• DESCRIPTION •
The B7 FLIGHT is
perhaps the most useful flight bag ever designed. It's a fact that some
days you need more gear than others. The B7 lets you carry a full set of
flight gear for cross country and basic IFR flight. And then it lets
you downsize to a smaller bag for those days when you're just going to
take a quick VFR flight.
The B7 FLIGHT is designed to hold one or
two full-sized headsets plus a full suite of charts, and of course your
iPad, a handheld radio, plus all the small stuff you'll want along for
the ride. It also serves as an unbeatable carry-on personal bag when
traveling on commercial flights, or just as a terrific daily bag for a
wide variety of personal and professional uses.
The B7 consists
of the POCKET CAP FRONT, CENTER SECTION 4, CENTER SECTION 3, FLAT CAP
REAR, along with two SIDE POCKETS, ALPHA and CHARLIE.
The CS4 and
CS3 provide seven inches of storage depth (hence the name, "B7"), but
keep in mind that there is also three thin flat storage areas BETWEEN
the four modules for additional slim storage. (Remember, it is a soft
bag so it can expand slightly in every direction.) Keep in mind also
that you can add any other Center Section to the B7 (like zip a CS2 in
between the CS3 and CS4) to add more storage on certain days. Any FLEX
System module can zip onto any other FLEX System module.
The B7
FLIGHT will very commonly be used to carry two full-sized aviation
headsets of any brand inside the CS4. (There is a nice, slightly-tricky
way place two large headsets - like the BOSE A20 - inside this space.
It's really nice to fit two headsets of any kind in such a relatively
small space.) There is a specially-designed pocket on top of the CS4 to
hold Sunglasses and their case. And then the CS3 will be used to hold a
library of charts, or a bulky iPad plus kneeboard, etc. A small
collection of charts or flight docs can go in the spaces between the
four modules. Surprisingly, a 13" Ultrabook or MacBook Pro can even fit
into this "in between" space, and the iPad (or other tablet) can go in
the main pocket on the FLAT CAP REAR.
The B7 FLIGHT also works
amazingly well as a daily personal bag and/or as a commercial carry-on
bag. A 13" laptop plus a load of documentation plus an iPad, plus all
the small stuff like cables, adapters and support stuff for all your
technology, your digital camera, snacks, etc - all of this fits easily
in this bag. Even your noise-reduction headset for those long flights.
The
other great thing about this bag is that it is actually FOUR bags for
the price of one. Not only is it a B7 FLIGHT, but you can remove the CS3
and get the B4 SWIFT as a result. Or you can remove the CS4, leaving
the CS3 between the end caps and have a nice compact personal bag. But
you can also build a B0 SLIM by removing both center sections and
zipping just the two End Cap modules together.
Storage on the B7
starts with the POCKET CAP FRONT: The POCKET CAP FRONT acts like the
"hub" for your entire FLEX System. No matter which configuration you
carry you'll be attaching the POCKET CAP FRONT to one end of your bag.
And it's the "hub" because it holds all the important small stuff and
tech stuff and personal stuff that you want with you no matter what. If
you change configurations, you'll always move the POCKET CAP FRONT to
the new configuration which means you'll always have all this key stuff
with you, without any repacking or reloading.
The POCKET CAP
FRONT module offers a variety of pockets organized into three "main"
pockets and six "secondary" pockets for a total of nine small pockets on
the front panel. In these nine pockets you'll store all the cords,
cables, chargers, batteries, stylus, memory cards etc, for all your
electronic gear. All these important items will finally be separated and
organized like you've always wanted. In addition, you'll have room for
your flight timer, fuel testers, E6B, flashlights, compact portable GPS,
etc. Not to mention space for your wallet, keys, cellphone, business
cards, multi-tool, glasses, pens, markers, and things like Ibuprofen,
Chapstick, bandaids, etc, and even your digital camera. There is also a
flat half-height slip pocket on the inner surface of the module where
you can stow an important document or two like a copy of your medical or
your passport.
Next, comes the CS4 (4-inch Center Section),
which is designed to hold 13” laptops or a small collection of documents
(or both). (Many, but not all, 14" laptops will also fit. - But no 15"
laptops will fit.) The CS4 has a really versatile dual-access feature.
First, you get full top-access. Just the top of the bag can be fully
unzipped to give the ability to reach your stuff right through the top
of the bag. And then when you need, everything can also be accessed by
unzipping the entire front panel all the way down to the bottom, giving
access to the gray interior of the CS4. There are two adjustable Velcro
"stopper straps" which serve to limit how far the cover is able to pivot
open - thus keeping the cover from unintentionally flopping all the way
open and dumping everything out. The other key thing about the CS4 is
that it has two FLEX-Mount Side Pocket stations, one on each side, for
attaching the two included side pockets. You can, of course, also trade
out the pockets any time you like later on.
