Building a better mousetrap is probably at the heart of every innovation. So it is in the aviation industry, where pilots are constantly tweaking designs of existing products.
When iPads became an integral cockpit tool, kneeboards began popping up to accommodate them. New kneeboard designs bear some resemblance—but not much—to the first iteration of lap desks.
Mark Glassmeyer, president of Flight Outfitters in Cincinnati, Ohio, has designed a kneeboard for the iPad Mini or Air that keeps his cellphone in reach. Glassmeyer uses FlightLink, an iOS app developed by Lightspeed Aviation that lets the user play back incoming and outgoing communications through a headset. The kneeboard’s accessory pouch allows him to run ForeFlight Mobile on the iPad while operating FlightLink on the telephone, without having to switch back and forth between the apps.
Other features include a rotating cradle for the tablet that allows vertical or horizontal viewing, and padded rails that stabilizes the system so it doesn’t wiggle or slide around.
Two AOPA staff pilots tested both sizes of kneeboards on recent flights. David Tulis, associate editor for AOPA.org used an iPad Mini during a VFR flight in a Cessna 182. Tulis praised the side pocket desk, which he found to be a welcome help for scribbling weather reports and frequency changes, rather than bearing down on paper placed atop the Mini’s screen. “The Skylane’s yoke stayed clear of the rotating turntable even as ample back-pressure was applied during landing,” he said. “The same can’t be said for similar kneeboards, which have a habit of interfering with the controls when least expected.”
Richard McSpadden, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, took the iPad Air kneeboard for a flight in his Super Cub. Positioned on his left leg, the kneeboard was comfortable and did not interfere with the stick or access to the flap or trim handle, which are located on the left firewall of the airplane. The kneeboard’s strap came loose and needed to be readjusted in the middle of a one-hour flight, he said, but the readjustment was easily accomplished.
Both pilots noted that the kneeboard doesn’t provide screen protection when the tablet is not in use. “If the system works its way out of a pilot’s flight bag during transit to or from an aircraft, or falls from its perch before the strap is securely fastened, the electronic device could be damaged,” Tulis said.
“I’m certain this would result in a screen crack or a scratch one day,” McSpadden said.
What pilots liked: Did not interfere with controls; convenient side pocket desk.
What they didn’t: No screen protection; leg strap came loose during test flight.
Price: $59.95 (Mini); $69.95 (Air)
Contact: www.flightoutfitters.com
