Equipment for PPL

[Rob P]

Don't forget the key essential, you must buy an unfeasibly huge watch with as many hands, dials, knobs and buttons as possible. Anything weighing less than two or three pounds will never match up to your needs. And a stopwatch too, clipped to your choice of kneeboard..

Then, when you start on nav you have all the equipment you need. ... apart from a five quid kitchen timer from Tesco which is a far more effective tool for measuring time in the cockpit.

Rob P

[weirdfish]

and putting over the hole in the wing when checking the stall warner - saves getting a mouth full of dead flies in the summer!
.

Now that's a good idea

[weirdfish]

I actually bought my own headset quite early on, after the my fourth lesson I think. My original plan was to wait until I'd qualified then treat myself, however this plan got thrown out of the window when on that fourth lesson, I noticed a bit of food from the previous wearer on the mic foam I went headset shopping the same day.

[ZG 862]

Hi Jack and welcome!

Lots of interesting and varied opinion already, but I'll add my 2p:

My most useful in-cockpit item is a decent Pentel propelling pencil. Depending on your airfield's ATC arrangements you'll need to be writing down ATIS (weather conditions/pressure/active runway) information from day 1 and you'll want something to write it on. I bought a pack of stuff from a "too busy to fly" pilot fairly early on and this included all sorts of items that I neither understood not needed for quite a while (I still haven't used the red filter torches) most notably an ASA tri-fold kneeboard. It's overkill at first but got me into the good habit of stowing my checklist (I'd disagree that you should only memorise it) and keeping my pencil and "PLOG" (the form on which I write down stuff) to hand. Leia's 50p A5 board is a perfectly good substitute though I personally like the ASA board's bondage strap - which stops me feeling that anything will drop off my lap.

I agree that testers, gauges, checklists etc should be in the aircraft but eventually you may want some of your own.

Books-wise, I'm a Pratt(!) but have borrowed the FI's Thom on occasion and found it to be better in some respects, and worse on others. Don't buy both.

You'll probably want a lurid fluorescent jacket to keep in your bag between buildings and aircraft. Some people even wear them by choice.

Whatever you get, make sure you have the MINIMUM kit with you in the cockpit. Nothing increases your stress levels when you are doing circuits like wondering where your set of school regulation matching pens has rolled to during that last turn.

Have fun and write down your experiences.

Z

[Keef]

That triggers a thought...

NEVER allow anything to be dropped and roll around the floor. It could fall into a hole or a gap and jam something. A pal of mine was nearly killed, and a very nice Yak badly damaged, when something dropped by a pax got into the elevator bellcrank.

It's not quite such an issue in all aircraft, but make it a rule.

My pen is tied to my kneeboard with a piece of string, and that string has pulled it back many times.

[madmaveric]

As a new PPL myself as well I had the same problem as to what to buy. There is nothing worse than realising you don't have what is needed for the lesson your doing so I just got a ppl pack with has a lots stuff, some which may never be used (http://www.afeonline.com/shop/product_i ... cts_id=175)

While it is expensive I decided that, with the cost of lessons being so expensive, I would rather pay for some kit I may not use than risk wasting training time due to not having the kit. I also priced up the individual items I needed (without the stuff I didn't really need like a flight bag) and it still came out more expensive than the kit if brought new.

That said though I can't use the knee board as a 'knee' board as, in my current training plane, it gets in the way of the stick. I just use it as a clipboard, it is still better though as I can keep stuff on the inside of it like the check list, it is basically it is A4 folded kneeboard so you can keep a couple of pages inside it (like a book) while using the main 'clipboard' normally.

I'm still picking up some good tips from this thread though so keep them coming

Anyone got any tips on where to keep pens, glasses when using the training centre planes with little or no room to put stuff? I have mine in the clipboard pen holder but its a bit fiddly, was thinking maybe a clipon/suction cup vase (new vw beetle style) to put them in or something, obviously magnetic ones are out though.

[madmaveric]

Nice tip on the string Keef, (missed it due to taking too long to write my post, work got in the way )

[Rob P]

Where to keep pens, glasses etc?

