BrightLine Pilot Bag History

Back when I was a student pilot, I quickly realized that there were LOTS of items that I had to carry out to my aircraft for every flight. You know: headset, fuel tester, navigation charts, kneeboard, flashlights, checklists, sunglasses, logbook, pens, extra batteries. And then there were several items that would be nice to have along as well; flight computer, extra charts, hand-held radio, Leatherman-type multi-tool, extra pens & markers, and a place for really small stuff like cotter pins, coins, business cards, and other miscellaneous stuff. Not to mention my need to carry my cell phone, wallet, car keys, and pocket stuff.

I clearly needed to go buy a bag. Ideally, I wanted the smallest bag possible that would carry all this stuff, and I wanted there to be a lot of different pockets that I could organize everything into. AND, I really wanted a bag that could easily store several Navigation Charts without bending or folding, or having them stick out of the bag. (Also, I actually wanted a separate pocket for my fuel tester to keep it from soiling the other things in my bag.)

Initially, when I went looking for a bag, I was greatly encouraged because at first glance, there are a MILLION different pilot flight bags available everywhere. Every airport pilot shop, pilot magazine and pilot supply catalog/web site is full of them. It seemed like I'd be able to find a bag that would suit my needs without a problem. In very short order, the surprise and disappointment began to set in. I quickly discovered that all the bags that were available were either [1] too small (the charts wouldn't fit) and there were only one or two pockets, or [2] if the bag was a good size, there still weren't enough pockets, or [3] the bag was just plain too big (and STILL didn't have enough pockets).

I couldn't believe it, but not only was I unable to find the bag I was hoping for, but I wasn't even finding anything CLOSE. Every bag I looked at was going to cause me to dump my stuff into one or two main pockets and then go rooting through all that stuff to find what I needed. (Ive heard several pilots refer to their bag as a "black hole" because things just seem to disappear into it.) I wasn't ready to accept this fate yet, so I broadened by search. I started looking at other bags that were meant for other uses. I looked at fishing tackle bags, school backpacks, book bags, ice skating bags, tennis bags, camping bags, travel bags, baby bags, sewing accessory bags, women's purses (true), computer bags, and on, and on, and on...

I was SURE that I would find some bag SOMEWHERE that would do what I wanted.

But, alas, my searches were always fruitless. I ended up having to make do, like everyone else, with a bag that sort-of worked. I had no choice but to endure the annoying battle with my semi-functional bag every time I flew.

So partly out of frustration, and partly for fun, I started to design my own flight bag. Because I have always done engineering design and consulting using a variety of high-end 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) tools, I decided to see if I could design a bag that would be like the one I would want.

I spent a lot of time at my computer building 3D models of all the items that need to be carried, and designing a bag that would carry all that stuff in a nice compact, organized way.

I showed the resulting CAD model to some of my pilot friends and instructors and they all said they thought it was great. I quickly discovered that everyone I talked to shared the same dissatisfaction with their current flight bag. And almost without exception, people who saw my design always asked how they could get one.

And so BrightLine Bags was born.