Flight Suit Pen Pockets suck for Lefties

[MellieM]

Get yourself an NFO -- a.k.a., a male secretary -- to carry your pens & notes & assorted bric-a-brac ... problem solved.

A male secretary/NFO in the cockpit: they are so choice, if you have the means ... I highly recommend picking one up ....

Being a ladybird, i kinda like that option the best. :icon_woma

 

[Uncle Fester]

A lefty I knew in the Fleet got his flight suits rigged with the pen pocket on the left calf. Don't know where he got 'em done, but always seemed like a good idea to me. Seems like something that any halfway-decent tailor shop could run up, since it's just a velcro'ed pocket.

 

[Brett327]

A lefty I knew in the Fleet got his flight suits rigged with the pen pocket on the left calf. Don't know where he got 'em done, but always seemed like a good idea to me. Seems like something that any halfway-decent tailor shop could run up, since it's just a velcro'ed pocket.

That would be grounds for merciless mockery in the TACAIR community. Real aviators tie theirs to their kneeboards - end of story. All you other VP types, just go on doing whatever it is that you do. (smiles simulated)

Brett

 

[picklesuit]

I like to leave one in the clipboard, one in the pocket, and one somewhere under the seat never to be found again...

 

[TheBubba]

Lefty here... pen pocket is on my left arm. Wear my kneeboard on my right knee. I've adapted and overcame. Simple as that. You'll find a system that works for you.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

I like to leave one in the clipboard, one in the pocket, and one somewhere under the seat never to be found again...

Thats good lookin' out right there. So, if the next guy has lost his pen, all he has to do is check under the seat.

 

[arbor]

Never had a problem so far, and that handy chart light in the Hornet just happens to be on the left side, so works pretty well for the kneeboard.

If you go into any kind of TACAIR and don't have your crap tied down it's gonna bite you in the ass sooner or later, might as well start now

 

[HuggyU2]

You should not be using a pen from that pocket in flight anyway, easy way to FOD out your cockpit.

In your opinion. I wouldn't consider that a FOD hazard at all.

Get a string (like the one in your leg knife pocket) and tie one end to your kneeboard (preferrably not the shitty issued one), and the other end to a pen.

The string's an option, if you can't handle the pocket, I suppose. Makes a nice missile if you eject.
As for the "shitty kneeboard": not sure what you're issued, but our thin plastic ones are that way for a reason. The big metal ones have done major bodily damage to guys in previous ejections.

...and your IP won't yell at you when you get to advanced

Is this a "cultural thing"? They "expect" it to be tied on, or what?


Brett says:

Real aviators tie theirs to their kneeboards - end of story.

Again, it must be a Navy cultural thing, as don't see that done in these parts of the aviation world.

Additionally, one of the two aircraft I fly have flight control ergonomics that make the use of a kneeboard impossible.

 

[A4sForever]

....Again, it must be a Navy cultural thing, as don't see that done in these parts of the aviation world....

Naaaaaaaaaa ... I don't think it's 'cultural' ... more like it's that these guys are all coming out of the same mental 'mold' re: kneeboards these days ...

This is a close approximation of what got me 'there & back' many, many times, for many, many years & hours ... no strings attached ... just one stuck under the clip, when needed .... minimalist, to be sure. But it worked and could be got rid of quickly when the need arose.

 

[HH-60H]

As for the "shitty kneeboard": not sure what you're issued, but our thin plastic ones are that way for a reason.

I've been issued both kneeboards. The Navy ones are some sort of Frankenstein of the kneeboard world. I don't have a picture, but it's hard to explain if you have never seen one before. Heck, just as a point of difference, the Navy kneeboard takes batteries.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I've been issued both kneeboards. The Navy ones are some sort of Frankenstein of the kneeboard world. I don't have a picture, but it's hard to explain if you have never seen one before. Heck, just as a point of difference, the Navy kneeboard takes batteries.

Sporty's sells that ginormous piece of crap for the low, low price of $59.95. The picture they have on their website is CLEARLY taken before the lightbulbs fell out - which is always 15 minutes after you're issued it/reseated the lightbulbs. What a piece of shit.

