Sporty's PIREPs

Sporty’s has announced its 2025 Gear of the Year award winners, recognizing the standout aviation products that pilots selected most and liked best this year. Among hundreds of new products introduced in 2025, the winners reflect a combination of customer feedback and evaluations by Sporty’s staff of experienced pilots and instructors.

Pro pilot doesn’t have to mean airline pilot. Longtime corporate pilot and safety advocate Mark McIntyre explains the appeal of business aviation, why safety has to be the focus for a flight department, the unique challenges of international flying, and how to use new debriefing tools to fly safer. Mark began his career as a seaplane pilot, so he also shares lessons learned in this demanding environment. In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll hear about the best seaplane, managing fatigue, and fun places to fly in the Pacific Northwest.

Every year we see hundreds of new products come through Sporty’s, and a handful rise to the top because pilots actually use them, talk about them, and come back for them. These are the 2025 Gear of the Year winners, voted on by you (the customers) plus our staff of expert pilots. If you’re looking for upgrades that make flying smoother, simpler, and more reliable, this is a great place to start.

Whether it’s a student pilot or a seasoned pilot accomplishing a flight review, the pattern of getting behind the airplane is remarkably consistent. Things are going fine until multiple small tasks pile up at once. By the time the pilot notices, they’re already chasing airspeed, altitude, or a clearance.

Legendary instructor Doug Stewart has a lot of strong opinions about flight training, from inadvertent IMC maneuvers to instrument procedures to engine failures. In this episode, Doug offers a sweeping view of the flight instructor’s role, with practical advice for pilots and instructors alike. Doug is also an active pilot examiner, so he shares checkride tips and tricks based on his decades of experience. In the Ready to Copy segment, Doug talks about flight simulators, bad communication habits, jazz musicians, and lessons from cycling.

Starlink is appearing in more and more aircraft on our ramp, and for good reason: it works great. The Starlink Mini is the right combination of capability and size for smaller, general aviation aircraft. It’s not overly expensive, and the data plan required is reasonable. For comparison, business jets and commercial aircraft pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to install and tens of thousands of dollars for data.

Aviation has long been a part of Gabriel Kesler’s life, from the time he attended airshows as a child in northern Iowa to his teaching future pilots in RV–12s at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.  Now, as a newly certificated flight instructor and single father of two, Gabriel is the latest recipient of Sporty’s $2,500 Pilot Training+ Scholarship, which he will use to obtain his Multiengine and Multiengine Instructor ratings.

It’s been an exciting year for aviation gear, and we’ve rounded up the Top 10 New Products of 2025. From smart cockpit tools to upgraded flight bags and must-have accessories, these standout releases from the past 12 months are worth a closer look.

Let’s be honest—these days, the only reason most of us would get lost in the air is if our iPad died (and we forgot the charger) or it overheated halfway through the flight. Even with GPS and moving maps, it can happen. And when it does, it’s surprisingly easy to feel a little helpless.

The key is to stay calm, rely on your remaining tools, and follow a logical plan.

Whether he’s circling the globe in his Bonanza or crossing the Pacific in a Gulfstream, Adrian Eichhorn says he monitors four key risks on every flight. In this episode, he explains why they matter and how preflight preparation is the key to preventing mistakes. An expert on multiple topics, Adrian also shares night flying tips, lessons learned from a decade of borescope use, and some wild stories from his long distance flights. In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll hear about the strangest airport Adrian ever landed at, why he loves the Bonanza, and what he learned as strategic nuclear advisor to the President.