Keep Your Cockpit Gear From Going Rogue

Unsecured EFBs and personal items aren’t just distractions—they’re potential hazards.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, July 07, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Keeping the cockpit of your aircraft organized is vitally important for safety. [Credit: FLYING Archive]

Key Takeaways:

Secure all items in the cockpit, including EFBs, checklists, and personal gear, to prevent them from becoming distractions or dangerous projectiles.
Carefully select and properly install EFB mounts and kneeboards appropriate for the aircraft and EFB size, ensuring they don't obstruct controls or views, and always have a reliable power source.
Avoid over-reliance on electronic flight bags (EFBs) for navigation, and actively practice traditional pilotage and dead reckoning skills to maintain "eyes outside" awareness.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The learner showed up early for his IFR lesson with his tablet EFB (electronic flight bag) and spent the next 15 minutes trying to secure it in the aircraft. The tablet measured 8 by 11, and he wanted to use a yoke mount he had before in a Mooney.

I don’t know if it was the yoke on the Cessna 172 or the tablet, or the mount, or a combination—but it just didn’t work. The tablet was too large and heavy, got in the way of the controls, and blocked the view of the instrument panel.