Student Pilot equipment

I'm a new student pilot (no aviation career plans) and am wondering:
What things should I buy for myself? Headset, logbook, calculator etc.

What makes sense to buy now and what should I wait on until I've flown
a while? What would make my training easier and more productive? Pilot
courses, simulator etc.

Any advice would be apreciated.

John

John Stevens wrote:

I'm a new student pilot (no aviation career plans) and am wondering:
What things should I buy for myself? Headset, logbook, calculator etc.

Don't go too crazy, because you'll need your money for lessons right now.
Spending like a drunken sailor should wait until after you have your PPL.

You might appreciate having a handheld GPS in your flight bag later on when
you do your solo cross-countries, just in case -- you might be able to
borrow one from your school or another pilot, but make sure you know well
how to use it in advance, because you won't want to have to figure it out
later if you're flying around lost. Once you have your license, you'll
definitely want a good aviation handheld GPS like the Garmin 196 or 296 or
the Lowrance units, since the avionics in rental planes are often marginal,
but again, don't spend that money yet unless you have a lot to spare.

Having your own headset is a very good idea, but stick with an inexpensive
(but comfortable) PNR headset for now--if you buy an ANR headset later,
you'll have the PNR as a passenger headset, so it's not a waste. I still
use my PNR headset with foam earplugs underneath, and it does a great job.

A clipboard that straps to your leg is nice, since you won't have to worry
about dropping it. I also keep the pencil tied to it with a string, so that
I can just pull it up again if I drop it. You probably don't have to worry
about one of those fancy, multi-fold boards -- you just want something with
a leg strap and a spring clip at the top to hold paper.

For flight planning and calculations (when you get tired of the E6B), the
CoPilot program for the Palm Pilot is both excellent and free, and Paul
Tomblin has a free, customizable online database. If you already have a
Palm, or know someone how has an old Palm III or Palm V sitting in a drawer,
this is the way to go.


All the best,


David

t's not free, it's $20.


"David Megginson" wrote in message
.cable.rogers.com...

For flight planning and calculations (when you get tired of the E6B), the
CoPilot program for the Palm Pilot is both excellent and free, and Paul
Tomblin has a free, customizable online database. If you already have a
Palm, or know someone how has an old Palm III or Palm V sitting in a
drawer,
this is the way to go.

Peter Gottlieb wrote (about CoPilot):

t's not free, it's $20.

It's free -- after much hesitation, Laurie Davis finally agreed to allow an
optional contribution of $20, but it's not required (even morally) and you
get the same program either way.


All the best,


David

In a previous article, "Peter Gottlieb" said:
"David Megginson" wrote in message
For flight planning and calculations (when you get tired of the E6B), the
CoPilot program for the Palm Pilot is both excellent and free, and Paul
t's not free, it's $20.

It *is* free. The "trial" version is exactly the same as the "shareware"
version - Laurie did it that way to give you the option of whether you
want to donate or not.

See http://xcski.com/~ptomblin/CoPilot/FAQ.html for details.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"GNU is not Linux - Linux has a kernel that boots" - Chris Thompson

David Megginson nobody wrote:

A clipboard that straps to your leg is nice,
since you won't have to worry about dropping
it. I also keep the pencil tied to it with a string,
so that I can just pull it up again if I drop it. You
probably don't have to worry about one of those
fancy, multi-fold boards -- you just want something
with a leg strap and a spring clip at the top to hold
paper.

I think the first things I bought were a sectional, a TAC, and an Airport
Facilities/Directory.

Tying the pen or pencil with a string to your clipboard is one of the best
pieces of advice (having dropped mine when I needed it with an instructor who
was not about to pick it up!!)!! I *do* like the the "fancy, multi-fold board"
though, because in addition to having the paper to write on, you have the two
side pockets to put things in and clip things to, like a chart, checklists,
etc.

Don't buy anything until after you need it. During your initial lessons,
you don't need anything -- not even a pencil. No flight bag. No handheld
radio. No fancy calculator. Maybe a headset, if the flying school FBO
doesn't provide one. And then, don't go overboard -- buy the minimum, you
won't go deaf working on your PPL. Save your $$$ for instruction.

Casey Wilson wrote:

Don't buy anything until after you need it.

If you wait until after you need it, then you won't have it when you need it. Buy it
before you need it.

George Patterson
I childproofed my house, but they *still* get in.

You'll need a logbook. And a headset - unless you really enjoy using
something that's been on someone else's head and 1/8" from their mouth. And
an E6B (manual or electronic or both). And a plotter. A kneeboard is handy,
too. Sectonal charts, airport/facility directory ... it never seems to end.

A lot of the stuff (not expensive things like headsets) typically comes with
the Cessna, Jep or other PPL course kits. Your school/instructor may prefer
one kit over the others. The E6B that's included with these is typically the
cheapo paper kind - not good for the long run.

Talk to an instructor first - you probably won't need all of this right
away.

Consider subscribing to rec.aviation.student as well if you haven't
already - lots of help there.

-0-


"John Stevens" wrote in message
om...
I'm a new student pilot (no aviation career plans) and am wondering:
What things should I buy for myself? Headset, logbook, calculator etc.

What makes sense to buy now and what should I wait on until I've flown
a while? What would make my training easier and more productive? Pilot
courses, simulator etc.

Any advice would be apreciated.

John

Earthquake McGoon wrote:

[ snip ]
The E6B that's included with these is typically the
cheapo paper kind - not good for the long run.

[ snip ]

I still have (and use) the paper one I got with my Jep study course in
'79. The guy who administered my IFR written made fun of it. Hey, it
still works. A knot is still a knot :-)



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