Field Notes · Rookie Pilot 27 Aug 2026
What belongs on a kneeboard?
A small working surface for the information you need during this flight—not an archive of everything you know.
A kneeboard is a compact place to keep flight information where it can be seen and written on without turning the cockpit into a paper chase. In simulation it may be physical, displayed on a second screen or built into the aircraft software.
Useful items are specific to the flight: frequencies, headings, fuel gates, weather, a short sequence of actions and space for clearances or changes. The FAA’s single-pilot guidance explicitly treats writing an item on a kneeboard—or adding it to a checklist—as a way to reduce reliance on memory.
The test is simple: if a note helps you make the next decision, it belongs. If it only proves you studied, it belongs in the briefing material instead.