Recommended
Flight Training Gear

My absolute favorite, go-to headset. The ANR functionality is very good and isolates radio and instructor voices without cutting out the engine, so you can still hear what it's doing.

In my view, worth the higher price for the reduced fatigue ANR offers and bluetooth integration - that way you can hear traffic alerts directly from ForeFlight if you use an ADSB-In device like a Sentry, Garmin GDL-50, or Stratux.

A legendary passive headset trusted by pilots for decades. I flew with this for a couple of flights early in training but grew to prefer the Lightspeed Zulu 4 for the reasons mentioned before. Still a solid option if you want to start with something cheaper, and worth keeping as a backup or loaner for passengers.

The right size for the cockpit in a Cessna 152 or 172. Small enough to mount on a yoke clip without blocking your instrument scan, large enough to read charts and plate details clearly.

I recommend this cellular model over the regular model, because it includes a built-in GPS that works without WiFi, which offers redundancy if the aircraft GPS fails.

I run ForeFlight on this inflight. It's an integrated flight bag with a moving map, logbook, checklists, approach plates, weather, and more.

I consider ADS-B receivers (e.g. ADS-B In) essential, especially so in busy airspace.

The Sentry is a portable one that runs on battery and streams live ADS-B traffic and weather (TFRs, METARs, Nexrad) to ForeFlight over Bluetooth and provides AHRS attitude data for synthetic vision, with traffic alerts playing directly through your headset.

It has already prevented what could have been a serious accident: ATC missed a plane ascending directly into my flight path, but the Sentry caught it and alerted me in time to avoid it. That alone justifies the price many times over.

I use this to annotate the moving map while inflight and write ATC clearances directly on the iPad. I really like that it attaches magnetically to the iPad, and this doubles as a charger.

Separately, useful for marking up study materials on the ground. I used it in combination with Apple Notes to write all of my ground school notes as I was studying for my written exam.

Backup handheld radio for if the aircraft radio fails, and useful for monitoring CTAF during preflight at non-towered fields. Very important redundancy on solo cross-countries.

I've also used it to call for fuel on the ground, which works perfectly. I like that this one includes the adapter needed to plug your headset into the radio directly and feels solidly built.

Keeps your iPad at eye level on the yoke so you can glance at charts without taking your eyes too far off the panel. Fits most yoke designs, I use it in a Cessna 152 without any problems.

I use this notebook to copy ATIS, write down clearances, and jot frequencies constantly. While you can use a ScratchPad in Foreflight and avoid paper entirely, I find it much faster to simply write ATC instructions on the pad.

I prefer this spiral notebook over a regular bound one: you can fold the cover all the way back, which stops the notebook from closing on itself mid-flight when you only have one hand free and the notebook is in your lap. The pages are also perforated, so you can tear them out cleanly if you need to hand something off or ditch old notes.

Enough charge to fully recharge two devices from zero via USB-C. Useful if your phone or tablet dies in flight.

I like how compact it is, and the included USB-C cable doubles as a carrying handle which is pretty neat.

Red and white beams in one light. Red for the cockpit, easier on your night-adapted eyes and won't kill your night vision mid-flight. White for preflight walkarounds outside the plane.

Essential for night flights, and a good backup if your instrument lighting system ever fails at night.

The bag I use to carry all of my flight gear to the plane. Inexpensive, comfortable shoulder straps for longer walks across the ramp, and enough separate pockets to keep everything organized.

Very optional, but very handy if you have a last-mile commute to the airport. I use it to avoid wasting money on Uber, and for getting around the airport quickly because my flight school is on a different side of the field from the ramp.

I have the 100P specifically which is the cheapest and lightest in the NIU KQI range, which makes it easy to carry up stairs or throw in the back of a car. If you want to stow it in a very small plane, the 100F variant may make more sense as it has folding handlebars.

More than once I've left something in the plane and used this scooter to zip back across the airport to retrieve it.

Pair with the throttle quadrant and rudder pedals for a capable full-control sim setup.

I use this regularly to drill emergency procedures, practice stall recovery, and work on instrument scan without burning Hobbs time.

It has full deflection for aileron inputs which makes it feel realistic unlike other yokes in the same price range.

Pairs with the yoke for a realistic Cessna-style setup including throttle, mixture, carb heat, flaps, and trim wheel.

The feel is very close to the actual controls in a Cessna 152. One limitation: the mixture is push/pull only without a fine-tuning twist like the real plane.

Rounds out the sim hardware setup. Rudder coordination is one of the trickier skills to build. crosswind landings, staying coordinated in turns, engine-out scenarios.

Practicing it on the ground with physical pedals is far more effective than twisting a joystick. I like that it includes toe brakes to let you practice taxiing as well.

The best electronic flight computer approved for the FAA knowledge test. Calculates wind correction, fuel burn, time/speed/distance, and density altitude. Way faster than an old school E6B "whiz wheel", which matters on a timed test where you need answers quickly.

The tool you use to measure distance and True Course directly on a sectional chart. Once you have your True Course, you correct for wind, magnetic variation, and magnetic deviation to get your compass heading. You will need this for your ground school and Knowledge Test.

A physical sectional is the best way to learn how to read airspace, terrain, and nav aids before you need to do it for real.

Use the plotter above to practice drawing course lines and measuring True Course, then work through the wind correction and variation math by hand. Do not just use the chart on the computer, you should practice doing this by hand first.

Note: This is the chart I use for my local area. If you're not based out of New York, search Amazon for your own sectional. They're published for every region in the US.