23 Gifts for Pilots & Aviation Lovers

The D2 is like having a flight computer on your wrist. It’s got a worldwide database of airports, classified in direct-to and nearest-to categories. It’s got a GPS, an altimeter, and barometer, and a vibrating alarm. It also displays multiple time zones and can receive flight plans wirelessly.

Pilots are love to know everything they can about flying and aviation. Published by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, this book is filled with an array of color photographs that will delight any pilot. It focuses on the fifty most influential aircraft in aviation history.

Once you get flight simulator software, you’ll need to get a good set of realistic flight controls, or you’ll be flying the plane with the right, left, up and down keys on your keyboard. This bundle includes a stainless steel yoke shaft with fourteen buttons and a separate lever throttle with three sliding controls.

X-plane is the flight simulator that real pilots keep on their home computer to practice on when they can get behind the controls of a real plane. Features include a virtual wind tunnel for realistic flight conditions and environments created from real-world databases, so they world you fly through looks completely realistic.

Pilots love to kick back when all the work is done and enjoy a cool beverage. These flight deck coasters let them bring the cockpit to happy hour. Each one is printed with a different display from the instrument panel: airspeed, altitude, heading, and artificial horizon.

A nautical sextant? Yes, indeed—pilots are into the history of navigation, and the groundbreaking pioneers of navigation were ship’s captains. Any pilot will love and appreciate this brass antique sextant. It comes in a wooden box with a leather closure strap.

Most people that wear aviator’s sunglasses aren’t aviators at all. But every pilot needs a pair of top quality eyewear, because they’re going to spend countless hours staring into the sun. Serengeti has made the highest quality aviator’s glasses for decades, and this pair is a favorite among pilots.

Pilots collect books on planes, the history of aviation, and everything related to the art of flight. These bookend are the perfect pilot gift for that bookshelf in the pilot’s study. A solid resin construction and pewter finish gives these bookends a comfortable antique look.

The P-51 Mustang has a special place in the hearts of aviators, especially Americans. It was a World War II workhorse: the first single-engine plane over France, the first airplane to Germany, and the first one to make it to Berlin. This model contains forty-nine pieces and is a beautiful homage to our heroic aviators of days gone by.

Some people like to binge watch movies, some prefer reality shows, and some like good old TV dramas and comedies. Not pilots. They want to kick up the feet and watch anything and everything aviation related. This DVD box set has over twenty-three hours of airplane history, aka pilot heaven.

Remember the TI-80 calculator? The one you had to buy for all you math and physics classes? This is the aviator’s version of that. It’s a handheld flight computer that has every feature a pilot could ever want or need. This device is one of the only one approved for use on an FAA pilot’s license exam.

Who knew there were so many things you could do with that certification you worked so hard for? There’s more to it than just flying. Having a pilot’s license opens up doors you probably never thought of when you had that first impulse to go for it. This book let’s you know: sky’s the limit!

This classic leather wallet is for the pilot that is proud of his status, but doesn’t want to be too flashy about it. It’s got pilot’s wings subtly embossed in the corner of the outer flap. Inside, it has credit card slots, currency compartments, and a ramp pass slot.

A place for everything, and everything in one place, aviator style. This flight journal includes a pocket sized notebook from Moleskin inside a stylish handmade cover, covered with artful renditions of a cockpit instrument panel. Pilots can take notes, plan flights, and record the deep thoughts.

They don’t do it all with computers, especially when they’re recreational pilots out for a pleasure flight on the weekend, or a bush pilots guiding private pilots out in the wilderness. This pen is designed to check and make marks on charts when light is scarce—like at night in the cockpit.

Essential piece of gear number one: a good, reliable flight bag. The B7 is the gold standard in flight bags. It’s got compartments for everything: laptops, documents, phones, chargers, headsets, and every accessory a pilot needs to bring along. It’s designed to slip right on the hand of a rolling carry-on.

Plane buffs know the Warthog. They know it and when they talk about it they glow with pride. But they’re not the only ones: any recent ground combat veteran loves the Warthog, too. It’s been in service since the 1970s. Originally designed as a tank killer, it’s been the prime close-support aircraft for the U.S. Armed forces for decades.

This kit is designed specifically for aspiring pilots enrolled in flying courses at small flight school or pursuing their license through a private instructor. It has everything they’ll need to go from the first class right through their FAA exam, including DVDs, handbooks, and more.

When they’re not in the air, they’re thinking about flying. This paperweight give any chance to slip off into flights of fancy on those unfortunate days when they’re stuck on the ground working at a desk. This classic single prop airport is made of non-tarnish nickel.

We can’t be sure, but we suspect that many pilots got into flying so they could have an excuse to wear a cooler than cool leather jacket like this one. The fur collar and oversize front pockets are iconic and unmistakable. It comes with a USN stamp place boldly on the front wind flap.

Strange fact: until recently, pilot specific toolkits like this one didn’t exist. Pilots had to cobble together the tools they needed themselves out of bigger toolkits from home or the repair bays. This toolkit from Cruz Tools includes everything from a hex set to thirty feet of aviation wire.

At the end of the flight, when the post-flight check list is complete, when the plane is all squared away, it’s time to crack open a cold one. With this metal airplane bottle opener in hand, pilots won’t need to wait—they can pop that top as soon as they’re ready. A great novel gift for any pilot.

Taking texting language to a new high: AV8R. This t-shirt will let the pilot on your life proclaim their pilot status and their love for flight loud and proud when. It might take a few seconds for people to figure it out, but when they do, we’re sure they’ll LOL.