This article was written by Michal Orlita, one of our customers from Czech Republic, you may read the original here.

Dream Pilot Magic Kneeboard Review

You will find the kneeboard at the top of probably every list of pilot aids. And most pilots have been using it as a paper holder or navigation plate for many years. Kneepads were and are of various shapes, sizes and sometimes are also combined with the possibility to keep a few sheets of paper (like airport maps) inside.

GPS

But from the 1990s onwards we as pilots started to get a new helper - a magic box called a GPS. Initially beyond the financial means of most pilots - but this didn't last long and some sort of GPS was on board most aircraft. It didn't do much for the kneeboards though - it was usually placed on the dashboard and a cable led from it to an often-concealed power source - originally a cigarette lighter from the car.

Another gadget - but one that was not as widespread and remained a secret to many pilots was the third hand - the map holder. But if I looked hard enough, you can't even buy it anymore, it's sold out everywhere - I'd guess nobody makes it anymore.

The beginning of the end of the classic kneeboard

But the kingdom of the kneeboard started to crumble sometime around 2010. The iPhone had been out for a couple of years, the iPad was the new thing that year - and GA pilots were far more progressive than their regular airline counterparts. That's because they weren't as bound by procedures and regulations, so they started experimenting. And their experiments were much faster than the long-running efforts to introduce EFB - which disappeared from the world along with careful categorization and challenging certification.

Glass Cockpit

Around the same time, glass decks - glass cockpits - began to become common in small single-engine aircraft. The Avidyne Entegra and especially the G1000 became the standard, and gradually a growing number of pilots began to rely on these electronics more than a printed navigation plate or paper chart.

Pilot as photographer

Flying is one of the most photographed hobbies and activities - we just made this up. Or do you think not? Don't know anyone who is capable of taking more photos from two circuits than were taken from the entire Apollo mission to the moon?

Thirty years after that first mission to the moon, in fact, the boom in digital cameras with reasonable image quality was just beginning, and compacts were becoming common equipment for pilots. Because a pilot who doesn't supply his family and friends with pictures of flying is only half a pilot, right?

But the era of compact cameras didn't last long - improvements in mobile cameras have moved them to about where the EFBs mentioned a moment ago are. Today, you can buy compact cameras with image quality close to an SLR, but it's not a very widespread device.

Changing the role of the kneeboard

This is where the circle begins to close. Mobile phones have grown to the size of smaller tablets, their cameras usually produce better photos than compacts - and suddenly we have a device on board that (if it doesn't run out of battery) is truly a multifunctional device. I can use it to navigate, take photos, and the more experienced can write frequencies, altitudes and courses on it. And if you are flying with a glass cockpit (or even just a built-in GPS) the phone is a great backup.

But there's a nerdy problem - where to put it. I fly a few types of aircraft and also the type of flight is not always the same, sometimes I sit on the left, sometimes on the right. Sometimes I have the same track to the glass cockpit on my tablet, sometimes I have the track only on my phone, sometimes I don't have the track there at all and my phone is just for taking pictures, sometimes there is a full digital detox where the only electronics on board are the ignition magnetos and radio. And not every plane has a place where you can put your phone in flight without it falling under the seat.

Dream Pilot Magic

And so, in an arc, we come to why I didn't want to bring back one of the prototypes of the kneeboard, now called "Dream Pilot Magic". It is the best solution to the situation in the previous paragraph. I also received this final piece from the manufacturer - and it is even better than the original prototype. It has slightly stronger magnets.

It's as simple as possible, and it doesn't get in the way of me in flight, whether I have my phone or tablet on it or not. Do I want my phone in my hand? Then I'll take it.

I need to put it away quickly, but isn't the crisis such that I'll just throw it under me on the floor? So I put it on my knee and it pins itself there. And there it waits for further instructions.

 

We flew the brand new Bristell B23 Turbo in relatively turbulent weather - but I had no concern that the magnets wouldn't hold the phone. They hold perfectly, but again, not so much that you can't pick up the phone.

I did one more test later. Under strictly controlled conditions and according to a properly approved methodology - as you can see in the video.

iPhone

If you have an iPhone 11 or newer, you don't need to prepare anything, the phone already has magnets in it and it sticks to the kneeboard.

But if you have an older iPhone, you don't have to despair.In the package with the kneeboard you will find three self-adhesive pads of different shapes. You can stick one of them on your phone or simply put it between the phone and the case - as in the attached picture.

And this insertion works exactly the same if you have a Magsafe-enabled iPhone but don't have a case that's Magsafe compatible. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ignore this, anyone who needs it knows what I'm talking about.

 

Other phones (Android, etc.)

With inserting or sticking the pad into the case, it works the same with other brands of phones - most Android phones don't have magnets.

iPad or other tablets

Attaching a tablet works exactly the same, you stick the metal plate on the spot you choose and that's it.

I'd just perhaps caution against magnetically attached cases - these are the cases that die-hard brand fans turn up their noses at, saying their darling deserves better, that it's too cheap for them. So with those cases, fiddle a bit with the position of the stick-on badge, you probably can't put it completely in the middle like in the picture - otherwise it won't hold your iPad in the case.

Another option is to not glue the badge at all and find a place where the iPad will hold itself - although it might not be nicely centered.

 

The best kneeboard by far?

The short answer is yes. If you need to keep your phone or tablet handy in flight, this really is the best and easiest solution. It works absolutely great and that's actually the end of my review. Or did you really want to read about how the packaging is solid, looks almost slightly luxurious and spend 3 minutes watching an unboxing video on youtube?

But there's one thing I'd like to dwell on. You get a handy pouch with the kneeboard - and it's really handy to use. Why? Because you might forget you're wearing something on your leg while getting off the plane. And then when you remember, you call the other pilots to find out where you dropped it. If I had that empty case in my hand, I'd have figured it out right away.