A Board That Doesn’t Bore

ASA has announced the debut of its new iPad mini Kneeboard.

The contraption—after the time-honored fashion of ASA cockpit gadgets—provides pilots a means by which to archive, recall, and read-back flight-critical data the likes of ATIS information, IFR clearances. heading and altitude assignments, and holding instructions.

Unlike the ASA kneeboards of decades past—simplistic, ballistic-nylon-clad aluminum clipboards adorned in data borrowed from the company’s back-stocks of E6-Bs and AIMs—ASA’s new offering safely houses Apple’s popular iPad mini, keeping the wee digital powerhouse safely secured and useable during steep-turns, stalls, chandelles, lazy-8s, spins, and even lunatic Lomcovák maneuvers.

Fashioned from eco-friendly, top-quality microfiber leather, ASA’s new iPad mini Kneeboard is fitted to the user’s thigh by way of a wide hook-and-loop adjustable strap. A handy clip on the kneeboard’s anterior holds a notepad, while an assortment of strategically-placed loops secure pencils, pens, or styli.

The kneeboard’s soft, gray, microfiber interior protects the contained notepad’s screen from damage, and flexible corner clips keep the device secure whether the kneeboard is opened or closed.

ASA’s new iPad mini Kneeboard measures 150-millimeters wide by 210-millimeters high, by 20-millimeters deep. The item can be found at FBOs, online retailers, or by visiting ASA’s website.

Founded in 1940 as Merrell Aviation Ground School for the express purpose of training World War II military pilots returning from active duty to adapt their flying skills to the needs of early civilian airlines, the company known today as Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc. (ASA) has had numerous and surprising incarnations.

In 1969, the goal of franchising the popular Merrell Ground School under the name Aviation Seminars of America—or ASA—compelled the company to change its name to Northwest School of Aviation.

In 1976, the appellation Aviation Supplies and Academics replaced Aviation Seminars of America as the name to which the ASA acronym alluded. The company’s product line broadened from plotters, regulatory publications, and training manuals to include cassette-tape courses, new books, and increasingly modern training materials. Incorporation followed in 1977, as did a principal mission shift from retail to publishing and manufacturing.

In 1984, the sale of the Aviation Training and Research, Inc. ground school and The Aviator’s Store retail enterprise allowed ASA to ply the entirety of its resources and efforts to becoming a major supplier of pilot supplies and educational material in the United States. In 1985, the company undertook a series of relocations that ultimately landed it in western Washington State.

FMI: www.asa2fly.com