Aviation Explained: What's Inside A Pilot's Bag? Air India Commander Anny Divya Reveals

When travelling on a flight, the most crucial factor for a smooth journey is not the plane itself, or the cabin crew, it's the pilot of the aircraft. The Captain/ Commander-In-Chief/ Senior Pilot is the one responsible for the safety of the passengers 35,000 ft above the sea level. Every small detail matters to the pilot and hence the bag they carry with themselves is also a special one. A pilot's bag has always been a fascination among the avgeeks and frequent flyers as you won't spot a pilot without a black-coloured, fully stuffed bag ever.

Most airlines issue their pilots with a flight bag and suitcase, while sometimes pilots will purchase their own flight bags that suit their personal preference. Interestingly, many airlines consider a pilot’s bag to be part of the uniform and it is mandatory to be carrying one with you at all times when on duty. So what makes this flight bag so special and what's inside this bag? In a video shared on Twitter (X), Air India's Senior Commander Anny Divya reveals what's inside a pilot's bag:

Curious about what's inside a Pilot's bag? Our Senior Commander Anny Divya takes us through her flight bag and all the interesting items inside it.#AIPilotDiaries #AirIndiaPilots #NonStopExperiences #NonStopFlights pic.twitter.com/l0LD4WMoQB — Air India (@airindia) August 9, 2023

Items Inside A Pilot's Bag Ft. Air India

Airport ID: Every pilot needs to carry with them their Airport ID, which is infact a company's ID card issued by the brand for which they work and is put on a lanyard around the pilot’s neck. 

Flying License: A Pilot’s License is one of the most crucial document for anyone flying a plane and is renewed as per the government't rules. 

Passport: A passport becomes a mandatory document in case a pilot is flies an international flight. A passport is an identity proof of the nationality of an individual and is required for anyone to travel outside of the country of origin. Passport is not a mandatory document for domestic flights and hence an Airport/ company ID is more than enough along with Flying License.

Torch: As seen in the video by Air India's Senior Commander Anny Divya, she also carries a Torch, which comes in handy in case of an emergency inside the flight.

Apple iPad: Before the iPad, many of the company documents were in paper format, including the Flight path, Load sheets, weather data, schedules, and so forth, making the bag heavy and double the size. Thanks to the iPad, now it’s much lighter! Every airline in the world issues an iPad to their pilots, and it's not personal.

The iPad made by Apple Inc contains all airport charts, performance tools for take-off and landing, aircraft flight manuals, company SOPs, operating manuals, and any company-specific documentation required.

Ramp Jacket (Safety Jacket): A high-vibility jacket, which is often called a ramp or safety jacket is a mandatory gear for all pilots as they need to wear it at all times they are on airport ground and in the aircraft maneuvering area. Both the Captain or Co-Pilot can be tasked with doing the pre-flight visual inspection of the aircraft exterior and airports being a very busy place, not everyone might pay attention. So making themselves visible by wearing neon coloured bright jackets is a must to avoid an accident.

Sunglasses: Although pilots wear a sunglass all the time inside a flight to avoid glare from the sky, an extra pair of glasses are also kept for any adversity. For the unitiated, when a plane is in the sky 33,000 above the sea level, the sun glare is very intense, making it difficult for pilots to see the cockpit controls. 

These are some of the items/ documents revealed by Air India's Senior Commander Anny Divya. Apart from these, a number of other items are also part of the bag that a pilot carries and can vary from airline to airline or pilot to pilot. Here's a look:

Headset: Headset or headphones are an important piece of equipment that can be found in a pilot’s bag. A personalized headset ensures better comfort on a long distance flight and is extensively used for communication with the ATC, cabin crew and passengers. While there are different types of headsets, Bose A20 or the Bose Pro Flight are the most commontly used as they are designed specifically for pilots. 

Clothes: A pilot always carry an extra pair of clothes just in case of an unforeseen event, on a short haul flight. However, long haul flights requires pilots to stay at hotels during a layover and hence they carry extra uniform and personal clothes. 

Additional Items: Apart from these items, pilots can carry their own personal iPad or laptop for entertainment, cigarettes, gum, medications, reading glasses, or random stuff as per their requirement.