A flight bag keeps everything you need organized and in one place, so you are never hunting for a charger or a checklist before a lesson. Here is what belongs in a student pilot’s flight bag and how to choose the bag itself.
Part of our pilot gear guide. Everything here is at PilotMall.com.
What to put in your flight bag
- Headset (see our headset guide), ideally in a protective case
- Logbook and your certificates and medical
- Kneeboard and pens or pencils
- E6B flight computer and a navigation plotter
- Current charts or a tablet running an electronic flight bag app, plus a charging cable and battery pack
- A reliable flashlight with a red lens for night flying
- A fuel tester for preflight sampling
- Aviation sunglasses
- Your aircraft checklist and pilot operating handbook
- Water and a snack for longer cross-country flights
Choosing a flight bag
Look for a bag sized to your gear with dedicated, padded compartments, especially a protected spot for your headset and your tablet. Student-focused bags are compact and affordable; modular systems offer more organization and room to grow. Avoid going too large at first, since a bag you overpack is harder to manage in a small cockpit.
Keep it organized
Pack the same way every time so you can do a quick inventory before each flight. Charge your tablet and battery pack the night before, keep spare pens, and store your headset in its case so the cord does not tangle. A little discipline here saves real time at the airport.
What you'll need
A bag and the essentials to fill it, all from PilotMall.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important thing in a flight bag?
Your headset, followed by your logbook, certificates, and a way to navigate (charts or a tablet).
Do I need a special aviation flight bag?
It helps. Aviation bags have padded compartments sized for headsets and tablets, but the contents matter more than the bag itself.
What size flight bag should I get?
Start compact. You can always move up to a larger modular bag as you accumulate gear.