Description
From the manufacturer
Flight Outfitters
Flight Outfitters was founded by Mark Glassmeyer in 2014. Mark has loved all things aviation since he attended his first Oshkosh air show with his late grandfather, Ed Wickemeyer, and his WWII B-24 bomb group at age seven. 32 years later after college, four children, and all other things life offers, he finally earned his Private Pilot ticket.
In 2005, Mark started a functional bag and case manufacturing company located in Cincinnati, Ohio. For years the company has made high end functional bags under private label brands for several industries like law enforcement, fire, EMS and pharmaceutical companies. The more hours he logged, the more he wanted to make flight bags for student and GA pilots. After more than a year of development Flight Outfitters was born. Now the brand includes flight bags, kneeboards, flashlights and apparel.
Flight Outfitters Bags
Flight Outfitters started from scratch to design and build gear for pilots and adventurers.The result of more than a year of development is an exciting line of stylish, yet durable – and absolutely flight-functional – bags, gear, and apparel. Built with features pilots want and sharp design, Flight Outfitters bags are perfect for the cockpit.
Rugged, durable, and designed for real pilots: these three principles are found in everything Flight Outfitters does. In conjunction with innovative design and exceptional custom service, Flight Outfitters offers premium-quality clothing, accessories and gear for modern aviators. From fashionable-yet-rugged hats and shirts to a Mountain Khaki fleece for preflight on a cold morning. Just like our bags, they’re all built to last.
Simon –
Looks great but not overly practicalSuperb looking bag and it’s practical…but…not really very well thought out. Bizarrely there isn’t a pen holder anywhere. Surely an oversight as it’s something every pilot will likely use? Also the headset compartment has two places for spare batteries but the batteries always fall out as it ain’t tight enough (maybe I can put my pens there!). I called the store to return it for one that didn’t have this error but they said every one they had, had the same issue.One thing that would be good is a hardened protective area for sunglasses, again something most pilots would carry.Nice looking bag if not overly functional which means I’ll need to buy another brand as well.
Dave –
Perfect bag for the occasional pilotI got tired of having to pack my backpack that I otherwise use for hiking, work, etc. this bag is set up perfect for day flights. One pocket is great for my headset, and the others are set up just right for my iPad kneeboard, notepads, radio, etc. it sits upright so I can stick it on the floor of the backseat and still have access to whatever I need during the flight. I’m super happy with it.
Juan Carlos –
Simplemente perfectaLa mejor bolsa para volar!!! Todo cabe Perfecto, además es la envidia de otros pilotos!! Jejeje PERFECTA!! 😎
David –
Exactly what I expectedGreat quality, well designed and exactly what I hoped it would be.
Michael –
Solidement bâtiBonne espace pour map/headset/ logbook calculatrice/tablette etc…Un petit sac qui en peut en contenir beaucoup
maulepilot –
More space than the Lift flight bag but same great featuresI’ve owned the smaller Lift flight bag for several years and absolutely love it. It was getting too crowded as I added a variety of things that I felt were important so I was very excited when I heard out about the new larger Lift XL and XL Pro bags that are based on the Lift bag. I’ve had an opportunity to use the Lift XL Pro bag in the Cessna A185F taildragger that I fly at work and my own Maule MX-7-180 taildragger.Pros:I really like the Lift XL Pro bag. It does an admirable job of neatly organizing my headset, cables, iPad and yoke clamp, logbook, flashlight, fuel tester, portable transceiver and a host of other aviation items.I like the fact that the center compartment is longer and has a separate pocket for my iPad Mini 4 in its Pivot Case. I am able to carry a wireless Bluetooth keyboard in a protective case to use with my iPad on the ground. The smaller Lift flight bag cannot fit the keyboard.The elastic mesh pockets are larger and more numerous on the XL Pro than the Lift bag so I didn’t have to stuff them as much as the Lift bag. The headset compartment and separator fit my Lightspeed Zulu 2 headset well and allow me to put my logbook and airplane flight log in the compartment beside the headset. The Lift XL Pro is narrower than the Lift bag and a bit easier to carry without bumping it against my leg as I walk. The number and arrangement of compartments are well thought out and effective.Cons:The open side pocket that is designed to slide over the handle of a rolling suitcase is an innovative idea. I like it but the top gapes open a bit due to the expansion of the bag with contents stowed inside. I don’t have anything in that compartment right now but it still gapes open. A zipper top to the compartment would fix this.The mesh pocket on the outside end that is meant for a portable aviation transceiver is a bit too small. My iCom A24 fit nicely in the non-mesh pocket on the Lift bag but it took a lot of effort to get it into the XL Pro’s mesh pocket. The rubber cover on the transceiver accessory side connector kept getting hung up on the elastic top of the mesh pocket and I had to stretch the elastic so much that I was worried that I would rip it. I like the idea of a mesh pocket instead of the Lift’s solid fabric pocket. The transceiver can be turned on and the mesh would make received signals more audible, but the pocket needs to be about 1/2″ bigger.I feel that the XL Pro is a bit too large. The Lift bag is 10.5″ wide and the Lift XL Pro is 18″ wide. That makes the Lift XL Pro a bit large when cabin space is at a premium with multiple passengers and baggage. One of the reasons that I like the Lift so well is its compact size. A happy medium would be 14″ width with the other dimensions the same as they are now. I realize that the Lift XL is designed for two headsets rather than one and this probably drove the width dimension. I only carry one headset and I leave the passenger headsets in my Maule or in the Cessna at work. The removable divider would still be useful to fit my logbook in the space beside the headset.Overall impression:This is a high quality flight bag that is designed well and made well. Building on the popular Lift bag but adding more room is a great idea. Reducing the width would make it less bulky in a crowded cabin. The other cons listed above are not serious problems but a good bag could be made better in my opinion.
JC in Texas –
PerfectUsed for pilot headset and sunglasses and it is perfect. Added a few spare batteries and a snack plus pilot log. It is the perfect bag.
Stephen J Dunn –
I needed something else entirely but my mistake actuallyPicked wrong items. Already have bag!
Nabil N. Alanbar –
Beautiful bag, and perfectly thought out, if you only want to fly with it.This bag is ALMOST perfect for my needs. I am a student pilot, but I don’t want flying to be my career, instead I do it for fun. My experiences are shaded by the fact that I don’t need this for my job, but am using it as a bag for hobby equipment.Anyway, this fits just about everything I use perfectly. I love how well my headset fits in it, and all of my flight gear. It is perfect for everything they think you need to fly. If that sounds like it is just a bit of damning with faint praise, well, it is. This bag is nice and wide, and can carry my external GPS, my cables, my cameras, my charts, my flashlight, a water bottle, extra battery just in case, and my garmin InReach mini. The cables are nice and skookum, with thick steel cables holding them to the bag, and keeping them stiff, and the fasteners and zippers are quality. The orange interior really does make finding things easier, and it is just SO CLOSE to perfect.So, what is the issue? Flight planning. Specifically, my plotter. This bag is 1/2 inch shorter than my plotter. Either I fold my plotter, store it somewhere else, or just carry it in my hand. I haven’t found what I consider an awesome solution yet, so I just bend the thing down so it is shaped like a very shallow C, and stuff it into the center. Maybe someday I won’t feel like I should carry my plotter with me, but right now, I want to.
Icon113 –
Highly recommend this bag for helicopter pilots like me.This bag will suit to my needs as helicopter pilot. Best bought pilot’s bag so far.