Pilots favorite pens are Pilot.

"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond) 05/21/2014 at 19:43 • Filed to: planelopnik

3

10

At cabin altitudes around 8,000 feet a pen starts to stress. The V-ball pen has weaker internals and leaked all over me several timesbefore besides that tip wont play nice with recycled printer paper. Ball point bic types gel up when cold and write inconsistent however they are free in hotel rooms. Out of the pilots I work with and see writing I estimate 8/10 working pilots use the pictured pen in 05 or 07 tip size. It is absolutely reliable in cold or hot weather and writes easily on all paper we use. Other gel types exist but dont feel as sturdy and solid andfor the price we keep coming back to this pen. I have used Pilots up to 18,000 feet and frigid unpressurized temps without fail. Good stuff. I prefer the 05. they make an 038 tip but thats' almost a pen-knife and will cut more than write on soft recycled style or thin paper or weak surfaces.

[proto: ME]

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Grindintosecond 05/21/2014 at 19:46

1

Exact same reason this is the pen of choice at my workplace too

~ Accountant/CPA

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Grindintosecond 05/21/2014 at 19:49

0

These are the only pens I like to use. They always write so smooth!

NoahthePorscheGuy > Grindintosecond 05/21/2014 at 19:51

0

What about space pens?

I've never noticed pens not working when I am in colorado at around 10,000.

doodon2whls > Grindintosecond 05/21/2014 at 19:58

0

I even like 'em here @ MSL.

f86sabre > Grindintosecond 05/21/2014 at 20:09

0

fun fact, airplane printer paper is actually an airplane part. I walked into an engineers office a few years ago and he was approving an PMA printer paper.

desertdog5051 > Grindintosecond 05/21/2014 at 20:36

0

Who knew.

Grindintosecond > NoahthePorscheGuy 05/21/2014 at 21:10

0

It's the rapid pressure change. The pens you and I use in Colorado have time to adjust and equalize internal pressure vs. outside. That's where the V-ball pen popped on me. I'd write just fine on the ground and then climb up to 12,000 feet unpressurized (back when i flew cargo and not people) in 10 minutes or a bit less. Open the pen and it bleeds all over my map. What an A-hole pen.

Now the NASA space pens I have used and they write best when using cursive. Printing and doing math isn't smooth writing at all but it still writes. I'm sure in 300 degree direct sunlight an astronaut can do math in vaccuum but where I'm at, the special ink in a pressurized cartridge is rather...chunky and flakes of it sort of collect arond the tip when printing. cursive is no problem but its a stubby pen and isn't smooth. It also costs about 10 of these G-2 pens.

The Pilot G-2 just works all the time. No problems. At least it has a mean average time between failure far exceeding other pens.

Nick drives Stick (not Stig) > Grindintosecond 05/21/2014 at 22:03

0

Whatever is lying around the FBO during preflight is what I use... I have not other choice because every pen I've put in my flightbag has managed to escape prior to next flight!

tromoly > Grindintosecond 05/21/2014 at 22:38

0

I use the 038 pens for taking notes and writing stuff, while I like the really fine point it likes to poke holes in the paper if I'm not careful. Never had that issue with 05 and 07 tips, next round of pen buying I'm moving to the 05 tips, the Pilot pens are the best I've ever used.

Grindintosecond > tromoly 05/21/2014 at 22:48

0

Yep. for a while the black ink was a better solid ink and the other colors like blue, etc. all felt slightly more liquid so an 05 blue was like an 07 black line quality, now the other colors behave properly so no matter the color the 05 blue is an 05 line just like the black.