The back-to-school season is here, offering a great chance to refresh your tech and pilot supplies.
Updating your gear is not just about splurging. It’s a smart way to stay safe, compliant, efficient, and well prepared for the school year ahead.
Whether you are a student pilot heading back to campus this fall or beginning training for a new certification or rating at your local flight school, we are here to help you get ready.
Check out FLYING’s specially chosen list of tech gadgets and pilot essentials to start the back-to-school season on the right foot.
Quick Look: 18 Back-to-School Products for Student Pilots
9 Back-to-School Tech Products
· Best back-to-school laptop: HP Omnibook 5
· Best back-to-school tablet: Apple iPad Air with M3 Chip
· Best back-to-school watch: Apple Watch Series 10
· Best back-to-school gaming console: Xbox Series X Console
· Best back-to-school monitor: MSI Optix MAG342CQR Curved Monitor
· Best back-to-school TV: Vizio 50-inch Quantum Smart TV
· Best back-to-school headphones: Bose QuietComfort Headphones
· Best back-to-school speaker: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4
· Best back-to-school organization tool: Skylight Calendar
9 Back-to-School Pilot Essentials
· Best back-to-school headset: Lightspeed Zulu 4 Aviation Headset
· Best back-to-school kneeboard: iPad/Universal Kneeboard Folio C
· Best back-to-school logbook: Jeppesen Professional Pilot Logbook
· Best back-to-school flashlight: Dual Color LED Flashlight
· Best back-to-school sunglasses: Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses
· Best back-to-school training glasses: IFR and VFR Training Glasses Kit
· Best back-to-school E6B flight computer: ASA CX-3 Flight Computer
· Best back-to-school plotter: Sporty’s VFR and IFR Plotters
· Best back-to-school flight bag: Aviator Pro Backpack
Back-to-School Tech Products for Student Pilots
Best of: Back-to-school laptops
HP Omnibook 5
The HP Omnibook 5 is a 16-inch AI-powered laptop that features a user-friendly touchscreen and a powerful AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor. It comes equipped with 16 gigabytes of memory, ensuring smooth and responsive performance, along with a spacious 1 terabyte of storage, perfect for your projects and large files. Running on Windows 11 Home, this device offers a modern, secure, and intuitive experience, whether you’re studying for ground school or running simulator software.
Cost: $799
Apple iPad Air with M3 Chip
Best of: Back-to-school tablets
The Apple iPad Air with M3 Chip is an exciting upgrade of the iPad Air, packed with speed and power thanks to the new M3 chip. It’s designed to bring a new level of performance to your electronic flight bag (EFB) or flight simulator experiences. The iPad Air also comes with the latest Magic Keyboard, iPadOS 18, support for Apple Intelligence, advanced cameras, lightning-fast 5G connectivity, and compatibility with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C).
Cost: Starting at $599
Apple Watch Series 10
Best of: Back-to-school watches
The Apple Watch Series 10 is a practical smartwatch that easily connects with your iPhone, making everything feel seamless and simple. It features a bright, vibrant display with a larger screen for a better viewing experience. Plus, it charges quickly, going from 0 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes, and offers up to 18 hours of battery life, or a full 36 hours in low power mode. It is truly designed to keep up with your busy student life.
Cost: Starting at $399
Xbox Series X Console
Best of: Back-to-school gaming consoles
The Xbox Series X Console stands out as a top choice among next-gen gaming systems, offering impressive features like 12 teraflops of raw graphics power, DirectX ray tracing, custom storage drive, and 4K gaming. It’s designed to enhance your flight simulator experiences with Quick Resume, super-fast load times, and gameplay that reaches up to 120 frames per second. With the Xbox Series X, you have access to thousands of games spanning four generations of Xbox.
Cost: $598
MSI Optix MAG342CQR Curved Monitor
Best of: Back-to-school monitors
The MSI Optix MAG342CQR Curved Monitor features a stunning 3440×1440 resolution, a fast 144 Hz refresh rate, and a quick 1-millisecond response time. Its vibrant colors and crisp details can bring your flight simulator gaming and school projects to life. The fast response time helps ensure smooth performance, and many users appreciate the monitor’s size, which offers plenty of room for most desktop setups.
Cost: $259.99
Vizio 50-inch Quantum Smart TV
Best of: Back-to-school TVs
The Vizio 50-inch Quantum Smart TV offers stunning colors and clear contrasts in every scene. Enjoy quicker streaming and gaming thanks to Wi-Fi 6, making it an excellent choice for entertainment enthusiasts. Plus, with the built-in Vizio Home app, you can easily access all your favorite apps, hundreds of free channels, thousands of free on-demand titles, and more.
Cost: $212.08
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
Best of: Back-to-school headphones
The Bose QuietComfort Headphones are wireless Bluetooth connective and feature noise-canceling technology, making them ideal for long study sessions. They come with soft earcup cushions and a comfortable padded headband for added convenience. Plus, they provide up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, so you can stay focused on your studies without any worries.
Cost: $359
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4
Best of: Back-to-school speakers
The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 is a waterproof, wireless Bluetooth speaker that provides up to 14 hours of nonstop fun. Its small size makes it easy to take with you anywhere. Customers appreciate its durability, ease of connection and setup, and many consider it an excellent value for the price.
