Snacks

[Patrick Horan]

Here is a plain and simple question. I am going on another long cross-country in the US (AZ,KS,WI,FL). For those who went on long cross-countries. What type of food/drinks do you guys bring with? Yes I know to bring a lot of water!!

[Mooney Dog]

Beef jerky is always a good one and my must have for 3+ XC.

M&Ms, salty things are better the higher up you go sometimes, and fig newtons. 

 

 

Remember, 1 hour ETE is coffee time. 

[kortopates]

Interesting question. i do a lot of long cross countries but mostly avoid taking more than water. A big part of the fun of long cross countries is the journey itself and that includes stops for lunch if flying multiple legs. We really avoid Legs longer than 3 hrs but occasionally do them for different reasons, such as poor weather flying from Ketchikan to Homer. So not much need for snacks with a lunch stop planned.


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[N201MKTurbo]

I took a friend to Oregon to pick up some puppies once. He asked what to bring food wise. I said some M&Ms and maybe some Pringle’s. 
 

I was thinking one maybe two small bags of M&Ms and one of the three inch cans of Pringle’s. He showed up with a 5 pound bag of M&Ms and 4 big cans of Pringle’s! 
 

Don't bring too much water, remember, what goes in must come out.

Edited October 6, 2021 by N201MKTurbo

[Stan]

Frozen bottle of water (to sip), and trail mix (not the healthy stuff, the M&M kind).

[carusoam]

Inflight snacks….

Long X-countries, non-stop…  

• Wrap style sandwich, with no oil, vinegar, or stuff that can drip… like eating a hot dog… start at one end, and bite towards the other….
• bottled water…
• sliced fruits and vegetables
• Stuff that is easy to clean up when it gets away…
• cooler to carry it all… stainless cart if you have an aisle…

If there is a stop… a good grilled chicken sandwich…  

 

Essentially, bring enough food for the 5 hours or so… so that you don’t run out nutrients while flying…

Bring a bevy of ziplock bags, trash bags, and garbage bags… to adjust for the size of mess you are willing to take on….
 

Always have a bottle of water ready to wash down any food that is trying to stick in your throat…

Remember to take human bites…  doing the Heimlich maneuver at 12k’ can be challenging….

 

Got kids and family members traveling along?

Things to avoid… carbonated beverages can be challenging at high altitudes… sodas are really acidic when spilled on the carpet…

Things that have two uses… A bottle of Gatorade…

 

PP thoughts only, I usually add a stop every three hours when family is coming along…

Best regards,

-a-

[midlifeflyer]

If you're into it, I've heard of pilots making "overnight oats" (Google the phrase if you don't know what that is) in small plastic containers to eat as an inflight snack.

[LANCECASPER]

6 hours ago, Patrick Horan said:

Here is a plain and simple question. I am going on another long cross-country in the US (AZ,KS,WI,FL). For those who went on long cross-countries. What type of food/drinks do you guys bring with? Yes I know to bring a lot of water!!

Since I don't want stains and sticky stuff spilled, I tell passengers they can bring any brand of water that they prefer.

For snacks, I like Lunchables (or that type of thing) for long cross country flights.

(If you're taking kids you might monitor where the snacks are going. I bought a Mooney from a doctor once whose son ate Chex Mix every time they flew. When I cleaned up the airplane I found enormous amounts of Chex Mix down in the manual trim chain area which could have caused binding, etc. Also you don't want to leave snacks of any kind in the airplane thinking that you'll have snacks next time. You are begging rodents to get in for a snack)

[Mooney in Oz]

Bananas and water.

[Patrick Horan]

1 hour ago, Stan said:

Frozen bottle of water (to sip), and trail mix (not the healthy stuff, the M&M kind).

Good, i don't do healthy :p

[Patrick Horan]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions.

[201er]

7 hours ago, Patrick Horan said:

Here is a plain and simple question. I am going on another long cross-country in the US (AZ,KS,WI,FL). For those who went on long cross-countries. What type of food/drinks do you guys bring with? Yes I know to bring a lot of water!!

Simple individually wrapped sandwiches. Bagels (plain!!!! never seeds!) are a good nibble snack and they last a few days so you can save extras for next flights. Unsalted pistachios in shell are a good way to stay busy and pass time. Pretzels. I alternate between iced tea and Gatorade to stay awake and hydrated.

Halo headset makes eating on the fly a lot easier.

 

 

[LANCECASPER]

38 minutes ago, 201er said:

 

 

 

Is that the iced tea going in or the iced tea coming out?

[Ragsf15e]

2 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

Is that the iced tea going in or the iced tea coming out?

