Over many years of flying and working with aviation training, there are a few things that I have run into that I personally recommend based on my experience with them and their utility and reliability. If you are a pilot-in-training at any point, you might find them equally useful for you. So, I thought I might share a few of some of these with you in case you might also find them useful.
Logbook:
Gleim Career Pilot Training Logbook
https://careerpilottraininglogbook.com/
The best training logbook to take a pilot from day one of their training through their private pilot certificate, instrument rating, commercial pilot certificate, flight instructor certificates, and a multi-engine add on rating. This logbook was specifically designed to take a career focused pilot through their training including space to log all ground and flight training requirements, endorsements, and tracking for their training progress.
ASA Professional Logbook
https://asa2fly.com/the-standard-pilot-master-log/
ASA’s logbook designed for professional pilots. This is the logbook a pilot should transition to once their training is done and they are proceeding as a professional pilot in their career.
Foggles / Hood:
If you are looking for some foggles for flight training, here are the main types you might encounter and places to get them. I generally think the Viban option is the most comfortable for most pilots.
Viban
https://viban.com/
or on Amazon
Instant IFR Training Glasses [Sportys}
https://www.sportys.com/instant-ifrtm-training-glasses.html
Jiffyhood [ASA]
https://asa2fly.com/jiffyhood/
Flight Bags:
I have seen a huge variety of flight bags over the years. In the book I talk about why you don’t need a bag that will carry everything including the kitchen sink. Some of the best bags I have seen on the market that people have been carrying in recent years are the following ones.
Flight Gear iPad Bag
Specifically designed for the iPad pilot, with lots of pockets for organization and custom pockets for protecting important electronics. It is my current day-to-day flight bag as a DPE and pilot. It easily fits an iPad, headset, pens, notepad, water bottle, flashlight, an extra power brick for my iPad or iPhone and charging cable, and multi-tool in the pockets. Unless I am going on a longer trip where I might want to carry a handheld radio, multiple headsets for passengers, or other extra stuff, it gets it done for the every day local flight. I have seen lots of pilots in training carrying it. A reasonable price at about $79.
https://www.sportys.com/flight-gear-ipad-baga.html
BrightLine B7 Moduler Gear Bag
A modular flight bag that has tons of pockets, heck, they are even color coded on the zippers for what you will use them for. There is dedicated space for a headset, an iPad, and places to put books, snacks, flashlights, pens, etc. It is easy to carry, durable, and one of the flight bags I have had in my own mix and carried for many years. It is the expensive bag in my mix here, but isn’t overly burdonsome in size and engineered to be a very efficient bag. Approx. $287.
https://brightlinebags.com/products/b7-flight-travel-bag
ASA Pilot Backpack
Sometimes it is just nice to have a flight bag that you can carry on your back, and the ASA Pilot Backpack flight bag gets that done nicely. With a good number of pockets, dedicated iPad and heaset pockets, and an outside edge water bottle pocket, it is a really nice solution also. I don’t personally carry it, bu only because I am usually carrying a second backpack for my laptop and other things I need as an examiner. If I was just going flying and carrying my flying gear for local and training flights, this is an option I would strongly consider. You might want to check it out and at around $119 it might a an option that does everything you need for most of your flight training.
https://asa2fly.com/pilot-backpack/
ASA AirClassics Flight Bag
ASA AirClassics Flight Bag is the largest bag in the list I am offering here but isn’t the most expensive at about $89. It is a very traditional flight bag with a middle compartment to store charts, books, etc. The end cap pockets each can fit a headset and there is ample room in the middle for a handheld radio and water bottle. A back side and front side pocket can fit flashlights, pens, etc. This is a bag that lets a pilot carry an extra headset for a passenger without having to carry a separate bag. You will see lots of long time pilots carrying these around. The biggest drawback is that they are a little bigger and can’t be carried like a backpack. But they have lots of room to carry stuff. This might be the flight bag you carry if longer adventures are in your flying mix.
https://asa2fly.com/airclassics-flight-bag/
Headset:
Picking the best headset can be a challenging discussion. They are one of the most costly “pilot gear” items a pilot will invest in. You don’t have to buy the most expensive heaset on the market, but I will say there is a reason a few of the most expensive headsets are the post popular. They are durable, have good product support, and are feature-rich.
