In simple terms, don’t be a slob in the airplane! When you fly the plane, you should have everything within easy reach so you can grab it when you need it. I can’t count how many times I’ve gone out flying with a student that fumbles and drops everything, just to lose it under the seat and then ask me for help. How would you feel as a passenger in a plane if your pilot was dropping everything? So, how can you organize things so they won’t fall all over the place? First, don’t shove everything in one small pocket on the plane, because once you take one item out, the rest may follow.
My suggestion to start is to get a knee board. Don’t get a big bulky one because it gets in the way. The little ones that tie onto your leg get in the way too and they only have one clip which doesn’t hold much. Then there are the knee boards that are made of cloth that have 3 panels. They are good at holding lots of stuff but they don’t make a vey good work surface because everything is laying sideways on each side of your leg leaving you with a little surface area, which isn’t very flat.
The knee board I prefer is the flat one made of metal that folds in half and has a clip on each panel. I can use the clips to hold a few different things, easily lifting up the edge of my sectional to view a flight plan I may have under it while having blank paper and airport diagrams on the other side. It gives me a large work surface to see everything laid out flat. I have a hard surface to write on while getting instructions or clearences from approach control. I don’t need a strap to hold it in place because it’s large enough to stay on my lap and flat enough to not get in the way. Best of all, I can pick all of it up at once, fold it in half and put it out of the way for take off and landing in about 5 seconds.
So, what about the stuff that you can’t fit on the knee board? What about those rare moments that you may need something bigger, like an airport facility directory or the book of approach plates that you didn’t think you’d need? Most pilots have a flight bag and they are usually sitting on the back seat. Many keep their bags out of reach and closed up tight. I always keep mine within reach and open with anything else I may need right where I can grab it without having to look or search around for it. I plan ahead.. When I’m done, I put it back. I also keep several pens handy in case I drop one.
If you haven’t even started to taxi yet and stuff is falling all over the floor, stop and reorganize because if it’s happening now, it will happen later. One more word of advice, don’t put stuff on top of the instrument panel! One problem with that is that it can block some of your view. The other problem is it could fall off in turbulence, hitting you in the face and get caught under the rudder pedals, causing another set of problems. Fly safe!