Top 5 Things You Need in the Cockpit to Keep you Cool, Clean, and Fresh

We all know summer is traditionally one of the busiest times to fly. But while summer brings the opportunity for warm-weather getaways, it also brings a lot of extra heat to the cockpit. To ensure you arrive cool, clean and fresh, here are the top five things you should keep in your cockpit during the summer:

• Water: At the risk of stating the obvious, you can never have too much water onboard. Staying properly hydrated takes work on long, hot trips. Bring a thermal mug to keep water cold or bring a few frozen bottles with you and sip it up as they melt. As a backup, always have a few extra jugs of water in your aircraft just in case. 
• Sunglasses: By sunglasses, we mean PLURAL. Don’t just take your favorite pair. Have a backup. One day you’ll either sit on your sunglasses, scratch the lens – or worse – lose them. It’s always a good idea to have a backup pair on hand at all times.
• Face Wipes & Deodorant: Fact: You will get a little sweaty and stinky if you’re flying in the heat. Having a few simple hygiene products handy will make quick clean ups a breeze. 
• Cleaning Supplies: Do you know how much sweat can find its way onto your headset and controls on a long, hot flight? Trust us – you don’t want to know. After you give yourself a quick cleanup, it never hurts to do the same to your aircraft. Grab some Lysol wipes and wipe everything down. Then Febreze that thing before any moist odor sets in. You’ll thank us for it.
• Cooling Towel: If you run hot, you need one. By mopping up as you go with these little microfiber friends, it’ll be one less mess you’ll be dealing with later.

And yeah, we know we said five things, but we couldn’t help ourselves. So, our bonus tip: Bring an Extra Change of Clothes. With this little ace up your sleeve, you can be ready for whatever great adventure awaits you on touch down…no matter how stinky and drenched you get while in the air.