I will say investing in a good headset for a pilot early in the training process typically saves money in the long run because you will probably do it at some point. Comfort is key, especially for those longer flights. A head clamping headset will increase fatigue and generate headaches. Features like bluetooth are awesome for piping in some music on a long cross-country flight.
With that said, I am going to offer three options here that I currently fly with (just depending on which one I grab each day or which plane I am in) and a couple of other options you might consider that are a little more budget oriented that are also great headsets.
I offer them in no specific order, alphabetically here. If you are choosing from one of these, do a little homework and figure out which one best fits your needs.
Bose A30
A fantastic lightweight proven design headset with great bluetooth features built in to connect a phone or tablet device. The main downside of this headset is the “passive noise cancelling” (when the active noise cancelling is off – or the battery is dead) isn’t the best based on the ear cup. It’s a trade off. When the active noise cancelling is going, it is one of the quietest headsets on the market. It typically runs about $1,299.
You can get more information about it here on the Bose website.
David Clark H20-10
One of the longest standing headset manufacturers on the market, David Clark has offered this particular headset for many years. I have had one for over 20 years and it just keeps taking a beating. It has a really good ear cup that offers great passive noise cancelling. It doesn’t have Bluetooth, but it is one of the toughest headsets on the market with a really comfortable head band with lots of cushioning. I have beat the daylights out of mine dragging it around in flight bags and it just keeps going. A little bigger and heavier than some other options, but a very good option at a slightly cheaper price. It typically runs about $389.
You can get more information about it and order from Sporty’s by clicking here.
David Clark DC One-X
Continuing the David Clark lineage that literally started by providing products to NASA and the space program, this is a fantastic headset that runs about $995. Lightweight, a comfortable head band, and all the Bluetooth features you may want, it is hard to go wrong with this headset.
You can get more information about it and order from Sporty’s by clicking here.
Lightspeed Zulu 3 ANR
A bigger ear cup than others that makes passive noise cancelling decent, great active noise cancelling, and Bluetooth built in this headset is a go-to for many pilots. Me included. Well, close, I have the Zulu2, this is the updated version of the one I have had. Great customer support, a 5 year warranty, and a durable headset it is a great option. It comes in at about $899.
You can get more information and order it here at the Lightspeed website.
Lightspeed Sierra ANR
The little brother to the Zulu 3, the Sierra is a slightly more budget oriented headset shipping at about $699. It is also a great option that saves a little money that includes ANR and Bluetooth options. Many people that fly with them have a hard time telling much of a difference between the Zulu and Sierra lines. It is slightly older technology than the newest of the new from Lightspeed, but a great durable option I have turned many students on to for their headset options going through their training and they haven’t been disappointed.
You can get more information and order it here at the Lightspeed website.
Telex Air 3100
This headset is a no-frills but functional good starter headset. It doesn’t have ANR but it does have a decent ear cup and is generally pretty comfortable. I encourage this headset for folks trying to save a little money but still get into a headset that won’t kill their head. It also becomes a good passenger headset you can offer as you go through training if you do upgrade to something more pricey at a later time that has more features. It is going to be roughly $340 to get one of these.
You can get more information and order it here at the Aircraft Spruce website.
There are a couple other “add-ons” you might consider depending on your headset and what you end up choosing.
If you don’t have a Bluetooth equipped headset, but want to add that function later, you can do that with an inline adaptor.
UFQ BT-Link Aviation Headset Bluetooth Adapter
I have seen people use this adaptor with great success. It doesn’t make the headset “noise cancelling”, but it does offer the ability to bluethooth in music or phone functions to a headset that wasn’t originally equipped with it. It can be a nice addition to a headest’s functionality and runs about $189 on Amazon.
