Inexpensive Sources for Aviation products.

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 24, 2005
Messages
14,866
Location
Montgomery County PA
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Display name:
Adam Zucker
In prep for a X-C flight I wanted to get some of those Travel John bags just in case. I thought I'd pass on this tidbit of info for others to save some $$ Sportys charges $6.00 for a three pack or about $30.00 for an 18 pack ( now that's a long flight)
I found the same exact item in a Six pack ( excuse the pun) for $6.00 at
K-Mart. 50% off ain't bad. I also purchased a timer from Radio Shack for under $10.00 I love it. It fits in my palm has huge numbers and big buttons it has a clock feature and two simultaneous timer features that can be used to either count up or count down and has a good audible alarm. All you have to do is get a flat head screw driver and pop the magnet off the back, its super easy. Then my wife got some Velcro dots at the fabric store or K-mart for under a buck and I stick one on the back and one on the yoke. I saw very similar timers ( I think ASA makes one) for $30-$40 in the "Aviation catalogues.
I'm not sure what the price of Sic Sacs is but why buy them. Next time you fly the majors just grab a handful from the seat back. Just proves the point that if you put "Aviation in front of a Product the price will soar.
Of course there are many " critical aviation products you DON'T want to buy or use " off label" as they say in pharmacy. You won't use your Walkman headsets or an oil filter from Pepboys, But I belive there are many products we can get much less expensively from non aviation vendors.
It would be great if others would post places that sell products we use in aviation but in a "non-aviation" establishment and at costs less than we pay at the regular aviation stores and sites.

:blueplane:
 
AdamZ said:
In prep for a X-C flight I wanted to get some of those Travel John bags just in case.....
...I also purchased a timer from Radio Shack for under $10.00 I love it....
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You need a timer to figure out when to use the travel john? :D :goofy:

Given the 172's range and my bladder's capacity (I drink a lot of water, especially at altitude where I tend to dry out), I generally plan 3 hour legs. Otherwise I just flip open the window and....never mind. ;)
 
Quart size Hefty bags with vanilla scent make the best barf bags...I think they are call Hefty Scrap Bags.

The luggage department at K-Mart, Sears, Wal-Mart has a great selection of "flight bags". If you want to go upscale a bit try LL Bean.

I saw a flashlight for $59.95 in Sporty's. You should be able to find a perfectly good flashlight for under $10 at the supermarket, K-Mart, Wal-Mart. There are lots of options for coloring the lens if you want/need a colored lens....markers or colored plastic wraping.

My chart holder came from the dollar store as did my 5 x 7 clipboard. I think they were a dollar each. ;<)

Fabric store has velcro in all shapes and sizes. Karen goes there all the time, I think she was able to buy a few yards of the stuff with sticky backing for $3.

Find out where the volunter fire departments in your area buy their supplies to get fire extinguishers. I'll let Ron or someone else opine on the right agent.

Len
 
Len Lanetti said:
I saw a flashlight for $59.95 in Sporty's. You should be able to find a perfectly good flashlight for under $10 at the supermarket, K-Mart, Wal-Mart. There are lots of options for coloring the lens if you want/need a colored lens....markers or colored plastic wraping.

Len
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$20.00 for a Mag Lite. Anything else is a waste of money in my not so humble opinion
 
Greg Bockelman said:
$20.00 for a Mag Lite. Anything else is a waste of money in my not so humble opinion
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Mag Lites are no doubt an awesome flash light. However they will kill your teeth and jaw holding it if you need both hands and need to talk on the radio. I just bought a friend a head light as a gift. You know the kind miners or cavers wear. I bought it at Lowes home centers for $14.00 it fits over your head, has three settings regular flash light, ultra bright LED and Red LED.
 
AdamZ said:
Mag Lites are no doubt an awesome flash light. However they will kill your teeth and jaw holding it if you need both hands and need to talk on the radio. I just bought a friend a head light as a gift. You know the kind miners or cavers wear. I bought it at Lowes home centers for $14.00 it fits over your head, has three settings regular flash light, ultra bright LED and Red LED.
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I've got a mini-mini Mag Lite that runs on a single AAA battery. I just tuck it in my headset band if I need it. I don't fly enough at night to need a full time setup (although there is a full size Mag Lite for my bag for backup).
 
Walmart had small flashlight with a clip I put on my seat belt or pocket. Has red and white lens. Believe it was $7.00 for two. I keep a couple in the cockpit along with a Maglight.

Dave
 
Years ago I bought a GREAT LED flashlight (Rigel Skylite I think?) from an astonomer's website rather than an aviation website - saved almost 50%. It has dimmable red and white LEDs.
 
Carol said:
Ziplock bags instead of sic-sacs.
Clear backpack instead of a flight bag http://www.myclearbackpack.com/
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That transparency is fairly cool. I think the security claim is bogus. You give up privacy as to what you're carrying.

What it would do for me is maybe - maybe - help with the "I KNOW I HAVE IT! What $#%^&* pocket is that thing in - I go through constantly.

Bruce can tell you how I dug for a set of cables in my old black laptop bag, "emptying" out every pocket in the bag, thinking I had left them behind, only to find them in the bag the next day. That laptop bag with lots of pockets and zippers has been a curse since the day I got it. :mad:

...and we tease women about their purses.
 
