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Thread: kneeboards: worth it or not?

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  1. #1

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    kneeboards: worth it or not?

    I talked to my instructor about kneeboards the other day and his opinion is that they are to bulky to be very handy. On the other hand, he knows of others who swear by them. So I guess my question here is what are everybody's opinions on using them in the cockpit? Does anyone have any other substitutes that work just as good or better?

  2. #2
    whatevrworks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Payton009 View Post
    I talked to my instructor about kneeboards the other day and his opinion is that they are to bulky to be very handy. On the other hand, he knows of others who swear by them. So I guess my question here is what are everybody's opinions on using them in the cockpit? Does anyone have any other substitutes that work just as good or better?
    The first question would be what kind of flying are you doing? For VFR flying I use Foreflight and really have no need for a kneeboard, but for IFR flying I always have the small basic metal kneeboard strapped to my leg with some paper on it to copy clearance, routings and other pertinent information (changing field tanks, fuel burn, gathering info for PIREPS before getting on the radio). I still use the iPad for IFR charts and plates so really the board is just for notes. I have tried some of the bulkier kneeboards and hate them, they have a lot of storage but on long flights get very annoying. I own my aircraft so I also have other pockets in the plane to stash things compared to a renter who may want to keep all the charts in one place so they are not forgotten in the plane after the flight.


    dave
    Last edited by whatevrworks; 02-27-2012 at 06:06 PM.

  3. #3
    R172K's Avatar
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    I found that I couldn't hold the yoke full aft with the kneeboard strapped to my knee, so I use the clipboard part without the extra pockets and flaps. Works well enough.

  4. #4

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    I find it invaluable and all my flying is VFR.I bought one with the 7 ring plastic sleeves to which I can add the airport diagrams of the places i'm going too on each trip
    and I have also added all the emergency procedures I can run into and placed them in the plastic sleeves also.The writing pad is what it is, useful when you need it.

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    steveinindy's Avatar
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    For radio notes, etc, I find that a six-inch wide strip of white cloth bandage tape on my right pant leg works really well especially if you use a marker to write on it (a double layer of tape will help to minimize the small chance of it soaking through the pants below). It's a trick I learned while working in ICUs and ERs. It's also a lot cheaper than a knee board. Since I very seldom ever fly alone, I usually just keep a chart binder like mikw53 suggested for all the approach charts, etc and make my cohort handle it (or vice versa)
    Unfortunately in science what you believe is irrelevant.

    "I'm an old-fashioned Southern Gentleman. Which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-***** when I want to be."- Robert A. Heinlein.



  6. #6

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    I use a small (5x8") kneeboard that I picked up somewhere years ago that works great. It's aluminum and has a velcro strap at the back and a really hefty clip spring a the top.

    I put a little square of paper at the bottom of it with likely airfield info (freqs, runway alignments, distances) as a crib sheet; lift the sectional and there they are!

    It doesn't get in the way of the stick or carb heat in the Champ, and since I go slow the smaller size of the folded sectional isn't a problem.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  7. #7
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    I used a kneeboard while actually getting my instrument rating, but frankly it just gets in the way. If I'm flying by myself, I just throw my flight plan and a small pad on the right seat. If I'm flying with my wife, she holds it.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by steveinindy View Post
    six-inch wide strip of white cloth bandage tape on my right pant leg
    flight med crews often do that, works great. don't drop their notes or have them blow away.

  9. #9
    steveinindy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cdrmuetzel@juno.com View Post
    flight med crews often do that, works great. don't drop their notes or have them blow away.
    That's what I do when I'm in the back as glorified cargo too. It's the only thing I do clinically these days.
    Unfortunately in science what you believe is irrelevant.

    "I'm an old-fashioned Southern Gentleman. Which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-***** when I want to be."- Robert A. Heinlein.



  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Payton009 View Post
    what are everybody's opinions on using them in the cockpit? Does anyone have any other substitutes that work just as good or better?
    i think they're handy.

    thank y'all for buying me my first kneeboard. and the second. and the third. they were all the same, USN-issued. had a big c-cell battery compartment and a light with red/clear selectable lens. first one, light broke off after just a couple of months. second one, switch broke after about three months, light stayed on, drained batteries (i didn't notice it had stayed on) and they leaked all through my helmet bag. third one, light broke off after a month. so i pulled off the battery compartment/light mount, riveted on a thumb tab, reinstalled the pen keeper spring, and i've used it that way since '72. oh, one other change, when the foam wore off the back i put on a couple wide strips of loop-side stickybacked velcro to give some airspace to keep my leg from sweating under it. i've replaced the strap twice. don't use one like this as issued with the latch, it won't break loose if you get caught up during emergency egress. just velcro the strap together. it's handy for helos and some other stick-controlled aircraft because it raises my wrist off my knee just the right amount to reduce fatigue.

    for my mustang II, i needed a thinner, shorter, narrower one. i cut a scrap piece of aluminum to size i wanted, folded the long edges down and back into triangles to hold it on my knee, riveted on a paper clamp from the office store, mounted a pen keeper spring above the clamp, put loop velcro on the back, mounted a strap. made the whole thing out of junk-drawer stuff, basically, and it does exactly what store-bought ones do plus it's exactly the right size, shape, and thickness.

    oh, almost forgot. do you need lights on one? most of the time no. but if you think you do, go to harbor freight or walmart, buy a nice little led light, and mount it on the board with velcro or something. that way it will be where YOU want it, not where the designer wanted it, and you can replace it when it breaks without major redesign.

    your mileage may vary.

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