Cost: $99.99
Skylight Calendar
Best of: Back-to-school organization tools
The Skylight Calendar is an excellent touchscreen wall digital calendar and chore chart that makes managing your schedule a breeze. Simply plug it in, connect to Wi-Fi, and your calendars will sync in just minutes. It works smoothly with Google, iCloud, Outlook, Cozi, and Yahoo calendars, so staying organized is easier than ever. Many customers appreciate how effortlessly they can keep up with their busy personal, school, and travel plans using this friendly and helpful device.
Cost: $319.99
Back-to-School Pilot Essentials
Lightspeed Zulu 4 Aviation Headset
Best of: Back-to-school headsets
The newly released Lightspeed Zulu 4 Aviation Headset truly elevates the experience for pilots by blending cutting-edge technology with sturdy reliability. It offers plush cushioned head pads, durable stainless steel headband, comfortable FrameFit ear seals, strong Kevlar cable, and convenience of dual Bluetooth connections and dual volume controls, all designed to deliver clarity, comfort, and seamless connectivity. Plus, Lightspeed’s generous seven-year warranty and friendly, prompt customer service make it even easier to trust and enjoy this headset.
Cost: $1,099
iPad/Universal Kneeboard Folio C
Best of: Back-to-school kneeboards
The iPad/Universal Kneeboard Folio C is a premium aviation kneeboard crafted from high-quality leather, designed to enhance comfort and efficiency in the cockpit. Perfectly compatible with all 9-11-inch tablets, it includes a rotating cradle with four adjustable clips that keep your device firmly in place. Whether you are flying IFR or VFR, this kneeboard makes it simple to access charts, checklists, and apps, ensuring your tablet stays steady and within easy reach during every part of your flight.
Cost: $174
Jeppesen Professional Pilot Logbook
Best of: Back-to-school logbooks
The Jeppesen Professional Pilot Logbook is a beloved choice among pilots, thanks to its thorough content and easy-to-use layout for detailed flight logging. It measures 11¼ by 6¾ inches, includes 256 pages, and has green bleed-through-resistant pages. This practical logbook can hold up to 10 years of flying records, making it a dependable companion for your aviation journey.
Cost: $42
Dual Color LED Flashlight
Best of: Back-to-school flashlights
The Dual Color LED Flashlight comes with both white and red LEDs, each with its own convenient switch. Crafted from aircraft-grade aluminum, it is built to last and withstand the rigors of flying. Powered by three AAA batteries, this easy-to-use flashlight provides up to 1.25 hours of illumination, making it perfect for longer flights or outdoor excursions.
Cost: $49.95
Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses
Best of: Back-to-school sunglasses
Many pilots love the Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses as their top pick, thanks to their superb eye protection and clear vision. The nonpolarized lenses are carefully crafted to reduce glare and enhance contrast, all while providing complete UV protection. These sunglasses are available in three sizes and come in two stylish frame colors—gold and black.
Cost: $139.95
VFR and IFR Training Glasses Kit
Best of: Back-to-school training glasses
The VFR and IFR Training Glasses Kit offers students an excellent way to practice flight training, whether in visual or instrument conditions, all at an affordable price. The VFR training glasses ($12.95) help students focus on outside visuals by blocking the instrument panel, making it easier to perform visual maneuvers. Meanwhile, the IFR training glasses ($17.95) support instrument-based navigation, helping students get comfortable with flying mainly by reference to instruments. Plus, the complete kit provides a budget-friendly option, saving you money compared to purchasing the glasses separately.
Cost: $24.95
ASA CX-3 Flight Computer
Best of: Back-to-school E6B flight computers
The ASA CX-3 Flight Computer makes your flight planning easier and more efficient. It offers a wide range of helpful aviation calculations, including time, speed, distance, heading, wind, fuel, altitude, cloud base, standard atmosphere, glide, climb and descent, weight and balance, and more. Plus, it features a handy holding pattern tool to assist with entry methods and holding details. This versatile device can be used for all FAA pilot knowledge exams instead of the traditional E6B flight computer ($49.95).
Cost: $149.95
Sporty’s VFR and IFR Plotters
Best of: Back-to-school plotters
Sporty’s VFR and IFR Plotters are designed to be incredibly easy to use during your flights. Crafted from durable materials to withstand rough handling and backed by Sporty’s lifetime guarantee, these are the only sectional and instrument plotters you will ever need. The sectional plotter is conveniently 13½ inches long, and the instrument plotter measures 8 inches, both perfectly sized to fit into any flight bag.
Cost: $12.95
Aviator Pro Backpack
Best of: Back-to-school flight bags
The Aviator Pro Backpack is a fantastic choice for student pilots, combining both style and practicality. It comes with an organizer pocket, padded sleeve for your tablet, padded compartment for your laptop, and special pockets for a flashlight and fuel tester. Plus, it features a modernized compartment for a water bottle or hand-held radio. Lightweight and convenient, this backpack measures 15 inches by 8.5 inches by 18 inches, making it ideal for your flying and school adventures.
Cost: $129.95, plus $8 for embroidery
Let’s Get You Ready for Back-to-School Season
Whether you’re updating your tablet to make your electronic flight bag (EFB) even better or finally picking up those IFR training glasses to begin your instrument rating, FLYING’s thoughtfully crafted guide is here to be your go-to resource for important student pilot tech and gear as you prepare to start a new school year.
Consider adding one of these items to your virtual cart today, and do not miss out on the many exciting back-to-school deals available for a limited time.
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