What Is A Flying Kneeboard Template Paper Size

Staying organized is then very important in the cockpit of a small plane. The organized pilot lives past the old Boy Watch motto—be prepared.

What is a Kneeboard? And Why Should You Have 1?

Kneeboards take many unlike forms these days, which is good considering pilots use them differently.

The most basic grade of a kneeboard is zero more than a small clipboard that straps to your thigh. You tin can put a notepad there and jot downwardly the ATIS or clearances.

The clip will hold a folded exclusive chart making it easy to see on a cross country. Or, you could attach your checklist to it, so information technology'south always right in forepart of yous.

The simplest kneeboards might seem too basic—only it'southward incredible how much they tin can help.

Of class, there are all sorts of add-ons y'all might like. Practise you fly with a tablet? The kneeboard might be just to the place to keep it. What about spare pencils or pens?

Call up about what y'all want to accept nigh-at-hand when flying, and so figure out where you want to keep it. Some things tin be left in your flight bag in the back seat for those random "what-if" situations. But a lot of things you'll go into a flight knowing that you'll demand them. Here are a few examples.

VFR Pilots and Students

iPad/tablet
Checklist
Preflight planning sheets
Notepad and pencil for ATIS
Sectional nautical chart
Airport diagram
Cross country planning sheets
E6B and plotter for cantankerous land training

IFR Pilots and Students

iPad/tablet
Checklist
Preflight planning sheets
Notepad and pencil for ATIS and clearances
Cross country planning sheets
Low-enroute IFR chart
Airport diagrams
Difference, arrival, and approach process charts you know you lot'll demand

How you lot utilise your kneeboard and what you put on information technology is entirely a personal choice. A pilot who owns their aeroplane and never flies anything else may put permanent storage pockets all around the cockpit. But a student or renter who goes between planes needs a quick and piece of cake way to organize their stuff anywhere.

Having it all in a kneeboard and flight pocketbook reduces the likelihood that something might get forgotten when you park the airplane in the evening, too.

If you're starting your aviation hazard, take a annotation from your flight instructor and ask how they use their kneeboard when they're flying alone. Follow their advice to get started, and then alter it as necessary to meet your needs.

[Wondering what else to carry in your flight bag? Check out our listing of flight purse essentials.]

Features to Wait for in Pilot Kneeboards

And then now you know why you need a kneeboard, simply how do you pick one? Here are a few of the biggest criteria yous'll want to think virtually.

iPad or Tablet Compatibility

Start off, not everyone flies with an iPad, and so not everyone needs a kneeboard with the power to concur one. Further, yous might opt to go along your tablet in a yoke or window-mounted holder instead of on your kneeboard.

Then before yous become any farther in your shopping, you lot need to figure out if you lot want your iPad to fit in the kneeboard, and if then, what size boards are available for your model iPad.

If you use an iPad in the cockpit, and so you know that it replaces well-nigh everything you'd want to bear on a kneeboard anyhow.

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Foreflight or similar apps will have all the charts, approach plates, and planning documents you lot'd ever need—so long as y'all have backups kept in your flight pocketbook inside reach. Foreflight fifty-fifty has a born notepad for jotting downwards clearances and the ATIS.

And so what'south left? If your answer is "nothing," you might want to expect at the simplest options available. These are but straps that hold the iPad on your thigh, like the MyClip iPad Kneeboard Strap.

On the other hand, you might want to also have a traditional notepad or pockets for other stuff.

IFR vs VFR Kneeboards

You'll detect that many kneeboards are branded as either VFR or IFR. In reality, this doesn't matter besides much. For the most part, this refers to the data printed onto the clipboard. They frequently include helpful notes and regulation reminders, and those notes will exist the most significant departure between a VFR and an IFR kneeboard.

There might be a few other differences. For example, it's common for an IFR kneeboard to have band binder holders to fit arroyo plates.

Pockets

Nosotros all have tons of footling things we desire to shop. Possibly information technology'due south our phone, a spare pencil, or our micro-E6B for those tough check rides. Pockets on a kneeboard can help you proceed organized, but there is an art to finding a residuum between perfect arrangement and overloaded.

Clipboard and Notepad

The most basic function of a kneeboard is the clipboard. On many elaborate models with folding pockets, the clipboard will come up out and tin be used alone. That's a squeamish characteristic that adds some versatility.

All clipboards are sized for a half-canvas of paper. You lot can buy notepads at any office store that will fit.

Band Binder

Finally, a band binder is handier than yous might think. Its original intent was to concord Jeppesen approach plates. You could pop the ones out of the Jeppesen folder that you used every flight (like your home aerodrome) and leave those in your kneeboard.

Merely you can as well buy plastic page protectors that fit in the same ring pattern. With those, you can load a few pages of other always-needed items. You can mount your checklist in i, for instance. This way, everything is ever at paw and easy to get to.

Ring Approach Protectors

6 of the Best Pilot Kneeboards

Here are a few great options for popular kneeboards. If you plan to use a tablet in your kneeboard, double-bank check that information technology fits earlier you order!

Flying Outfitters Slimline iPad Kneeboards

If yous use an EFB (electronic flight purse) app extensively during flying, and you lot don't need much else from your kneeboard simply a secure place to keep your tablet, the Flying Outfitters Slimline is an excellent choice. The small-scale is made for iPad Minis, while the large size fits all other sizes up to the iPad Pro ten.9-inch. It's a very basic design with a slim pocket on the side for smaller items. There's no clipboard or ring binder—merely then, that's what the iPad is for, right?

Flyboys IFR/VFR Pilot Reversible Kneeboard

Flyboys makes pretty much the coolest looking kneeboard around. It's slim and fits close to your thigh to reduce majority. It's elementary—but it tin comport a lot. It has a built-in clipboard, plus a plastic strap for chop-chop belongings charts. There'due south a ring binder attachment that you can remove when not in utilise. On the side, there is a modest pocket and some pen holders.

The classic model is most popular, but the reversible model might be the better bet if you are left-handed. Tablet users will want to expect into their PIVOT case for using an iPad with their kneeboard. Another interesting product they make is the super-simple Mapstrap, which is merely equally useful as it sounds.

MyGoFlight iPad Universal Kneeboard

Here is a versatile kneeboard and iPad case for the Mini tablets. This kneeboard is modular, and then yous can keep all of the parts in your bag and set it upwardly each day equally needed. Included is a high-quality iPad Mini leather case. You can apply a removable velcro strap to attach information technology to your leg.

There'southward likewise a metal clipboard, which can exist mounted outside the iPad and used as a screen protector, or it can be flipped to be used similar a dual-fold kneeboard. When not in "flight mode," the example serves equally a stand and can hold the iPad horizontally or vertically.

MyClip iPad Kneeboard Strap

For tablet-only flyers, here's a simple solution. Information technology's nothing more a velcro strap that will take hold of the edges of your tablet and concur it on your leg. It can piece of work with nearly any other iPad example, but information technology includes nothing else—no place for pens, no notepad, just a strap to hold your tablet.

ASA VFR Tri-Fold Kneeboard

Earlier tablets entered the cockpit, this was the Cadillac of kneeboards. Information technology'south made of sturdy canvas and is practically indestructible. The tri-fold pattern capitalizes on pockets. One side volition hold the big ASA E6B, while the other side has a window for charts. The middle is occupied by a metal clipboard, which is removable. Information technology's elementary and very versatile.

Jeppesen IFR Tri-Fold with Ring Binder

The Jeppesen Tri-Fold is one step up from the ASA, including a band binder for IFR charts. It's a overnice upgrade, especially if you apply the space to hold checklists or other documents.