Good flight bag????

Flight_Watch

Flight_Watch

New Member
Anyone know an FBO or store in the Bay Area/ SF/OAKland area where I can get my hands on a good flight bag?

I would order one online but it is hard to get an idea of what they look like and how big they are.

I am interested in the Cencal padded Flybye Deluxe Bag but I heard that Cencal went out of buisness. Many of the online stores no longer have Cencal products in stock.

Any help would be appreciated.

p.s. anyone with a used flight bag that they no longer need let me know. Thanks.

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Aloft is going to recommend the Sky High bag. I don't know of anywhere in town that sells them, but if you want to check one out before you order one, you're in luck. That just happens to be the one I carry, and since we go to the same school you can check out mine. Its a great bag, I got it on Aloft's recommendation. PM me if interrested and we can make arrangements.
 
I'm still a fan of my little "Outdoor" bag that I got in the purse section at Walmart. It's black with leather trim, looks *nothing* like a purse, and isn't the size of a suitcase. Big enough to hold my headset, spare batteries, knee board, sectionals, NOS approach plates, checklists, fuel strainer, flashlights, calculator, leatherman, instrument covers, cell phone, pens, pencils, a back-up handheld radio and spare change, but it's only about the size of a regular headset case. Compare it to the case that came with my DC's and it's just a smidge bigger but a thousand times more functional and carries everything I need for flights in the local area and short cross-countries. The best part is that it only cost $7.00.

I love watching my students walk to the plane carrying a flight bag packed with every aviation text they own. One day I asked a guy what he had in his bag and he pulled out Jepp plates, en route charts, A/FDs, WACs and sectionals for a cross-country to Texas, two handheld GPSs, a D-cell Maglite, the Jepp commercial text, and plenty more. We were heading out for commercial maneuvers in the local area during a severe clear afternoon . . .
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Small backpack or softside briefcase. I use an Outdoor brand briefcase from going to retail trade shows- works great. I keep it stocked with a full load of CFI comments:
"More right rudder"
"Watch your airspeed"
"Hold your altitude"
"That was just for teaching purpose"
 
That Cencal bag is the bomb diggity! I have had it for a couple of ratings now. It even holds your lunch and a drink, just make it work. Worth every aching cent.

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Tryhere
It's where I bought it and i'm sure they'll ship it if they have some left.
 
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I'm still a fan of my little "Outdoor" bag that I got in the purse section at Walmart. It's black with leather trim, looks *nothing* like a purse....

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MANPURSE!!!
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When I got my PPL in '88, I didn't have a flight bag. I used the same backpack I took to school every day. When I was doing the ATP thing in '99, I used the backpack they sent me. It carried everything I needed.

My first flight case was a $10 black duffel from Wallyworld. Worked great, lasted long time. Heck I still have it. Why waste the money when you don't need to.
 
Sad but true. You don't need a fancy bag. It just makes things look nice and organized but you can do without it. That money is better spent on a headseats for sure, or alcohol.


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I bought one of those messenger bags for about $15 at target... I keep most stuff in the main pocket (which holds a lot of stuff)... some writing instruments and pressure guage in the pen pockets on the side and some other stuff (flashlight, fuel strainer, plotter) in the pocket on the fold over flap.
 
A good backpack (I've used Eddie Bauer since high school) will suit you fine. If you want to go the flight bag route, I'd stay away from the boxy pilot cases. The big wannabe I am, I bought one and am sort of stuck with it. I keep everything in there, and take it on long X/C's (it nicely carries 2, 2 inch Jepp Binders, your headsets, flashlights, and other misc. crap), but otherwise it's just my backpack. If you really want Cencel, I know the flightshop I worked at this summer had a big selection of them. I didn't pay attention, but I was pretty sure when I visited the other day, they still had them. You might want to give them a call, maybe they an arrange to ship you one.

The store's name is "The Flight Deck," in Santa Ana, CA. They should be on whitepages.com. If not, PM me I'll try to find their number.

S.A.S.
 
Ditto the above.

I have a ten year old Sporty's Flight Gear bag that can carry four (or more) Jepp binders, headset, kitchen sink..... I'll let it go cheap if you want it. Really, though, a backpack works really well for almost everything you'll need. I only used the big flight bag when I owned a Twin Comanche and schlepped Eastern US Jepp plates back and forth to the plane all the time.
 
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p.s. anyone with a used flight bag that they no longer need let me know. Thanks.

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I've got a brown catalog case style bag. Holds four large size Jep binders and associated other goodies. Flip open lids with combination locks, single handle. Made by Pegasus.

Just sitting around gathering dust.

Got it as standard issue when I was in the KC10, so it's been 'round the world a few times!

In good shape as they are virtually indestructible.

Let me know if you'll give it a good home and not try and sell it on eBay as a "celebrity owned" bag! Just kidding! I'm no celebrity...just infamous!

Seriously though, if you can use it, I’ll send it your way.
 
Thanks guys for all the replies. I think I will stick with my backpack for a little while longer since that is what most of you guys have done. I will check out some of those other company flight bags around school and see if they are what I am looking for. It is just good to be organized if you know what I mean. Thanks again.

ROFCIBC thanks for the offer, but I couldn't possibly take your famous celebrity flight bag.
 
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ROFCIBC thanks for the offer, but I couldn't possibly take your famous celebrity flight bag.

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Fame is a fleeting commodity…but somehow “infamous” lingers on!

To be precise, I'd much rather see it used by some aspiring pilot that gathering dust in my attic....really! Same with some of the other stuff, including but not limited to, a Plantronics Starset, and I think I've got a Telex around here too.

I'm kind of an old sentimental fool. After my last flight with Delta Air Lines I gave my Captain wings to my First Officer. Ask him to wear them on his last flight and then pass them along to his First Officer. Delta had changed the style from the old "Widget" to a new more rounded "foo-foo" style. Mine were the "old" ones and I wanted to keep that traditional style alive.
 
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