Sporty's PIREPs

Sporty’s Christmas Ornament is an annual tradition for the aviation community. This limited-edition crystal ornament combines the magic of flight with the spirit of the holiday season, making it a thoughtful gift for pilots and aviation enthusiasts and an ideal client gift for flight schools and FBOs.

Buying aircraft insurance can often feel like an opaque, frustrating process of filling out paperwork and bracing for rate hikes. In this episode Doug Tibbs, managing director at 5X5 Aviation Insurance and a former business jet pilot, pulls back the curtain on how aircraft policies are actually quoted. He explains the critical difference between brokers and underwriters, how real-time flight data is shaking up the industry, and the exact steps aircraft owners can take to lower premiums. Doug also shares colorful stories from his years in corporate aviation, including candid thoughts on crew resource management, single-pilot safety, and memorable passengers. In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll hear how many hours is too few for insurance, why claims happen outside of accidents, and what his dream airplane is.

We're excited to offer free shipping for AOPA Members on purchases made on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 only. Whether you're stocking up on cockpit essentials, shopping for the holidays, or treating yourself to something special, we've got you covered.

Sporty’s now includes free organizer tabs with its editions of two essential FAA publications: the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) and the Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH).

Finding the right Christmas gift for a pilot can be a challenge, especially if you're not a pilot yourself. Aviation is a specialized world, and knowing which gear is worth buying isn't always obvious. Fortunately, we have plenty of pilots here at Sporty's to help. Here are our Top 10 Pilot Gifts for 2026.

The Echo is the first flight simulator controller from Honeycomb Aeronautical that provides pitch, roll, yaw, AND engine management, without using any desk space. Honeycomb has grown into a common brand for flight sim enthusiasts as well as actual pilots since their first product debuted seven years ago. In that time they’ve launched an award winning yoke, a throttle body that does everything except make you coffee, and a (long) awaited set of rudder pedals that close out the trio. The Echo combines the primary features of each preceding hardware piece into a small, handheld device.

PilotWorkshops Premier is a new, comprehensive membership program designed to help pilots build and maintain proficiency between flights. Developed directly from customer feedback, Premier delivers an integrated training ecosystem for aviators seeking direct access to flight instructors, real-time interactive training, and continuous decision-making practice.

What happens when you take a former high school chemistry teacher, turn her into a CFI, and send her back into the high school classroom to run a full-semester private pilot ground school? In this episode, high school educator, medical professional, and flight instructor Kailee Calder explains how she is reshaping youth aviation outreach through CTE partnerships in Utah. She also shares lessons she’s learned as a teacher that work for flight instructors and takes on misconceptions about today’s youth. In the Ready to Copy segment, Kailee shares her favorite flight simulator scenario for kids, why social media isn’t always the best marketing channel for flight schools, and the weather tips she learned from sailing.

The pitot tube is a small but important part of your airplane's pitot-static system. It measures the pressure of the air entering its forward-facing opening as the airplane moves through the air. Combined with static pressure from the static ports, that information allows the airspeed indicator to calculate indicated airspeed.

Learning to fly involves more than passing a written test. It takes quality instruction, practice, and the ability to apply what you have learned in the airplane. The 2027 edition of Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course adds new 4K video lessons, expanded Flight Instructor Focus segments, updated test preparation, and new ways to study with Sporty’s Aviation Intelligence℠ (AI) tools. Because Sporty’s courses include lifetime access, these updates are included automatically for existing customers at no additional cost.