What's Really in an Airline Pilot's Flight Bag?

A FLYING Magazine reader asks a question plenty of us outside the airline industry have wondered about.

Les Abend

Wednesday, February 02, 2022 at 10:22 AM ET

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So, what's in that bag, anyway? [File Photo: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Historically, airline pilots carried heavy "brain bags" or "kit bags" filled with numerous physical documents, charts, navigation tools, and personal items.
Essential contents included Jepp binders, route charts, various company and airplane manuals, E6Bs, plotters, headsets, and large flashlights.
The advent of electronic flight bags (like iPads) has largely eliminated the need for most paper content, transforming the traditional heavy bag into a much lighter laptop-style bag.

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What’s Really in an Airline Pilot’s Flight Bag?

In my career, the two most-prominent labels used when referring to the piece of airline pilot luggage that, at one time, kept chiropractors in business was either “brain bag” or “kit bag.” Distinguished by stickers and decals, the outside of the bag reflected a pilot’s personality and told a story.

The good-quality bags were leather, and real pilots schlepped them by hand—wheels were for sissies. We stuffed them with