I can say from personal experience that I ended up purchasing everything that is sold as a part of the Sporty's Kit except for the E6B Calculator. On the flip side, I was required to purchase the manual E6B. Stepping on my soap box ... I think it is really important to understand how to manually compute information in air without the assistance of a calculator or other electronic device in case that electronic device fails (or runs out of batteries) ... stepping back off my soap box. In all honesty, I really enjoyed the DVD course. I used it off and on throughout my private training. I actually use it even more now when I want to go back and "review" something. My opinion is that it is worth the investment. All the other things that I see in the kit (FAR/AIM, plotter, logbook, aviation weather book, flying procedures book, etc) are all necessary in my opinion if you want to absorb all the information on the subject that you would like. Jeppesen has a similar kit that you may want to check out also. I think you probably need to do the math and figure out how much you're really saving by purchasing the kit as opposed to buying the individual components separately. Items such as the flight bag are personal items that I chose to purchase indpendently to fit my needs so I ended up purchasing all the items you see in the kit, but I purchased them in pieces. Items like the fuel sump are going to be another necessary item, but the type that you may want to use may vary depending upon the type of plane you are training in. The type of fuel sump supplied in the Sporty's kit is really good for a high wing airplane. However, due to its length it is a little more difficult to use on a low wing airplane such as the Piper Warriors I fly. I guess the bottom line is that you will need everything there, but you may want to choose different alternatives for some of the items. Do your research, ask questions of fellow aviators and your instructor, and decide whether the kit fits your needs, or whether you want to purchase items separately. If you have any specific questions on certain materials, please feel free to ask me. Clear Skies, Dave