So you get into your airplane and your instructor says to you,
“Hey where is your Kneeboard, your desk? What are you going to write on and fly at the same time”?
“My what”?
“Kneeboard”
“I did not think I needed one of those.”
“Well look what’s on my knee! I am a professional, I use the Pro tools, If you were a pro golfer you would want the pro golf clubs right, you want to be a Pro Pilot one day don’t you”?
“Well, Yes, but I am trying to save money for flying”?
“Ya, Crappy flying”…
It’s just a tin plate, but in the aircraft, this thing is your second brain. You are so busy flying you don’t have time to think because you are already reasoning about the size of your circuit, and the speed you need to be at before you turn to base. ATC calls the Cessna in front of you that is on final and gives him some new winds, you write that info down on your kneeboard because you don’t need that info just yet but can use it. So, on final you are trying to sort out your crosswind and since you wrote the wind info down on your kneeboard it’s there, right there. Your Runway is RW 26 and the winds are 280/22Kts and you think, “can I handle that crosswind”?
Because you had a desk, you used it when you had the chance and later the info was there when you needed it. However, Prior to flight, your instructor got you to prepare the details of the flight on a piece of paper that just so happens to be just the size to fit on a kneeboard. That’s by design. Up and Down times, Departure plan, Radio frequencies, Altitudes and distance restrictions. Notes, Notes.
Over the years I have found it an indispensable tool. It holds the pen, is solid surface, and clips my mission cards and flight notes, navigation logs to something rigid, like your leg.
I have always used the thin aluminum plate, It does not get in the way of the controls. It’s light and easy to attach to your leg. And best of all it’s Under $25 bucks. The last tin plate kneeboard lasted 25 years, I worked it out, that’s $1.00 a year, for a highly Under Rated aviation tool. You will use a kneeboard for your whole career in one form or another.
The Image above is linked to a location for you to purchase one. Great tool in the airplane that serves as a platform for your second brain.