If it’s coming out, he needs more going in (dehydrated)!

[A64Pilot]

I’ve done many ferries with legs up to 12 hours long and was taught by another very experienced ferry pilot to only eat very low fiber food, the reason should be obvious, you can pee. but the other is problematic. Jerky is excellent for this.

Also carried several small bottles of Gatorade, small bottles as you can pee in them without having to empty a full quart, Gatorade largely because of the big top, jd I like Gatoraid

Read a story about Jeremy Aimsworth I think his name is ferrying a Maule over the North Atlantic to Europe. he would make sandwiches etc, but one flight got the runs, well all there was was the bread bag which he was apparently successful with, and obviously he threw it out when he was finished, on landing he was met by the owner to receive his new aircraft, that the whole left side was covered in well, you can imagine. Maule has big windows you can open, a Mooney well there is only the little one?

[MB65E]

Almonds, fruit, yeti filled with your favorite drink. Long trips I bring a little cooler and have some ice in it. That way It’s almost as good as the ice chest in the jet! Why not try the healthy stuff. 
-Matt

[whiskytango]

There is apparently an ATC regulation that requires them to contact you with a re-route the minute you start eating any food

[jaylw314]

Some other comments:

• Bring one of those insulated grocery bags for cold stuff.  They take up MUCH less room than a cooler and are easier to manage in the cabin.  Sure, they're not quite as good but a couple freezer packs in there will get you through a few hours of flying.
• Don't forget some premoistened hand wipes and paper towels.  Just chuck them in with the food so you can find them when you need them
• Does anybody know at what altitude chip bags and containers explode?  They are obviously fine up to 9000' MSL or so, and I've been as high as 12,000' with snacks, but has anyone had experience with packaging failures above that?

[Patrick Horan]

2 minutes ago, jaylw314 said:

Some other comments:

• Bring one of those insulated grocery bags for cold stuff.  They take up MUCH less room than a cooler and are easier to manage in the cabin.  Sure, they're not quite as good but a couple freezer packs in there will get you through a few hours of flying.
• Don't forget some premoistened hand wipes and paper towels.  Just chuck them in with the food so you can find them when you need them
• Does anybody know at what altitude chip bags and containers explode?  They are obviously fine up to 9000' MSL or so, and I've been as high as 12,000' with snacks, but has anyone had experience with packaging failures above that?

I've had that exact experience. For me, I've have my family size smartfood popcorn explode at 13,200. I heard a loud pop and wondered if something broke. Looked around and saw the popcorn bag open

[ArtVandelay]

Something that doesn’t have crumbs, so things like chewy breakfast bars, anything that’s bite size.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, jaylw314 said:

Does anybody know at what altitude chip bags and containers explode?  They are obviously fine up to 9000' MSL or so, and I've been as high as 12,000' with snacks, but has anyone had experience with packaging failures above that?

I've had them go off explosively behind my head at 9000 msl, in May? over eastern KY or TN, about an hour after takeoff. While I was frantically scanning gages, I caught a whiff of fried potato, looked back and the bag had partially spilled across my clean shirts laid on the back seat. Fortunately it was the regular bag of chips, the bag of BBQ chips beside it was swollen but holding.

[1964-M20E]

19 minutes ago, Hank said:

I've had them go off explosively behind my head at 9000 msl, in May? over eastern KY or TN, about an hour after takeoff. While I was frantically scanning gages, I caught a whiff of fried potato, looked back and the bag had partially spilled across my clean shirts laid on the back seat. Fortunately it was the regular bag of chips, the bag of BBQ chips beside it was swollen but holding.

Been there done that scares the you know what out of you

[blaine beaven]

I’ve always been partial to grapes on long flights. A nice way to stay hydrated without getting too fluid filled.


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[Amelia]

Frozen seedless grapes are good to keep kids happy. Small Hawaiian rolls with Swiss cheese and ham tucked inside (if you use honey-mustard, be sure to spread it thin,) are one-hand, two-bite size. Same for  turkey, cheese and thin rye hors d’ouvre-size bread. The mini sandwiches are nicely manageable, keep well, and sustain a hungry crew. And there’s a reason, I think, that airlines hand out little pretzels. They don’t roll under the seat. Mozzarella cheese sticks work, too. I pack these goodies in the smallest size ziplock bags, 

[bmcconnaha]

grapes are a go to for me, especially in the summer. 

lots of water.

i really like "perfect bar" protein bars.  

I like to stop for coffee and lunches, but sometimes that just doesnt work out.  i have a small cooler i put on the floor on the copilot side.