Tools & parts to carry?

Peter Ha

Peter Ha

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
223
Display Name
Display name:
Leadpan
Hey folks,
Which items should I have in back my plane?
So far my list:
First aid kit
Nav lights bulbs
Fuses
Swiss knife/tool
Canopy cover
Tie downs
 
In a weight-limited C150? Carry a visa card with an average limit. That should solve any problem you'd have on a cross-country.

Switch the landing light to LED if it isn't already. Ours liked to eat those about every 20 hours.
 
WD 40 and Duct Tape (I'm serious)


Wheel chocks?
 
Tie downs. Most airports out here have the hook in concrete but no ropes. these are under 1lb for a set of 3
 
Your carry pistol of choice, a flashlight, a knife, some rope, duct tape, and a credit card.
 
What are you mechanically capable of fixing? If the answer is "not much," a couple screwdrivers and a multi-tool is probably all you should have. If you're not mechanically inclined, you may just make it worse. I don't carry spare bulbs; funny thing, lights always seem to burn out on the very last leg of the flight home.

In addition to some of the above, depending on your plane, it's worth carrying some WD-40 and LPS2, just in case you have anything that is supposed to move that doesn't want to move smoothly (door latches, gas caps, fuel selectors in certain planes, etc.).
 
Extra large Hefty bag, a tree saw, rope, duct tape, a bag of lime, and a small fold able shovel.
 
Do the analysis: ask yourself, what can I fix and what will I need to fix it? Then ask: What will break? The intersection of the two answers will help you decide what to bring.

Say you can change a tire and to fix it your need tools, a jack and a tire and tube. If you decide to just buy a tire and tube, the shop probably has all the other stuff anyway. If you need to change a landing light, tools and maybe a ladder which you can get at the pumps but you can get away without it if flying during daylight.

Then again the one thing that we all need is fuel and we are back to the credit card.
 
Hmmm... i can't tell if some of these "suggestions" are for real or humor.. :rolleyes:
 
“What can I fix?

And ...

“What can I legally fix?”

Two different questions.

Also definitely depends on where you’ll be going, and how long you’ll be stuck there, as to part of the answer of whether you care about the distinction. :)
 
In a 12 in x 8 in plastic container, I carry a small toolkit, pretty much everything in the cherokee comes apart with a 7/16 socket or phillips screwdriver. Paper towels, wire cutters & wire, quart of oil, the tow adapter if I don’t want/can’t use the tow bar. Blanket for laying on the ground (if needed). All the lamps are now LED so no extra bulbs. No fuses, everything is on breakers.

Anything else depends on type of flying. If a run for breakfast, not much else. Cross-countries depend on season of the year and which direction. I have a backpack that contains PLB, first aid kit, parachute cord, two carabiners, large garbage bags, a knife that will get me arrested pretty much everywhere else, handheld radio, flashlight & strobe with extra batteries, couple bottles of water, fire starter, candles, hot chocolate and lipton soup packets, 5 mil plastic, spare gloves, hat, underwear and a toothbrush. In a separate bag is the tie-down kit. In 20 years I’ve never used anything other than the tie-down kit. But then I was trained by CAP and emergency professionals how to deal with landing someplace I don’t want to be.

You’d be surprised what you can put up with when you have clean underwear. I learned that the hard way after spending 2 days on the wrong side of Eisenhower Tunnel when I-70 was closed and I slept on the floor of the hotel with a couple hundred of my newest friends. Ski pants are not comfy for sleeping.

I always carry either a 4 or 8 gal (summer only) tank of water for ballast in the baggage area.
 
Last edited:
Forgot something on my list....

Back up alarm connected to the throttle quadrant beta switch...
 
I got a bag with a bunch of cheap tools, duct tape, emergency water, standard survival kit, life vest, chocks, oil, flashlight. But honestly the only thing I’ve used on the plane I was flying in the field was oil and the chocks, and I’m an A&P mechanic. Nav lights? No way, Unless you’re flying into the bush every day you won’t need much.
 
Tent and sleeping bag...minimizes the gethomeitis, because you’ve always got a free place to stay overnight.
 
Hm just remembered...the OP is flying a 150. That will severely limit gear. I’d get a small plastic box (Target, Walmart) similar to the size ai have, about 12x8. Quart of Oil, paper towels, safety wire and wire cutters, multi-tool, small first aid kit, small tool kit with only the bare essentials. Bungee cords to keep it from moving in the back. Your original list pretty much covers it. For weight distribution and convenience, I’d put tie-down and canopy cover in a separate container. I use a nylon bag for the tie-downs.

Cash, not just a credit card. Unless you have a hangar, keep a larger toolkit in the trunk of your car. The PLB goes on your body. In CAP, we have SPOT velcro’d to the,glareshield. In event of emergency, first order of business ismto grab the SPOT on the way out the door.
 
I don't carry a mother lode of spare parts. Simple stuff that is likely to fail (landing light, nav lights, panel bulbs, etc.) are either readily available at repair shops or can be found in the aviation aisle of the local NAPA store. Most airports have chocks, but I do have a compact pair that I can travel with if needed. The only spare parts I should probably carry are spare rudder springs.

I carry in an approximately 6x12 plastic basket in the back: microfiber cloths, tie-down ropes I fitted with metal latching hooks, plastic cleaner, 2 qt of oil, paper towels. In the summer, a spray bottle with DI water and a Dobie sponge for removing bugs from the leading edges and cowling, and a small container of turtle wax or similar for waxing the leading edges periodically. (Turtle wax can also be used on the windshield.) The folded canopy cover fits neatly on the hat shelf.

In my flight bag I carry a Leatherman tool which can tighten screws and fix various minor things. (I also have a stub screwdriver in the glove box, and hex keys for removing and/or reseating avionics.) The flight bag also carries a portable radio/VOR receiver and two headlamps and a small flashlight (all red/white).
 
First aid kit
Oil
Jumper cables if 12V
Spare tubes and everything needed to change them minus a jack (easy to find a jack most times), or a light weight jack if your plane if thatll work for your plane.
 
5 gold coins, nylons, Hershey bars, pack of American cigarettes, chewing gum, and a German phrase book.
 
Bourbon,a credit card with high limit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top