Flight cases... what to get and where from?

[MonarchA330]

Hello all,

I am soon to be starting my 1st airline job and am looking to get myself a nice new case to start my career with.

I did read another thread on this issue which has now been closed so I could not post there.

My questions are... what size bag would I need flying an A319/20/21 for a British charter airline (i.e. what would I be expected to carry) and where is the best place to get it from in the UK?

Also, any other suggestions for Christmas presents for the new airline pilot would be much appreciated!

Thanks very much
M330

[jammydonut]

Make your mark and just use an old Asda bag

[TopBunk]

The best bag I've found so far that works well for longhaul costs only about £43 from Costco of all places, and is made by the same fols that make Swiss Army knives.

1. Has wheels
2. One section ideal for duty free/bunk gear
3. padded laptop section (it may have had a laptop case with it, but I don't use it) also various side nets for wifi/psp etc
4. fan-fold section for maps/files etc
5. usual pen/passport section, with a clip for your keys, pda storage, phone pouch, usb memory stick etc
6. section for in flight hygiene kit
7. Another section for luggage tags etc


Highly commended

[Sleeping]

Pierre Cardin pilot case from Argos - £19.99!
Light, durable, just the right size, lots of zip pockets and at less than £20 you can treat yourself to a new one every year!!!

[extreme P]

If you only want to buy one every 20 years or so www.scottleather.com. These things are bomb proof.

Contents of my bag any given day:

- Laptop
- Captain's Atlas
- Extra folders/paperwork/customs cards
- Personal headset (Usually one never knows where the previous guy's mouth has been before touching the mike but in a small company one does know thus the personal headset...)
- Sunshades
- Jepp size binder full of cheat notes
- Case for sunglasses

Still plenty of room left over for stowing a hat on deadhead flights and maybe even a duty free purchase from time to time.

[foxmoth]

Many airlines have manuals etc. on CDrom so a laptop bag for your laptop with room for headset,licence and the obligatory yellow jacket seems to be the way to go these days - If you get a bigger bag you will fill it - usually with a load of stuff you dont need, and no matter how often you empty it it is full of rubbish again a week later.

[Daysleeper]

Contents of my bag any given day:

- Laptop
etc etc
- Case for sunglasses

Cripes - contents of my Flightcase as I empty it now and I am NOT making this up,,,,

1 packet "ener Bio" Feigen (figs slightly mouldy)
1 plastic ziploc bag containing 5 tea bags, coffee ,sugar (out of milk )
1 Ethernet cable (2 meters) hotel room ones are too short for surfing in bed)
1 Diary 2006 ununsed
1 sci fi novel finished months ago
1 instant german course book to acompany stuff on my iPOd
25 Bug cards
3 power adaptors (EU -UK, US- UK, UK - shaver)
4 meter roll black electrical insulating tape
Assorted paperwork, line check questions, some stuff from my credit card company.
7 pens, some work , some don't
1 soup spoon
1 tea spoon with the Sabena logo on it
1 "park Inn" heathrow notepad (1 sheet remaining)
1 DVD of a Kung fu movie - was left in my in tray by mistake I have no idea who's it is.
1 shoe polish sponge
6 sets of sponge ear defenders
10 antiseptic wipes
1 small tin lip balm
1 hair brush
small bag of mixed nuts (now crushed)
15 loose and individually wrapped tea bags.
1 map of a small town in the south west of england
1 hotel laundry plastic bag containing - petrol receipts and aprox $200 in loose notes of various countries.
1 hotel sewing kit.
Passport, License.

Normally there would also be my Laptop, iPOD, Headset at least 1 Litre of water but as I'm home I've taken them out.

[Rainboe]

Before buying your bag, see what space you have on the flight deck first! There is no point in having the perfect bag if you can't fit it in the space available! If you are the sort of person who carries a lot, and you have long walks through airports, you will be grateful for a wheelie bag.

Excellent tip there about the Argos bag. I spent over double that on an identical bag from Flightstore. Good bag, if a little too floppy.

[DB6]

Argos, seriously. I too spent over the odds on a Flightstore one. For twenty quid a year it will always look fairly tidy.

[MonarchA330]

Thanks for all your replies everyone!

I'll be flying the A320/21... does the storage space depend on the airline config not the aircraft type itself then?

Do most people still go for the classic square style case or is that now seen as a bit old school?! I don't mind spending a bit of money if the case is going to last!

