I have long associated “My Favorite Things” with the holiday season. I know The Sound of Music, the movie that made the song famous, is not a Christmas story, yet the song’s theme rings true for any gift-giving occasion.
Don’t we always shop for gifts with the hope that they will be among the recipient’s favorites?
Finding the Right, Rare Gift
If you are shopping for a pilot, there are many gift guides and other lists that promise to deliver must-have aviation gear and gadgets. The only problem is that pilots, self-sufficient retail fiends that we are, often already have a lot of the stuff on those lists.
To find something that will make them happy every time they use it, shoppers might have to search in less-obvious places.
I combed through my own cockpit, closets, flight bag and hangar to find a diverse group of products that have significantly improved the quality of my flying life. Some are straightforward, others less so, but you will not necessarily find all of them in every pilot-supply catalog.
Aviate Navigate, Communicate
When I returned to flight training in my 40s, after quitting a couple of decades earlier, I was determined to learn on a taildragger, so I found an instructor with a Citabria.
I also found shoes with thin soles that gave me a better feel for the all-important rudder pedals. I did not want to become a ground-loop statistic.
Even though I fly a tricycle-gear aircraft now, rudder sensitivity still means a lot to me. I have gone through much flying footwear over the years and, so far, these Puma Speedcats are my all-round favorites.
Just about any driving shoe will enhance pedal feel, but these are especially durable and adept at transitioning to street wear. The color reminds me of Elvis Costello’s 1977 bop “Red Shoes” and draws compliments, but Speedcats also come in other hues.
Because I learned to fly mostly by pilotage, I still love to plan flights with sectional charts spread across the kitchen table, anchored with a sugar bowl and a coffee mug, and will always have a place in my heart for them.
Their place in my cockpit, though, is not the result of nostalgia. Sometimes the chart provides the quickest answer to questions that crop up midflight.
My son and I were flying over the Berkshires in Massachusetts recently at night when he saw a cluster of lights marking a city below. “Where are we?” he asked, motioning toward the lights. The name did not immediately show up on the Garmin GTN 750 map or on ForeFlight.
I probably could have solved that problem by zooming the screen or tweaking a menu, but a glance at the corresponding yellow blob on the chart seemed more efficient. “Pittsfield,” I answered.
Here is a product you might find in just about every gear guide, though I find that many pilots I know have put off buying one because they already have a headset they like.
This is how I felt when Lightspeed introduced the Delta Zulu. I was happy enough with the company’s Zulu 3 model. Still, I bought a Delta Zulu as a gift for my wife, who I felt deserved one after years of being my most supportive and understanding passenger.
Lately, though, I have been borrowing hers regularly—with permission, of course.
It is a premium, feature-packed headset that has worked for me as advertised. What is surprising is how often its built-in carbon monoxide warning system has come into play. While I thankfully have not heard the alarm in my own airplane, I have in others.
The headset has confirmed all of those things we know about CO but tend to ignore or forget. It truly is insidious, odorless, and dangerous. Having a headset that warns me of its presence, right through the earpiece, has boosted my comfort level every time I fly.
Gifts for the Maintenance-Minded
Tempest Oil Filter Torque Wrench
We may change the oil in our cars, motorcycles, lawn mowers, and other power equipment with barely a care, but doing so with your airplane, from securing safety wire to signing the logbook, is a lot more serious.
I find the bulk of apprehension and worry stems from replacing the filter and wondering if it is tight enough. Sure, any torque wrench is easy enough to use, but the large one I have for automotive jobs does not fit well into the crowded space between my Commander 114’s firewall and filter.
This little gem makes the procedure so much easier, as its ratcheting head takes up very little space, and the handle has a built-in joint that “breaks” when the torque reaches 17 pound feet, which is just about right for many applications, mine included.
I know pilots who insist on tightening the filter by feel, which typically means not tight enough, and results in leaks. Don’t be that person.
Almost 30 years ago I wrote an article about the Leatherman, a multipurpose tool that every outdoor enthusiast I knew seemed to carry. The story included an anecdote about a pilot who used his Leatherman to free a stuck landing gear.
Back then, Leatherman users seemed like members of an exclusive club who happened to know of the tool’s extreme utility. These beautifully made gadgets have since gained broader recognition within popular culture.
I picked up the slightly larger, more robust Super Tool version, also known as the Leatherman 300, mainly for its longer reach and because it had a stronger system for locking the blades in position when opened. The larger model is worth the higher price, I believe, for those who use their tools often.
I have given them as gifts to numerous family members and friends who have used them extensively. Suffice it to say, there are many uses for the tool in and around aircraft.