Click here to get the UFQ BT-Link Aviation Headset Bluetooth Adapter on Amazon.
Cloth Ear Covers for Aviation Headset
Hot summer flying days can make headset ear muffs sweaty, slippery, and just kind of gross. Cold flying days make them cold. A simply solution for both is a set of cloth ear covers you put over your headset ear muffs. It makes them soak up the sweat a little bit and it isn’t as cold on your ears in the summer. Every headset I own has a set of these on them. Plus as you use them and they get a little gross over time, you can replace. them At a mer $9.99 on Amazon, you can’t go wrong adding these to your headset. They come in a 4-pack.
Click here to get Cloth Ear Covers for Aviation Headsets on Amazon
I encourage purchasing headsets directly from the manufacturer’s websites. It makes tracking for warranty a little easier and many times if you sign up for their customer notifications, you can take advantage of seasonal discounts. Many also give discounts of some sort for CFI’s purchasing headsets. Check around before you hit the buy button if any are currently available.
The best advice I can give you when selecting a headset is going to be is to try them on ahead of time if you can, and figure out which one fits your head best. It can be a great headset, but each of these has slightly different top-of-the-head pads and pivot points. Each may fit your particular head slightly different. Get the one that is going to feel best for the longest period of time. You are going to have it on for quite a bit of time in a career pilot training process.
Handheld Aviation Radio:
Sporty’s PJ2+ COM Aviation Handheld Radio
A handheld aviation radio is a great backup in case of radio failure in a plane, a tool that can be used to listen to aviation weather broadcasts or get clearances, and an emergency tool that can be used in the unlikely event a pilot has an off field landing for communication. There are lots of options out there when it comes to hand held radios, but I have honestly settled on this one being the best.
There are a couple of reasons. It is reasonably affordable at about $229.
It takes regular AA batteries, so they can easily be replaced and you don’t have to wait for long charging times.
And my favorite, they actually have jacks on the back that allow you to plug a headset into them to make communication in and out much clearer than yelling over an old speaker in a noisy airplane.
You can get it on Amazon
or
get it on Sportys‘ website.
Flashlights:
[Small] Olive Drab Mini Army Style Flashlight
A smaller flashlight based on the larger traditional military style flashlight, it comes with multiple color lenses in the bottom that can be screwed in over the beam also. It is only just a little over 6 inches in length, has a full on switch, and has a button that you can use to “push button” on and off for temporary use.
I personally like the blue light lens on it because it doesn’t lose as much color in the cockpit, but it also isn’t as bright as the white.
Click here to find it on Amazon.
LED Upgrade Bulb for Olive Drab Mini Army Style Flashlight
I probably wouldn’t do the above flashlight without doing the LED bulb upgrade. They last longer, they don’t break a filament when you drop the flashlight, and they are a good brightness.
It is a quick swap out to change the bulbs and well worth the effort.
Yup, this can also be found by clicking here on Amazon.
Coast HX4 80 Lumen Dual Color (White & Red) Magnetic LED Clip Light with Beam Rotation
Another light I leave in my plane usually is this one. With a rotating head and the ability to make it a red light, it is versatile. But it also has a clip on it.
I have clipped it in place when doing a preflight, when working on something, on a hat bill, on a cowling when filling oil, on the panel when wanting to see an instrument with a burnt out bulb, and more. I have also clipped them to a headset band as a forward looking light.
I can’t tell you how long the batteries last, because, I honestly haven’t had to change them in the one of these I have been using for 2 years yet. So, generally, they seem to last.
Good thing, Amazon also has this one. Click here to get it.
Tools:
TAC-FORCE Spring Assisted Opening EMT EMS ORANGE Rescue Folding Pocket Knife
It isn’t expensive, it takes a beating, it has a seatbelt cutter, and its a generally decent knife. Oh, it also has a glass breaker punch on it. it works for one-handed flip out and is a locking blade also.
