Hi,

I wanted to lean on the experience of this group for advice on what to carry in an in-flight toolkit.

With my first airplane, I ended up building a very extensive kit. It had way too many things in it, weighed a ton, and I mostly just used the screwdriver. Eventually it was pulled for weight savings.

The tookit I want to put together is for a new-to-me DHC-2 Beaver Seaplane. As with survival kits I know you there's a lot of personal preference and experience to learn from.

So I wanted to ask people here:
- What are the absolute essentials
- what would you really liked to have had during an interesting incident
- What dead weight did you carry around with you in the plane for 40+ years and never use!?
- Are there any specific brands or links or sources to get specialty tools that fit in a smaller kit?
- Did you get stranded somewhere over missing a simple tool? what was it?

Thank you in advance for all the feedback!

I've got a bare bones kit that goes with me between aircraft. I need to add my safety wire pliers and wire though. This should cover 90% of situations though. Multiple sockets of the same size. Maybe some extra fasteners and tape would be useful. But like you said, where do you stop? If you take everything you might need, you'll have a 50 lb kit. Maybe that's okay for a Skywagon but I often fly LSAs.

In the interest of not letting the tool kit grow to big - add the safety wire, but don’t really need safety wire pliers, those needle nose will handle any field safety wire job good enough to get you where you need to get - a roll of duct tape would also be a good addition

Add a CO2 tire inflator and a pack of glue less patches, About $25.00 at Amazon or a Bicycle shop. 1 CO2 cartridge will fill up a 6.00X6 tire very well. Weighs less than a pound with 2 or 3 cartridges. .

I carry tubes for a main and tail wheel. Realistically one of the most likely scenarios, and even if you are at an airport having the right tube will probably save a lot of time.

daedaluscan wrote:I carry tubes for a main and tail wheel. Realistically one of the most likely scenarios, and even if you are at an airport having the right tube will probably save a lot of time.

x2

daedaluscan wrote:I carry tubes for a main and tail wheel. Realistically one of the most likely scenarios, and even if you are at an airport having the right tube will probably save a lot of time.

X3. I also need a special tool to remove the wheel nut locking pin off of my mains. Since you're on floats, that may not be necessary. I also carry a lightweight scissors jack with a custom fitting that goes under my spring gear so I can get one of the mains off the ground.

nickelb wrote:- Did you get stranded somewhere over missing a simple tool? what was it?

I got semi-stranded by a bad spark plug in a 172 amphib. Since then, I try to carry a new spark plug and the proper wrenches.

StuBob wrote:

nickelb wrote:- Did you get stranded somewhere over missing a simple tool? what was it?

I got semi-stranded by a bad spark plug in a 172 amphib. Since then, I try to carry a new spark plug and the proper wrenches.

Yes, at least one good spark plug (well packed to avoid damage), a gasket and a deep socket and ratchet to make it work.

Also, I carry a dental pick for cleaning a spark plug. I've had bad mag check on run up, and discovered a fouled plug, with some big lead clinkers. Simple process to just pick them out of there, carefully, with a dental pick, re-install and off you go.

MTV