Aircrew "bag": what should I have in one?

[Hawk200]

I'm starting to do some ES type work lately, and I'm putting together a Ground Team bag based on the equipment list. I'm also planning on some aircrew work, but I'm not sure what to pack for an aircrew equipment list. Any ideas?

Keep in mind that I'm trying to pack something that would have me fairly self sufficient in the same manner as GT gear, and it may have to go into the baggage compartment of an airplane.

[MSgt Van]

Which position will you be filling?

[Hawk200]

Which position will you be filling?

Scanner. I'm starting over again somewhat. The deployment happened while I was in the middle of training.

[Pumbaa]

This is more of what I carry to the plane for a basic flight.. This is in my flight bag. This is the bare minimum for comfort...

knee board, pens, pencils, headset, aspirin, motion sickness pills, water, soft granola bars, pack of gum and or mints.  2-Quart sized zip lock bag.  Some type of ASEK knife and or multi-knife, flashlight..

Ok that's the minimum...

I'll let others chime in...

[Pylon]

I'm a Mission Observer/Scanner.  Here's what I put in my flight bag:

• Sigtronics S-40 (because you can't count on there always being an extra headset in airframes, and believe me, you'll want your own)
  
• A VFR Kneeboard from Sportys (nothing like having a handy clipboard secured in your lap)
  
• A Petzl LED Headlamp with Red Lens (the flip up red lens is very handy for nightflying, and a headlamp is much better in a cockpit than a flashlight, IMHO)
  
• An LED flashlight of the handheld variety, Smith & Wesson, with white, red and green LEDs.  Red/Green is on a separate switch.
  
• Electronic E6B
  
• Current Sectionals for the area (I use these much more as an MO, than MS)
  
• Plotter
  
• CAP Scanner/Observer Logbook
  
• Digital Camera.  (I use a Canon DigitalRebel XTI with both 18-55mm and 100-300mm lenses. The latter comes in very handy in flight.  I also have one of those super-slim, 10mp point-n-shoots by Casio)
  
• A selection of CAP forms and other charts/tables/internal-use forms I use for MS/MO stuff (photo logs, etc)
  
• Lots of miscellaneous, snivel gear from Sportys like sectional pencils, highlighter tape and wx briefing stickies. 
  
• Pens and mechanical pencils in the flight bag, and in the flight suit pocket.  There's never enough.
  
• Non-meltable-type snack bars and a water bottle.
  
• Sunglasses.

[flyerthom]

1) comfortable headset!
2) Kneeboard with small notebad
3) CAP grid sectionals
4) current sectionals
5) digital camera
6) batteries to fit camera
7) pens and pencils
8 ) multi tool
9) signal mirror
10) water
11) granola bars
All in a Cenal Echo flight bag

[airdale]

Any ideas?

A bunch of quarters for the airport vending machines.

Amen on the bars.  I "taste tested" until I found a brand that wasn't 90% sugar.  YMMV.

I wouldn't bother with a signal mirror.  IMHO your odds of needing it are about the same as your odds of winning the Powerball, maybe lower.

Multitools are fun, but you won't be asked to fix the airplane anyway.  And someone else will have one.  (Me, if I'm your MP.)

I also like kneeboard size crib sheets.  Things like ground team and paulin signals.  For MO, crib sheets on how to work the CAP radios, GPS, etc.  Search the web for them or make your own.   Ditto, forms like photo logs.

As Pylon said, maps & charts are more for the MO, but if you're making up a set be sure to have a standard highway map.  The ground teams have a tendency to tell you what highway number they're on or where they are from some little town you've never heard of.  A sectional isn't much help!

[IceNine]

http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=7722.0

That's the link to the last round of this discussion, there are a few more threads around here too if you don't get all the answers you're looking for

[Gunner C]

Any ideas?

I wouldn't bother with a signal mirror.  IMHO your odds of needing it are about the same as your odds of winning the Powerball, maybe lower.

Unless you've ever tried to get an aircraft's attention, more than a couple of miles away.  If you have one, take it - they weigh next to nothing and don't take up any space.  If nothing else, you can use it to shave the next morning at the mission base if you get held over.  Better to have it than wish you would have taken it.

