Starting out
Sean,
Apart from the knee board you've already got, one of my first purchases was a headset. The school provided one, but it was something I wanted (rather than needed) and bought a mid-spec pair of David Clark's. Glad I did, and still use them to this day.
The only other things that I got early on and still use are:
- my flight bag; I got one of the first Brightline bags when they were launched (back when there was only one version). There are a stack of different ones to choose from now. It kept all my maps, books, notes and flying stuff together and easily accessible.
- flying jacket; (not a big showy sheepskin thing before you start!), one of the cheap Transair things. I like fresh air in the cockpit, but don't like being cold - a regular occurrence learning in a drafty 152. The cut of the jacket means it sits comfortably on my waist, there's plenty of arm movement and there's no collar to interfere with my headset when I look around. I also make use of the pen holder on the arm because I found putting pens back on my knee-board a bit of a fiddle.
[And no, before anyone starts, I don't wear it anywhere else apart from flying because that's not my thing. Yes, I really do take another coat with me so even if I'm just stopping for groceries on my way to/from the airfield I'm not strutting around in a flying jacket. It's bought for a purpose and serves that purpose]
TPP