Equipment

One of my readers, Jeff, asked me a few questions about some of the light equipment I use while flying... and I though I might as well post it all here. I've done some research on these products, and I might as well share that as well.

Lets start at the bottom, and work our way up.


Shoes: Yes, I have special flying shoes. Most people don't I've noticed, but I wear Birkenstocks, almost exclusively, when my feet are on the ground. Loose shoes are really not something you want while flying around, so I had to find something better. I tried standard running shoes, but found that the tread design often got caught up on the petals in the R22. Not anything significant, mind you, but I found myself holding my foot at funny angles so that the pedal-bar did not fall into the tread groove. I found these Puma SpeedCats (nice name, eh?) in a discount shoe store... perfect! They have no tread at all, and the tread runs all the way up the heel. Apparentely they are driving shoes, and it works out very well when flying. The heel tread allows a little bit of extra cushion while flying and reduces some of the fatigue. Be forewarned... no tread means they suck on snow and ice tho.

Kneeboard: I was forced to buy this model... by my CFI, Kristie. Actually, she just highly recommended I get the loose-ring type as there is much less chance that the rings would get caught up on the cyclic. Obviously a plus. Anyway, you can get this from MyPilotStore, and it is really a great price for what you end up getting. It has the standar 7-Ring format for plates and pockets, as well as a bunch of elastic straps for holding pens, lights, etc. The hard plastic clip-board that slides in the back gives the kneeboard enough rigidity to be useful, but the flexible material molds comfortablly to you leg in flight. Plus, it works with my TiMount and TiMount XT Kneeboard Timer Mounts!

Flight Timer: I use the ASA Flight Timer. It is, honestly, a little expensive for what it does, but it has done we well. In particular, I like the fact that it has a fuel-usage countdown as well as a count-up timer. Large buttons and a light, make this a great option. It has some approach features, which I have not seen as even a little bit useful. But, this is what I use... and it has done me fine.

Now, here is the big question...

Chris, how do you mount your timer to your kneeboard?

TiMount & TiMount XT Kneeboard Timer Mount: My own personal invention! You can get these from MyPilotStore.com too, as well as a number of other places. Anyway, there are two models. The both fit with you kneeboard and either slip vertically behind the clipboard or hook into 4 of the 7 rings. You then mount your timer to the heavy duty Velcro® (provided) and you get your timer in easy reach. No muss, no fuss. Pretty cheap for an aviation product, don't you think? Buy one... support a starving pilot. :)



Flashlight: You will realize you need one of these the first time you try to take a flight at night or early morning. It is perfect for pre-flight and post-flight walk throughs. The hyperbright light is 5-LED in white... whith a very bright red LED in the middle. It is pretty small, and you can actually hold it in your mouth when using both hands to check things, like the main rotor, for example. A little expensive for a flashlight, but it is also built like a tank. Dropping it from 5 feet on to the runway is no issue. (Trust me, I've done it myself). You can use red or white light (via two buttons) and that works out nicely when trying to protect your night vision. Trust me, the white lights can completely blind you for a few minutes... so don't use this in the cockpit. Sporty's sells these.

Headset / Comms: This badboy is, by far, the most expensive item of the bunch. Coming in at $995.00 each, the Bose Aviation X Active Noise Cancelling Headset is awesome. Really, you get what you pay for with headsets, and this one comes through with flying colors. It is light, comfortable, and most importantly... it seriously reduces engine noise. The noise cancellation circuit is fantastic and allowing your voice to be easily heard over the roar of a Lycoming 0-360 engine running at 100%. Totally worth the price.

Head Lamp / Cockpit Light: While you can get this many places, I found it cheap at REI. The reason I like this is that:

• it is held to your forehead... one less things to do with your hands.
• it has lots of lighting options. Red/White/Flash-Red/Flash-White
• it has 2 off positions, so you don't have to go through the white light to get to the red. Thus, eliminating the slaughter of your precious night vision.
• it comes with its own little plastic container to keep it from getting lost / smashed in your flight bag.
• it is cheap.

I think that's it. That is what I fly with everytime I go up. (I only use the lights at night, obviously, but they are in my flight bag... just in case.)