The other main
storage module is the CS3 (3-inch Center Section). The CS3 is a perfect
module for holding all the flight docs, plates and charts you'll need
for your cross country or simple IFR flights. And, of course, in todays
world, you'll likely store your iPad, even if it's in a bulky case, your
kneeboard and you checklists and other docs. You'll even be able to
store a 13" Laptop inside. The CS3 does have an external zipper on one
side that gives access to a small internal pocket for storing small
things you want to get to easily. You may even use the CS3 to take along
a couple of changes of clothes for a quick overnight trip somewhere.
The
FLAT CAP REAR module offers two flat pockets on the outside, and one
flat half-height slip pocket on the inner surface of the module. The
primary outer pocket is accessed from the top and has a cover flap that
is secured with Velcro. This where you'll likely store your iPad (as
long as it's not in a thick case), or a manilla folder or two for some
documents, or a magazine. There is a second flat half-height panel on
the outside of the main panel that has a zipper across the very bottom.
If the zipper is closed then this half-height panel acts like a pocket.
If the zipper is open then the opening at the bottom allows the
telescoping tubes of a suitcase or folding cart to pass through and the
panel serves to secure your bag to those tubes.
And finally, the
SIDE POCKETS. The side pockets attach to the side of any module that has
a FLEX-Mount Side Pocket Station. In this case, the side pockets will
mount only to the sides of the CS4. There are no FLEX-Mount Side Pocket
Stations on the sides of the CS3 because that module is not wide enough.
This mounting method is super-secure, simple to install, and best of
all, your pockets don't LOOK like they're detachable.
SIDE POCKET
ALPHA is often called the "Radio Pocket". It will hold any, repeat -
ANY, handheld radio. And the top flap is such that the antenna can just
stick right out the side. In addition, the SPA is great for holding a
water bottle. The front face of the pocket has an expansion zipper, so
the pocket can hold larger or smaller water bottles. It will hold up to a
20 oz bottle.
SIDE POCKET CHARLIE is often called the "Pen
Pocket". It has four pen slots on the outer surface plus a zippered
pouch that has room for pens, marker, highlighter, spare reading
glasses, etc. Of course, many people will put completely different
things in there besides pens. It's a great pocket many different
purposes.
The B7 FLIGHT (as well as the other four standard
pre-configured bags) comes with a MAIN HANDLE, a SHOULDER STRAP, and
also a SLIM HANDLE KIT. The SLIM HANDLE KIT consists of a SLIM HANDLE,
two ADAPTER LOOPS, and four D3 CLIPS. The MAIN HANDLE or the SHOULDER
STRAP can be attached to the CS4 by use of the quick release clips. If
you convert the B7 to a B0 by removing the CS4 and the CS3, then the D3
CLIPS and the ADAPTER LOOPS can be installed so that you can use BOTH
the SLIM HANDLE and the SHOULDER STRAP at the same time with the B0.
Note: it is a bad idea to carry the entire B7 FLIGHT with the SLIM
HANDLE, especially since the (much stronger) main quick-release clips
are there for the MAIN HANDLE . The D3 CLIPS will likely fail and you
may drop the bag and risk damaging the entire contents.
INCLUDED MODULES:
POCKET CAP FRONT
CENTER SECTION 3
CENTER SECTION 4
FLAT CAP REAR
Side Pocket Alpha
Side Pocket Charlie
NCLUDED ITEMS:
Main Handle
Shoulder Strap
Slim Handle Kit
Slim Handle
Adapter Loop (qty 2)
D3 Clip (qty 4)
Instruction sheet
SIZE:
Interior of CS3: 13.5" tall, 10.0" wide, 3.0 inches deep. (34cm x 25cm x 7.6cm)
Interior of CS4: 13.5" tall, 10.0" wide, 4.0 inches deep. (34cm x 25cm x 10.2cm)
Exterior of entire bag: 14" tall, 13" wide, 10.5" deep. (36cm x 33cm x 27cm) (Including side pockets)
Keep
in mind that the bag material is flexible, so the size of the interior
storage may be able to "stretch" out just a bit in one direction or
another. Also keep in mind that over-stuffing your bag can cause seam or
material failure, and this is not covered by warranty.
EMPTY WEIGHT:
6.5 lbs. (1.8 kg)
TOTAL NUMBER OF POCKETS AND STORAGE COMPARTMENTS:
28
TOTAL NUMBER OF AVAILABLE FLEX SYSTEM SIDE POCKETS:
Two. (One FLEX-Mount side pocket station on each side of the CS4.)
TOTAL VOLUMETRIC STORAGE:
Inside the CS3 = 405 cubic inches. (6460 cubic cm)
Inside the CS4 = 540 cubic inches. (8670 cubic cm)
(And, of course, the two narrow spaces between the three modules can accommodate some small amount of flat stuff)
MODULAR EXPANSION CAPABILITY:
Unlimited.
You can add any of the other FLEX System modules to this bag, in ay
order, to make a bag as big or as small as you need on any given day.
EMBROIDERY OPTIONS:
The
top front pocket cover of the POCKET CAP FRONT module can be removed to
make it easy to add custom embroidery. Use your own embroidery person,
or email us for details about our service.
