Finding the perfect flight bag is like searching for Bigfoot… I’m not totally convinced it exists. Once I accepted this notion, I decided to try to find the BEST flight bag. This has proven to be a challenge in and of itself…

The right flight bag for an individual pilot depends on the type of flying the pilot is doing, the type of aircraft flown and a variety of other factors. Last year, I reviewed what was the BEST flight bag for me at the time, the discontinued (which boggles my mind) Sportys’ Flightline CFI Bag. Which in a nutshell, was a headset bag with a variety of pockets to hold all of the important items a CFI may need of a flight-to-flight basis but not all of the items that (the instructors’) student pilots will likely have with them or that are not required for each and every flight (for example, approach plates, these are only needed when flying IFR, on VFR days they are nice ballast though…).

During 2014 I transitioned from flying on a daily basis to flying a lot less. Not being a daily CFI anymore, I don’t want/need to have a giant bin of flight supplies in my vehicle anymore that I could grab at a moments notice, but didn’t necessarily need on a flight-to-flight basis throughout each day.

Now in an effort to cut down on clutter in my new pickup truck, I need a bag that will hold the items I will likely need on each flight. The flights I make are different now, as opposed to hours on end of stalls, slow flight and various takeoffs and landings, now I fly longer distances at a time for meals at different airport restaurants. These flights could be during the day or at night and in a variety of different conditions. As a result I like to carry more of the items I will need fairly regularly so that I’m not constantly packing and unpacking my flight bag…

As a result of this I decided it was time for something a little bigger than my pocket-rich headset bag. After looking around I decided that I’d try something new. I am a brand advocate for LightSpeed based on my experience with their Zulu headsets and their new line of flight bags intrigued me. First because I thought they would fit my “mission” well and secondly because I’d already tried almost all of the other bags out there on the market during the years and years I searched for the “perfect” solution…

The Antoine does a great job securing my Lightspeed Zulu headset, paper charts, iPad mini, digital camera and much, much more!

I decided that an all-leather bag was not the “look” I was going for and it would likely get beat up going from airplane to airplane on my adventures. So I selected “The Antoine” from the Lightspeed line up. The “look” isn’t the most important thing to me but I must admit, this flight bag is stylish.

So far the Antoine has stood up to the test of my use since I picked it up late last year. Though I will admit it has not received as much use this calendar year (2015), as I’d have liked it to… But that WILL change as we move closer to more consistent flying weather over the summer!

The bag has one large central compartment, to large pockets on either side and on either end are a place (complete with antenna secure strap) for a handheld radio and a bottle of water.

The large central compartment is perfect for my LightSpeed Zulu headset, charts, my (large) camera and a couple other items such as a suction cup mount for my (foreflight powered GPS-) iPhone. Even with all of that, there is still ample room for other items, like my iPad mini…

On one side there is a zipper pocket with pen slots and a key hook. This pocket is perfect for storing ReviewBeforeFlight promotional cards to hand out on my travels, a few pens, a pad of paper, and a tire pressure gauge, plus much more (sick sacks, etc…). I’ll admit, I don’t fully utilize this pocket as there is a great deal of room, the pocket is secured by zipper and a magnetic closure on a flap.

The opposite side of the bag features a zipper opening that runs the length of the bag and is perfect for a variety of items… I keep extra batteries for my headset, a charger/cable for my iPhone, a flashlight, a headlamp and a few other assorted items in this pocket. My only complaint about the bag is that the zipper for this pocket is “inside” of the handles, which attach together. Thus if the handles are latched together this pocket is not (easily) accessible. This adds a few seconds to the process of gaining entry into this pocket…

One end of the bag has an open slot for a water bottle, which is not expandable and is a little small so it doesn’t fit my usual Camelbak re-usable bottle, but fits a generic plastic water bottle very nicely. The other end of the bag features a similar sleeve for a hand held radio, this end also features a button-secured strap to hold the antenna of a handheld radio, which as regular readers of ReviewBeforeFlight, know I’m a fan of carrying (more on that HERE).

All-in-all I am convinced that (for now) I have found the BEST flight bag for my mission of fairly regular breakfast/lunch/dinner flights with a few instructional activities (flight reviews and the like) assorted amongst my meal trips. If you’re in the market for a new flight bag, I highly recommend The Antoine and/or any of the other bags from the LightSpeed Aviation Adventure Flight Bag Collection. Check them out!

-Fly Safe, @MTElia1B9