This is a guest post from Jason of www.m0a.com about the 5 things that he always carries with him when flying. I wrote on the same topic for his blog, click here to read my post. Vincent.

As a certified flight instructor there’s a few things that simply never leave my flight bag. I try to be prepared for every situation regardless of the day, weather, or time.

Handheld Nav/Comm

I own and operate a small Cessna 150 for flight instruction. As with most 150’s it is single Nav/Comm (meaning one radio) In the event something failed with that radio I’d need to be prepared. However even when I fly in my students 1998 Cessna 182 I still carry the same handheld. What if we had an alternator failure? Will I remember my light gun signals? What if I’m IFR? What are my lost comm procedures? A handheld Nav/Comm can alleviate a lot of these stresses.

GATS Jar

As an independent flight instructor I fly many different aircraft on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Everything from New to some airplanes I was reluctant to get into. The common theme among these aircraft? None of them had a GATS Jar, fuel sump, or tester that stayed with the aircraft. Would I get into an aircraft I’ve never flown before, with someone I’ve never flown with, and not do a through inspection? Heavens no! A GATS Jar is equipment you should always carry on you, as the instructor, or pilot.

Approach Plates

This may not apply to everyone, but anyone with an instrument rating should always have approach plates. Here in Florida, storms and poor weather can appear quickly it’s crucial to have the proper charts to get you home or to safety if need be.

Handheld GPS

Many of my students get discouraged when they shop for a GPS and see the price tag of something like a Garmin 496. But you don’t need a 496, is it nice? Sure is! But not entirely needed here. I’m talking about a backup GPS. Again, flying so many airplanes you may not always have the avionics suite you desire, a handheld GPS can work wonders in that department. Think about the benefits for emergencies, if you lose everything, get lost, or struggle in differentiating between airports. This may be your favorite tool in your flight bag.

Sic Sacks

Gross huh!?!? But let me tell you a story. I was 17 years old and a fresh private pilot. The only thing I wanted to do was take up my mom and brother for their first flight. We decided to head down to KZPH because I needed the cross country time as I was preparing for instrument.

On our way home flying in a beautiful new 2004 172SP my brother began to get sick. Something about Florida in the afternoon makes people nauseous I guess! Having nowhere to relive his nausea the only option was… my flight bag.

Gross.

The above items are simply a suggestion and may not apply to everyone. The big thing is to be prepared for each and every situation.

Check out more from Jason and watch his new video and audio podcasts