PIREPs

Did you ever fly out of Meigs field in downtown Chicago before it closed? It’s one of those airports you will never forget if you were lucky enough to visit before the painful closure in 2003. Beyond its reputation as a scenic and convenient access point to downtown Chicago, it was just as memorable to many pilots for a different reason. Ask just about any pilot today who learned to fly in the late 90s or early 2000s and memories will flood back to the view from the departure end of Runway 36 at KCGX, preparing for takeoff in Microsoft Flight Simulator. For many, including me, this was the first introduction to the excitement and freedom of general aviation.

The Logitech Yoke and Throttle is the most popular yoke option here at Sporty’s, and rightfully so. Since we added it to our flight simulator line in early 2008, it’s been a staple of the digital aviation community due to some unique features, an easily configurable design, and a great price. Here are a few of the reasons we like to recommend it to all levels of flight simulation enthusiasts. 

Radios have been used by pilots since the days of open cockpit biplanes, so it's no surprise they have been part of Sporty's offering since the very beginning of the company. In fact, the first product Hal Shevers sold from the trunk of his Studebaker was a Realtone Voyager radio (model TR-970). Since then technology has advanced and prices have dropped, but we still design our own radios. Our goal is to make the easiest-to-use, most reliable radios for pilots. Here's a look at some of the many radios we've sold over the years.

This year marks a milestone in the history of Sporty's: we're celebrating 60 years of serving pilots worldwide. Sporty's wouldn't be here without the incredible support of our customers over the past 60 years, so we invite you to join the celebration. Each week we'll be sharing special savings, new product introductions, and customer contests.

Starting February 25, 2021, chart subscribers (and pilots everywhere) will notice an important change to the effective dates of charts. The FAA is shortening the update cycle for VFR charts to match the dates on IFR charts. This means that, whereas sectional charts used to be updated every six months, now all FAA charts will be updated every 56 days.