Pilot Kneeboard
ASA VFR Tri-Fold Knee board

VFR Tri-Fold Pilot KneeBoard

$61.95

The kneeboard for pilots who need to carry more than one page. Three panels: storage on the left, your writing surface in the middle, and a clear pocket for the chart on the right.

  • Folds back to one panel, or opens flat as a desk
  • Clear chart pocket, so the map stays readable and dry
  • Black 900D polyester with an embroidered ASA wings logo
  • Elastic legband with hook and loop, fits any leg
  • Step up from the basic ASA VFR Kneeboard, $28.95

Low cost flat rate shipping anywhere in Canada.

Available on backorder

SKU: I0-GD8M-CVVY Categories: , Brand:

Description

The Tri-Fold VFR Kneeboard

A basic kneeboard holds one thing at a time. That is fine in the circuit and quietly frustrating on a cross country, when you want the chart visible, the nav log in front of you, and somewhere to put the airport diagram you printed. This is the board for that flight.

It opens into three panels and becomes a desk across your lap. Fold back one panel and it behaves like an ordinary kneeboard; fold back both and it is as compact as you need on the ground. The legband has buttonholes on either side of the centre panel, so you choose which way it folds rather than the board choosing for you.

Left panel

Storage. Room for a small book, printed plates, the paperwork that does not fit anywhere else.

Centre panel

Your writing surface, held under clear plastic, with a pen holder. This is where the nav log lives.

Right panel

A clear pocket for the chart, so the map stays readable and does not get wet or creased.

Material
Black 900D polyester, embroidered ASA wings logo
Panels
Three, with buttonholes so either side folds back
Chart pocket
Clear, on the right panel
Legband
Elastic with hook and loop fasteners, fits any leg
Pen holder
On the centre panel
Maker
ASA

Buy it for the cross country, not the circuit

If you are still flying circuits and local exercises, the basic VFR kneeboard at $28.95 does everything you need and costs less than half. Most students should start there.

This board earns its price the first time you fly a real cross country with a paper chart, a nav log, an alternate to think about and an examiner or passenger beside you. If that describes the flying ahead of you, buy it now rather than discovering the problem at 4,500 feet.

Which of the four?

Board Best for
VFR Kneeboard, $28.95 PPL training, circuits, the flight test. The one most students start with.
VFR Tri-Fold, this one, $61.95 Cross country flying. Chart and notes open together, with storage for everything else.
Long Tri-Fold, $64.95 Full size approach plates and longer en route charts. The biggest of the four.
LIFT Navigator T1, $94.95 Pilots flying with a tablet who want a proper strap system and a place for an iPad mini.

All four are side by side on the pilot kneeboards page.

What goes on it

A VNC folded to the leg you are flying, your nav log, and a page for clearances and frequencies. If you are carrying the documents the Canadian Aviation Regulations require on board, the left panel is where most pilots keep the copies they want to hand rather than in the back of the bag.

Commonly bought with a Douglas protractor and an E6-B flight computer, which are the two tools you will be using to fill in the nav log clipped to it. The Ground School Kit covers the rest of what a new student needs.

Questions about the tri-fold kneeboard

Is it too bulky for a Cessna 172?

Open, it is a desk across your lap, which is more board than a 172 cockpit wants during takeoff and landing. In practice you fly with one or both panels folded back and open it out in the cruise when you need the chart. If you want something that stays compact throughout, the basic board is the better fit.

Will a VNC fit in the chart pocket?

Folded, yes, which is how paper charts are flown anyway. The pocket keeps the folded section visible and protected. For full size approach plates, look at the Long Tri-Fold instead.

Can I use it with a tablet?

Not really, and it is not designed for one. The chart pocket is sized for paper. If you fly with an iPad mini and want it strapped properly to your leg, the LIFT Navigator T1 has an integrated tablet mount.

Does the legband fit over a flight suit or winter clothing?

Yes. The band is elastic with hook and loop fasteners rather than a fixed buckle, so it adjusts across a wide range and will go over bulkier clothing without cutting in.

Is it worth upgrading if I already have the basic one?

Only if the basic board is actually getting in your way. Plenty of licensed pilots fly the small one for years. The honest trigger for upgrading is finding yourself juggling paper in the cruise, not the fact that a bigger one exists.

Related products