junk" is the stuff you throw away, and "stuff" is the junk you keep.

Chip Wright has been flying since 1990, has been a CFI since 1994, and is now an ATP and a Canadair Regional Jet captain for Comair. His total time is 8,000 hours.

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