Please keep your advice coming! Thanks!

M330

[Rainboe]

Any style bag you like. Pilots are not fashion creatures! But be sure it fits before shelling out! I don't know what space the Airbus has, but the 737 has a narrow flight deck with very little room. I used to use a wheelie bag with a smaller briefcase for vital things that went on top attached to the handle of the wheelie. You really need to checkout the space first- and measure it!

[esvdx]

Costco again...

I can highly recommend Costco again - especially their own brand - Kirkland.

I had been using a Travelpro wheeled case for short-haul in the A320. When fully loaded, it can be a pain to fit down the side of the seat.

The following is currently available from Costco:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...v=&browse=&s=1

(The link is to the US site, but pricing was around £34 inc Vat in Edinburgh). Highly recommended for a slimmed down bag, it's amazing what I was carrying around just because I had a bigger bag!

Oh, and as to Christmas Presents, I highly recommend the Pilots Free Atlas:

http://www.absolutezero.de/

It makes your PAs across Europe more informative, and it's always useful to be able to identify features en-route.

Hope this is useful.

esvdx

[ImAflyGirl]

flight cases

Hi

I can not remember the name of the company, but it might be worth doing some research online for this. My husband buys a lot of guitar equipment and he found on ebay.com - not co.uk, a company that does flight cases for amplifiers and they were dirt cheap, About 60 dollars. Now, with the exchange rate being so good, it could be worth it. They do custom sizes or you could choose from a prefab size. Still seemed worth the cost, especially if you have the ability to have it shipped to a USA address and collect it. If I can remember the site I will update this forum. Good luck searching,

ImAflyGirl

[MonarchA330]

Thanks for all your replies everyone, been most helpful!
M330
P.S. Ozymandias, don't be fooled by the screename! Ive had it for years!

[Tricky_Tricky]

In The Same Boat...

My fiance is starting at his new airline soon and as a Christmas present I'm looking around for a briefcase that he can take on short haul trips, but also use down the line when he switches to long haul.

Basically, what I'd be looking for is...

1) Stlyish and sophisticated
2) It won't break the bank
3) Leather, preferably
4) Durable

I like the look of the ones from Scott Leather, I'm thinking of getting one from there. Would that be a smart purchase?

I'm also open to any other suggestions for another Christmas present for a very devoted pilot. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read or reply!

[low n' slow]

I've found the type of bag that has straps around it instead of handles on top to work better for me. First of all, the lid will never be under stress. That makes it last a lot longer. Also, the lid surface is not blocked by a handle in the middle of it, making it useful as a workarea (put all my calculations on the lid and use it as a desk). Also for planes not equipped with tables, it makes for a nice dinnertable!

I guess spacewise, the more space you have, the more you'll bring.

/LnS

[ChocksAwayUK]

Can anyone confirm that the Costco/Kirkland bag mentioned above is a good size for an easyJet A319. Also willing to consider other suggestions (as well as all the useful info already posted).

Thanks.

[cavortingcheetah]

First of all, congratulations! May your career be long and hazard free!
The Jeppesen black leather flight bags, either for two or four binders, are without a doubt the best there are. They are completely inconspicuous and are of far too good a quality to be desecrated with those ridiculous aeroplane stickers of which the rather more vulgar pilots are so fond.
The discreet Jeppesen logo on the top of the bag marks you as a pilot of rare good taste and instantly puts you on a superior footing within your peer group. This engraving is also usually recognized for the prized cache it really is when flying within the United States. Upgrades often follow when travelling as a passenger having, in a refined sort of way 'flashed' the logo at cabin crew.
Rainboe is, of course, as usual, absolutely correct. The prime consideration for the size of Jeppesen bag you select should be the availability of space in which to stash it.

[Rainboe]

Their bags may be brill, CC, but their charts are pure, unadulterated crap. Reams of charts for places never heard of, never put on one chart what you can put on two, books filling a 737 flight deck, which is small enough anyway. It was so easy with Aerads- a couple of Aerad Generals, an Aerad Europe, Dangerous Goods and 2 sensible sets of landing charts- Bob's yer Unc. You're right, nice Jepp logo! Still think the Argos bag is the best value- half the price of Flitestore.

[beamer]

Get a small one - one of the great truths of aviation is that however big a bag you have, trust me you will fill it !