i think they're handy.Originally Posted by Payton009
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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