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AdamZ said:
Mag Lites are no doubt an awesome flash light. However they will kill your teeth and jaw holding it if you need both hands and need to talk on the radio.
Click to expand...
I shove my maglight under the collar of my shirt instead of trying to hold it in my teeth. You can move it around my moving your shoulder, head and neck.
I do agree that the headlamps work pretty cool, but they and the headsets fight each other for head real estate...
 
Adam,

You can get a rubber ring for the base of the Mag Light to hold it with your teeth if you need to.
 
Here's another one...no name digital wrist watch...Kmart regularly $9.99 on sale for $7.99...big numbers, one time zone, one timer, one alarm with all kinds of settings like chime every set number of minutes and a back light...on a velcro strap. I'm thinking of putting one or two on the yoke.

Len
 
Greg Bockelman said:
$20.00 for a Mag Lite. Anything else is a waste of money in my not so humble opinion
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Greg,

I have some small (2 x AA, 3 x AAA & 1 x AAA) mag lights for airplane use but I also like having a 2 x D cell flashlight in the cockpit (also something at least that size or bigger for pre flighting). But, the 2 x D cell mag lights are a big heavy hunk of metal. For my 2 x D cell flashlight I have a name brand heavy duty plastic model with a good switch. It might be a Craftsman or similar.

Len
 
mikea said:
That transparency is fairly cool. I think the security claim is bogus. You give up privacy as to what you're carrying.
Click to expand...

Don't get me started.

What it would do for me is maybe - maybe - help with the "I KNOW I HAVE IT! What $#%^&* pocket is that thing in - I go through constantly.....
Click to expand...


Yep. This is why I got it and like it.
 
Len Lanetti said:
Greg,

I have some small (2 x AA, 3 x AAA & 1 x AAA) mag lights for airplane use but I also like having a 2 x D cell flashlight in the cockpit (also something at least that size or bigger for pre flighting). But, the 2 x D cell mag lights are a big heavy hunk of metal. For my 2 x D cell flashlight I have a name brand heavy duty plastic model with a good switch. It might be a Craftsman or similar.

Len
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My problem with flashlights other than Mag is that they never seem to work when I need them. To be honest, I haven't really shopped for one that has a better swith, which seems to be the biggest problem. I like the 2 D Mag Lite and the AA or AAA mag lite. Suits my purposes
 
Greg Bockelman said:
My problem with flashlights other than Mag is that they never seem to work when I need them. To be honest, I haven't really shopped for one that has a better swith, which seems to be the biggest problem. I like the 2 D Mag Lite and the AA or AAA mag lite. Suits my purposes
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Mag-lites and Surefire flashlights have always worked when I needed them, in conditions ranging from typhoons to arctic blizzards. They are tough and dependable. I've still got the 3D cell Mag-lite I carried for a decade. Makes it about 20 years old. It's not all black anymore, of course, but still works beautifully. Some things are just worth paying extra for, IMHO. Things that just have to work when I need them fall into that category.
 
BillG said:
Years ago I bought a GREAT LED flashlight (Rigel Skylite I think?) from an astonomer's website rather than an aviation website - saved almost 50%. It has dimmable red and white LEDs.
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$30-50 or whatever the current going price is for a simple LED flashlight is piracy in the extreme. Go to the local electronics junk shop and buy the parts and build it yourself. We built one for our astronomy sessions for something like $5 total (fancy version) plus the battery. I remember accidentally leaving it on in the trunk for a week once. Opened the trunk one night and saw red in the corner and figured turning it off would probably save the battery some though it didn't seem to matter much.

Mag lights: Carry two or a second light source of some kind. If you don't know why, go into your closet, close the door and change bulbs sometime. For added realism don't forget to drop the spare bulb into the laundry pile while you're at it.
 
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bbchien said:
But they tease us about our trunks and backseats.
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Belt pouches or whatever they're called lately. You know the type: Buckled web belt around waist with the compartment large enough for a midsize handgun and assorted junk. Kind of the men's purse. Women had the right idea from the start but theirs just wasn't an overly convienent design for hands free use.
 
I'm starting to see ball caps with led lights built in the brim of the hat; even has a change-able battery. I've seen a few at trade shows and although I haven't been able to get one yet, I bet we'll see them more and more often in the near future.
 
OtisAir said:
I'm starting to see ball caps with led lights built in the brim of the hat; even has a change-able battery. I've seen a few at trade shows and although I haven't been able to get one yet, I bet we'll see them more and more often in the near future.
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They sell a Craftsman version of it at Sears. No idea what it costs--probably way over-priced.
 
I have a camo one that I picked up at Lowes for 14.00. Has two nice and brite LED's built into the brim of the hat and two lithium flat batteries in the cap. An on/off button type switch is also in the brim. Works nice for some of those night preflights, or taking out the trash here at home. :D

I recall one of AdamZ's other threads about his Zoggles,... that was a great idea! Made a set myself after that.
 
I've been swiping barf bags for years. Never needed one for any pax (I don't really notice turbulence.)

The Travel John at KMart is a great tip. I get them from Spruce or Sporty's. They are great, better than that bucket you have to dump. I'd use the relief tube in my plane, but I've been lectured about corrosion so much that I wonder why they even install them. I think the airframe corrodes if you even think that you might have to use the relief tube.
 
I have the ballcap with the LEDs, thanks to my wife. She got it at LL Bean. It is perfect for (1) preflighting, and (2) wearing on late-night departures when a sudden loss of instrument lights would be... irritating.
 
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