[Hawk200]

Any ideas?

A bunch of quarters for the airport vending machines.

As Pylon said, maps & charts are more for the MO, but if you're making up a set be sure to have a standard highway map.  The ground teams have a tendency to tell you what highway number they're on or where they are from some little town you've never heard of.  A sectional isn't much help!

Those are two things that I wouldn't have thought of. Everything else is nice to have listed when I put it together, but I hadn't considered the above. Can't think of how many times I walked off a helicopter at a stop and wished I'd had coin change.

[JC004]

I like the ZuluBoard, which I got with the CAP (CAPBlog) discount.

http://www.zuluworks.com/prod/zuluboards/zuluboards_main.htm

http://capblog.typepad.com/capblog/2005/11/discount_on_zul.html

[DC]

I like the ZuluBoard, which I got with the CAP (CAPBlog) discount.

http://www.zuluworks.com/prod/zuluboards/zuluboards_main.htm

http://capblog.typepad.com/capblog/2005/11/discount_on_zul.html

Do you recommend it? I've been thinking about getting one... What size did you get?

[JC004]

Yup.  I got the Economy ZuluBoard, which is the standard size.  Nice board, durable construction.  I use it for UDFT missions as well as aircrew.  I've been tempted to buy one of their flight bags too.

[Thom]

Any ideas?

I wouldn't bother with a signal mirror.  IMHO your odds of needing it are about the same as your odds of winning the Powerball, maybe lower.

Multitools are fun, but you won't be asked to fix the airplane anyway.  And someone else will have one.  (Me, if I'm your MP.)

I actually agreed with your other ideas, so I snipped them from the quote above.  But why not carry a Signal Mirror?  They are about the single most time-tested and proven signaling device available.  And, I would NEVER depend on someone else to bring a Multi-Tool.  I like to have my own, no matter what.

Here's my current list:

In my suit/vest/uniform/pockets/on my body: 

PSP (Pocket Survival Pak from Doug Ritter/Adventure Medical) - This includes a decent Signal Mirror, plus mine has added in Water Purifying Tablets, MRE Hot Bev. Bag, Small Swiss Army Knife with light, Band Aids, etc.)  This is still only the size of a George Costanza wallet and has almost everything I need to survive and get help.

Orange Space Blanket - Adventure Medical - These totally blow away the old mylar silver space blankets.  They do NOT tear and are reusable many times, as well as being ORANGE on one side for signaling.  They also come a little oversized.  Unlike the flimsy mylar blankets, you can actually use this one to make a shelter, not simply as a blanket.

MultiTool - I vary between a couple, but any decent name brand tool is leagues better than nothing.  Be sure to check that the knife blade on the thing is sharp if you aren't carrying a separate pocket knife.

PLB - I'll be adding a McMurdo FastFind PLB (the new small one) as soon as it arrives, no more excuses

In my bag (an Eclipse Motorcycling Tailbag):
Headset
Charts - Sectionals, Gridded and plain, Approach Charts (just in case...), TAC, Highway Map (!!!!)
Plotter - small
Fuel Tester (just cause)
Barf Bags (I use the Hot Beverage Bags from the MREs, they are heavier duty than a Sick Sack)
E6B
Kneeboard
In addition to the Kneeboard, I have a Leg-Acy Chart Holder, basically an elastic band around your leg with a big metal open clip on top of your leg, just slip a chart in there to hold it.  Works great on the left leg, with the Kneeboard on the right.
In Flight Guide (see http://cap-es.net)
Pens, Pencils
2 Flashlights - Petzl Red Filter Headlamp and a Switchable Red/Green/White Sidewinder handheld/clothing clip equipped
PLUS I always have a Photon Freedom Covert White LED light hanging around my neck on a breakaway lanyard
Camera (usually spare batteries also, though if I'm using someone else's camera...)
CAP Task Guide
and of course, My Oakleys...can't fly without them...

