12 Gift Ideas for Flight Instructors

12 Gift Ideas for Flight Instructors 12 Gift Ideas for Flight Instructors Looking for a great gift idea for a flight instructor? If your instructor changed your life by teaching you how to fly,  they deserve something special. Heres a list of gift ideas for the flight instructor that covers a  wide range of budget options.   01 Ipad Accessories Getty/Jacom Stephens More and more flight instructors are using new cockpit technologies, including  iPads, in the cockpit. For the instructor with an iPad, its safe to say that theyre in the market for the latest and greatest tablet accessories. A new kneeboard or iPad mount would make  a great gift. And while gift cards arent the most creative option, an iTunes gift card would certainly be valuable to a flight instructor, as they can apply it toward their favorite iTunes subscription service like ForeFlight or a new training app.   02 Bose HeadsetTheres a good chance that the  flight instructor youre buying for  has been wearing the same pair of headsets that hes had since he started flying. Theyre probably old, used and abused. A new headset is always a nice surprise. If your budget allows, spring for Bose headsets or another high-end pair.  ? 03 Tech-Friendly Winter GlovesInstructors are always taking gloves on and off. Between putting oil in during preflight to taking notes on the iPad during student landing practice, instructors need warm, tech-friendly gloves. They easily get dirty and are worn frequently in the winter, so having more than one pair is a bonus!   04 Teaching GadgetsPilots love gadgets, and flight instructors like teaching gadgets. Flight instructors love things like highlighter tape, chart covers, little model airplanes,  miniature runways, supersized airfoils, old flight instruments, gyroscopes and various other teaching gadgets. A gift basket full of gadgets would be a great gift idea for the flight instructor. 05 Laser Pointer/PenEvery instructor needs about five or ten laser pointers, just for fun. Sportys Pilot Shop makes a great all-in-one tool for instructor  pilots that has a laser pointer, pen, and flashlight in one.   06 TransceiverA transceiver is necessary when your student solos, and it gets old having to borrow transceivers from other instructors or use the old barely-working ones from local FBOs. A shiny new  Icom A6 COM Transceiver  will be cherished and well-used by the  flight instructor. 07 Digital LogbookA digital logbook makes a flight instructors job easier. Its a great gift idea for the instructor that is still using a paper logbook. A digital logbook like LogTen  Pro calculates different flight times automatically, making it easier to find and calculate things like the number of night cross-country GPS approaches when needed.  It also makes the logbook searchable, so if a flight instructor wanted to look up the details of a cross-country flight with a particular student, he could search by student name, date, etc. 08 Aircraft ModelA model airplane is always a great gift choice. Choose a model aircraft that the instructor favors and personalize it with the tail number and paint scheme. 09 ChartsFlight instructors are always buying new charts. Paying for a few months of a subscription service from Jeppesen would brighten his day. Even an instructor that uses electronic charts should have paper charts on hand as a backup.   10 Aviation AttireEvery flight instructor likes aviation-related attire. Choose something that fits the instructors personality. If hes funny and goofy, then go for one of those funny aviation shirts.  A more serious instructor might appreciate a classic baseball cap with a logo or airplane on it.   11 Food and WineInstructors dont always get paid well and its a long-standing joke that they are starving pilots, so a gift card for a restaurant or a basket of goodies would be appropriate. Many flight instructors will tell you that a bottle of wine or liquor makes a great gift, but alcohol isnt always appropriate. If you have to question the idea at all, its probably best to avoid it. 12 Flashlight or LED HeadlampFlashlights are always getting lost or broken (or borrowed and never returned). A flight instructor can never have too many flashlights on hand. Aim for a really nice one with white, red and blue bulbs that are easy to distinguish from each other in the dark. A headlamp makes a great gift as well, as it frees up the hands for other tasks like adding oil or taking notes.