 

[Brett327]

Completely your opinion. I wouldn't consider that a FOD hazard at all.


The string's an option, if you can't handle the pocket, I suppose. Makes a nice missile if you eject.
As for the "shitty kneeboard": not sure what you're issued, but our thin plastic ones are that way for a reason. The big metal ones have done major bodily damage to guys in previous ejections.


Is this a "cultural thing"? They "expect" it to be tied on, or what?


Brett says:

Again, it must be a Navy cultural thing, as don't see that done in these parts of the aviation world.

Additionally, one of the two aircraft I fly have flight control ergonomics that make the use of a kneeboard impossible.

I know we're discussed this issue before, but...

It's partly cultural, but mostly practical. I'm not necessarily opposed to someone going flying with a pen in their flightsuit pen pocket (as long as it stays there), but the idea of using an unsecured writing utensil in flight is completely foreign to people in the TACAIR community. If you drop your pen, not only is the jet down, but it will probably result in hours upon hours of searching by maint personnel when you land. It just isn't done. P-3 guys just have a different mindset when it comes to FOD. One look under the floorboards in a P-3, or into the hell-hole would make most aviators & maintenance folks have a heart attack. If you want to call it a cultural thing, I'll call it a culture of not giving a rat's ass about FOD. Caveat emptor.

Brett

 

[KBayDog]

Heck, just as a point of difference, the Navy kneeboard takes batteries.

The picture they have on their website is CLEARLY taken before the lightbulbs fell out - which is always 15 minutes after you're issued it/reseated the lightbulbs.

That POS was supposed to have batteries and lightbulbs? I thought that the tube underneath (you know, the one whose metal cap FODded out your cockpit during FAM-1 at the VTs?) was for storing cigars, and the clear panel was a reflective signaling device for ditching. Silly me.

Don't worry about pen flaps, pockets, or kneeboards. If you need a pen/pencil, simply land at your nearest Office Depot and run in and buy one. (I'd say land at Wal-Mart, but they have a tendency to have helicopter-unfriendly light posts in their parking lots. Also, let's face it - if you land at a Wal-Mart parking lot, it is a safe bet that your bird will wind up stripped and on blocks by the time you return. )

 

[Uncle Fester]

Come to think of it, I never used my flight suit pocket for pens in flight either. Dummy-cording your writing sticks to your kneeboard or whatever really does make sense, not just for FOD reasons. In the T-34, it was pretty much impossible to reach the floor anyway unless you unzipped your SV-2 and harness (which is guaranteed to elicit a "what the hell are you doing?" from the IP). Much easier just to reel the SOB in on its cord. Will you look like a dork? Maybe...you'll also look bad signing your pink sheet because you busted altitiude fucking around with your pen, or telling the IP you need to land because you've fod'ed the cockpit.

 

[HuggyU2]

...but the idea of using an unsecured writing utensil in flight is completely foreign to people in the TACAIR community.

...but it will probably result in hours upon hours of searching by maint personnel when you land.

If you want to call it a cultural thing, I'll call it a culture of not giving a rat's ass about FOD. Caveat emptor.

Yes, Brett, FOD is a big deal in Big Blue, too.
I've dropped a pencil at least once in my career. It never ended up being more than a couple of minutes to find after landing. Worst case, we fashinioned a stick with duct tape to get the pencil, since it was all the way back behind the ejection seat.
The "hours and hours of searching" have all been when I showed up at the jet and MX said there was a missing set screw, bolt, rivet, etc... never due to my lack of dexterity/coordination with a pencil.
Granted, if it went down the throttle quadrant, it might make things interesting in the short term.
But if you drop the pencil on the floor, would you KIO, abort the sortie, and RTB?
Maybe there is a "cultural difference". Not bad, not good,... just different.

I'm guessing the pencil pocket was designed to be "the place" where you kept the pencil so that it wouldn't be "an unsecured writing implement". It seems that over the years, some folks have decided to "secure" it closer to the piece of paper it's being used on.
And seeing as I can't wear a kneeboard in the Deuce, I guess I'll have to continue to use said pencil pocket.