I was also reading on CAPTalk in an earlier thread about somebody's idea to carry a piece of clear plastic to slap on top of the working area of the Sectional so you can write on top in Grease Pencil/China Marker.  I'm TOTALLY stealing that idea.

Thom Hamilton

[PHall]

You know, if you guys are going to carry all of that survival type gear, why not just break down and get a vest?
Empty SRU-21 vests aren't that expensive and makes getting to your stuff a lot easier.

Wearing a flight suit that has the pockets stuffed full of stuff gets uncomfortable after a couple of hours.

And you're pretty much guaranteed to not leave it in the plane if you're wearing it!

[Thom]

You know, if you guys are going to carry all of that survival type gear, why not just break down and get a vest?
Empty SRU-21 vests aren't that expensive and makes getting to your stuff a lot easier.

Wearing a flight suit that has the pockets stuffed full of stuff gets uncomfortable after a couple of hours.

And you're pretty much guaranteed to not leave it in the plane if you're wearing it!

I can't speak for anyone else, but my gear: PSP Pak, Space Blanket, PLB, MultiTool all fits in 2 Cargo Pockets or the lower leg pockets on a flightsuit.  I'm not exactly the michelin man with my pockets stuffed full of stuff.  (Any resemblance I may have to the Michelin Man is entirely my own personage, I don't need any assist from extra stuff...)

The Vests are OK, but I'd say you really don't need to carry THAT much gear actually on your person in the airplane.  Careful planning and packing lets me carry a comfortable amount of survival gear in a couple of pockets.  I can live with that a lot easier than wearing that vest all the time.  In fact, I carry the same items in my BDU pockets on the ground, so that even when I take off my Orange SAR Vest (which holds all the rest of my 24 Hour Gear, no Pack needed...) I always have some minimum gear on me.

All the extra miscellaneous stuff lives in the Flight Bag until it gets strapped on in the airplane.

Thom Hamilton

[O-Rex]

My flight bag contents:

Observer's checklist (the  "blue binder" type)

"Old school" E6B

Kneeboard

Little book light for kneeboard

Gridded Local Sectional and Terminal Area Chart

Approach plates or Florida DOT airport guide

Two or three AAA –sized flashlights

2 Chemlights

Kneeboard-sized observer worksheets and mission forms

Pens, pens and more pens

Small binocs

Digital stopwatch

Travel-john 'relief bag' (haven't had to use it yet!)

Air-sickness bag for scanner (or for me if it doesn't make it to the scanner in time...)


Survival gear:

Fanny-pack w/some first aid items if I'm flying primarily over urban terrain

Survival vest for x-country or ops over the Everglades  (add LPU-10's if overwater)

[airdale]

why not carry a Signal Mirror?

Same reason I don't wear three-layer Nomex and a Snell SA-rated helmet when I drive around town.  I evaluate the probability of a survival situation on a CAP flight as being so low that I don't consider it to be a risk.

When I was racing sports cars I wore that stuff because the probability of needing it  was different.  Ditto, I am leaving tomorrow for a Canadian trip that will take me as far as about 62 degrees north latitude.  I'm carrying an emergency kit that is wildly beyond anything mentioned here.  Also a nice new McMurdo Fast Find.

But, hey, we all carry stuff we never use.  I've had a couple of nifty internally-lighted ball point pens in my flight bag for years!  If the OP wants to carry a signal mirror, that's fine with me.

If he decides to carry an anvil "just in case" he needs to make shoes for wild horses so he can ride out of the wilderness?  --- we'll have to talk. :-)

[Hawk200]

If he decides to carry an anvil "just in case" he needs to make shoes for wild horses so he can ride out of the wilderness?  --- we'll have to talk. :-)

I guess that's out then. It was only a mini anvil though.

[coolkites]

If he decides to carry an anvil "just in case" he needs to make shoes for wild horses so he can ride out of the wilderness?  --- we'll have to talk. :-)

I guess that's out then. It was only a mini anvil though.

WHAT you mean I didn't have to carry the anvil between my legs for the 6 1/2 hour flight! me and my supply man are going to have a talk.