subject: Essential Pilot Supplies [print this page] One of the most important things as an aviator is to ensure that you have all the pilot supplies necessary to ensure the safety of you and that of your crew. The issue of contingencies is one that should be handled well in advance of when they happen, so it is imperative that you have all the pilot supplies that you need in case of emergency. This is particularly the case with private pilots, as there is no one else responsible except yourself. Commercial pilots have the luxury of a large crew to take care of everything, but as a private pilot you need to manage everything on your own, no matter what the circumstance.
This not only includes safely bringing the plane down in the case of emergency, but looking after the welfare of any passengers during the flight if they are taken ill. Of course, you can not be expected to stock an entire medicine cabinet of drugs and medications, but it is important to ensure that your pilot supplies extend as far as covering the usual range of ailments and maladies, from the obvious and expected in-flight nausea, to more unusual problems such as nose bleeds, earache and migraines. Passengers can easily panic if they suffer a problem whilst flying and think that it cannot be addressed properly. At the very least, you should ensure that you have a number of sick bags, wound dressings, tissues, paracetamol and compression bandages. For elderly passengers and on long journeys, it may be a good idea to stock some compression bandages to avoid developing deep vein thrombosis.
Other supplies that are useful to keep include such things as a spare pilot headset in case of malfunction or discomfort, as well as a spare in-flight computer for those occasions (and they happen quite frequently) when you misplace your primary one. For those that can afford it, another useful tool is a portable GPS unit such as a tablet computer. Although the GPS chips in these computers are not usually accurate enough for navigational purposes, they can be supplemented by additional modules that can be attached via the data port and which allow for professional standard accuracy. These modules are sold by a variety of aviation equipment manufactures and are surprisingly affordable.
There are a number of outlets for such pilot supplies online and many will offer discounts for large purchases. In addition, take your time to seek out the best deals as there are some fantastic discounts available for those that look properly.