If you'd (probably deservedly whilst doing your PPL) feel a bit of a berk wearing a full flight suit equipped with manifold zipped pockets and sleeve holders for pens etc., then there's various jackets available at stupid prices from aviation suppliers.

Rob P

[Keef]

I bought a little body-warmer thing in a street market in Rüdesheim for the princely sum of €10. It has more pockets than I can count. Perfect for all those aviation bits ... if only I could remember which pocket things are in.

[riverrock]

Pen (retractable sharpie so it doesn't dry out yet still writes on maps) and pencil (retractable so doesn't need sharpened) are tied to my kneeboard with string, then clip into the top of the knee board.
Only issue is that I managed to catch one of the pens when taking the kneeboard out of my bag and managed to break off one off the two plastic holes that I can tie things too Even with my A5 kneeboard, I have to push it round the side of my leg during take off / landing as otherwise it can get in the way of the stick.

Glasses go into the cupboard in the middle of the 'dog behind the throttle quadrant. With a 5 point harness I found it difficult to get them out of any of my pockets that were big enough for my over sized "aviator" style ones... Tried a soft case but the lens popped out when I wasn't being careful enough. I carry two extra pairs - spare clear ones and sun glasses (both prescription).

[Rob P]

I bought a little body-warmer thing in a street market in Rüdesheim

Travelling that far would be even more expensive than buying from Transair Keef

[Keef]

We'd flown to Koblenz and were doing the Rhine cruise thing preparatory for the assault on Möhne, Eder, Sorpe and Tempelhof, Rob.
It was chillier on the Rhine than I thought so a body warming device of some sort was needed, and I realised how useful 144 pockets would be when aviating.

They've mostly got useful stuff in, but it takes ages to find the item I'm looking for.

[Iolanthe]

And keep a couple of sheets of kitchen roll handy for when checking over the aircraft - great for keeping hands clean, wiping engine oil dipstick, and putting over the hole in the wing when checking the stall warner - saves getting a mouth full of dead flies in the summer!

RM and Fish, What sort of aircraft do you guys fly?! The Grob Stall Warner is just a leaver on the leading edge of the port wing! Don't have to suck anything

We'd flown to Koblenz and were doing the Rhine cruise thing preparatory for the assault on Möhne, Eder, Sorpe

Like it!in true "Chastise" fashion, I hope you flew it at 60ft with the coathanger from a tupenny bazaar

You'll probably want a lurid fluorescent jacket to keep in your bag between buildings and aircraft. Some people even wear them by choice.

Viz vests Z? What are they?

As to where to keep pens, glasses etc? I keep 'em in my grow bag. Chinagraph, chart marker and biro go in sleeve pocket, sunglasses, mobile, gloves when i'm not wearing them, in the leg pocket. Sorted! But there again, I know there is a certain "feeling" about gro bags, so you may not want to wear one (wouldn't be without mine!)

I now keep my fuel tester, charts, pens, stopwatch, nav ruler, whizz wheel, aviation protractor in my flight case. Very useful when on a navex to Duxford and one is spending all day there studying and planning the trip home.

By the way, wrt charts, I have the main navex areas colour copied and laminated, so A) I don't need to scribble over the original chart all the time, b) I don't have to carry the entire southern chart in the aircraft (or both as typically, Lincolnshire is on the border of North and south...always knew they were heathens up here!)and C) laminating the copies makes it easier as a stude when planning as the mistakes can be cleaned easil with Jif; and the charts can be reused (ok, so can the orginal, but this just makes life easier.)

[weirdfish]

RM and Fish, What sort of aircraft do you guys fly?! The Grob Stall Warner is just a leaver on the leading edge of the port wing! Don't have to suck anything

Oh such luxury the 152's I fly have a suction activated contraption that requires mouth on testing

[ZG 862]

Iolanthe,
Things like C152s, C172s have small reverse-clarinets built into the wing L/E so that when you pass some critical angle of attack (a few degrees off the stall, btw), they sing the first note Mozart's clarinet concerto, quietly (approx "mp" in the 152's I fly). No electric-trickery required.

The main purpose of these is of course to try to get them to sing just before your wheels touch down.

Z