This is honestly my everyday carry knife that I beat up and don’t care if lose one because it is only $13.80.
I know you are surprised, but you can here to find it on Amazon.
Standard Multi-Bit 15-Piece Ratcheting Screwdriver
A basic ratcheting driver set, I keep one of these in my plane for loose screws whenever I find them. The bits fit nicely and hold in securely and there are even a few basic sockets in there also.
I have found use for this pretty basic tool many times, and it even gets through TSA on an airline, so it goes with me when I travel to pick up planes also.
Did you think that you could also click here to find it on Amazon?
Gerber Gear Multi-Plier 600 Needle Nose Pliers Set Bladeless Multi-Tool
Most multi-tools don’t make it through TSA either, but this one [can] if you do it correctly. It will likely take a little explanation and a more detailed look than the baggage scanner, but you can remove the blade on this particular multi-tool.
There are general tools like the pliers, file, scissors, and others, but the thing I remove from this is the blade that is a “RemGrit saw” so it doesn’t actually end up having a blade when I travel. I have used this tool to strip wires, multiple tools with the pliers, and the screwdriver tools too many times to count. It’s another staple in my kit.
Hey, this one is also available by clicking this like to go to Amazon.
Miscellaneous Other Stuff
Listo 1620 Grease Pencils
A trick a fellow pilot gave me years ago, you can write on a windscreen of an aircraft with a grease pencil and wipe it back off. The upper left corner of my windscreen gets this treatment sometimes with quick notes, frequencies, and clearance information. I keep a couple of these in my flight bag and use them more than I originally thought I would.
Be sure to have a good non-windshield-scractching cloth with you to wipe this off though. They aren’t very big, and they come in packs of 12 how I guy them, so you can afford to lose them once in a while.
Not to be hard to find, these are also available via the services of Amazon.
Rite in the Rain Weatherproof Mechanical Pencil
Another writing tool, but one that is tougher and doesn’t leak ink at all, is a traditional pencil. I like the mechanical one that Rite in the Rain makes that has a durable resing and metal barrel. It is tough. I have dropped it, thrown it to friends, stepped on it, and dragged it around in backpacks and flight bags all over. As long as you have replacement lead for it, it keeps working. It isn’t standard lead you buy with most more engineering-based pencils, it is thicker, so make sure you have the right stuff, but this one is a flight bag staple for me.
I like the yellow because it is easy to find, but I do think they com in other colors also. The thick lead on this makes it an easy to use in the cockpit writing tool that make thick like and doesn’t break the lead easily. A good notebook for clearances and this pencil go a long way.
Amazon also has this, you can click here to get one (or more).
Flexible Draining Tool Funnel Foldable Oil Drain Flexible Funnel
Not every oil drain, or filter, is in the easiest place to get at without making a mess. A mechanic friend of mine turned me on to these foldable, flexible, oil [or other fluid] funnels. Moldable plastic allows you to make a funnel that can help direct fluids to where it is easier to connect, or even into another funnel or hose that will collect the liquid.
In my Stinson, I can fold one of these under the oil drain or the filter and transit the oil to a more manageable collection spot out of the way of many of the other hoses, equipment, and mounts that are otherwise in the way of me not making a mess when I change the oil. I use them on my boat also.
Get yourself a flexible funnel on Amazon by clicking here.
Prist Acrylic and Plastic Windscreen Cleaner
At some point, you will need to clear the windscreen of your aircraft. I honestly also use this stuff to clean bugs off the leading edges of both metal and fabric aircraft. Good no-scratch cloths and this stuff go a long way to seeing outside better and getting the bugs off the leading edges.
Grab a couple cans, and start being able to see out the windscreen a little better.
Again, Amazon can help you find this by clicking here.
If you made it to the end of this list and decided to buy everything, you might be wondering how much it might set you back.