Pilot Tools

RookiePilot put together a list of essential and recommended pilot tools to help you hit the ground running.

  • The Essentials...

    • Headset
    • Kneeboard (a kneeboard attaches to your thigh and can hold paper and possibly a tablet and pens/pencils. A kneeboard is needed on cross-country flights (flying more than 50 nautical miles from one airport to another) to track progress on a NavLog. A NavLog is a sheet of paper that details your flight plan)
    • Paper logbook that details every flight
    • Paper E6B flight computer (some Designated Flight Examiners or “DPEs” (those who conduct checkrides) may test your ability to use a paper E6B flight computer)
    • Writing Utensils (Pens, Mechanical Pencils, Highlighters (non-smear), Dry erase markers (thick for large whiteboards and skinny for paper E6B flight computer), Skinny permanent markers to write on tabs)
    • Foggles/hood (these are "view-limiting devices" that are used during your Private Pilot training when referencing the instruments during flight and throughout the Instrument Rating training)

  • Tablet

    • Tablets (such as an Apple iPad or Google Pixel), while not necessary, are becoming standard tools as ‘electronic flight bag’ apps prove to be a valuable tool in increasing situational awareness
    • ‘Electronic flight bags’ (such as the ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot) are apps used by pilots on their tablet for things like flight planning, referencing handbooks and checklists, aviation weather, maps, charts and other airport information and as a logbook
    • Tablet Case (it’s probably best to wait on purchasing a tablet case and mount to first understand where you want your tablet located (on a kneeboard, on the yoke, or suction cup mounted to the windscreen/window))
    • Tablet mount for yoke or windscreen/window (If flying an airplane with a yoke (instead of a stick or side yoke), is there a tablet case that fits in the yoke without needing a mount?)
    • Determine if you will be using a digital pen/stylus. Some cases come with a holder on the back/side of the case while some pilots put Velcro strips on the tablet and digital pen/stylus in order to place the digital pen/stylus on the top face of the tablet

  • Other tech...

    • E6B app for tablet and/or phone (so you don’t have to carry a separate E6B flight computer everywhere)
    • Flight tracker app to see airplane location and basic performance data (airspeed, altitude, track)
    • Portable charger(s) (you'll be surprised how quickly the batteries drain on a tablet when using an electronic flight bag or how often you'll forget to charge your tablet ahead of time)

  • Good-to-Have...

    • An electronic E6B flight computer is useful for flight planning calculations (such as time/speed/distance, fuel burn, crosswind, weight & balance, etc.) and can be used for FAA written exams in place of a paper E6B flight computer
    • Binder (to store things like test results, POH pages, NavLogs, Weight & Balance sheets, Airworthiness Directives, etc. – reference our Tips & Tricks section)
    • Sheet protectors for binder
    • Flashlight/headlamp with red and white lights
    • Survival kit

  • Nice-to-Have...

    • ADS-B receiver for increased situational awareness (connects to your electronic flight bag on your tablet)
    • Carbon monoxide detector (some ADS-B receivers come with this)
    • Pulse oximeter
    • Simulator (Chair flying is used throughout aviation training as a way to practice different flight scenarios. Chair flying can be accomplished by simply closing your eyes and imagining or with a cockpit layout print-out in front of you. However, if you have the budget, a home simulator set-up can help improve your at-home flight skill training)