Page 10 - Volume 11 Number 11

10 Unique Aviation
Gift Ideas
by MeLinda Schnyder
Looking for a gift for a fellow pilot or making your own wish list for the holidays? Get inspiration from this collection of unique, aviation-related gifts. Some are Beechcraft or King Air specific, others are just cool gifts any aviation lover would appreciate.
Taxiway light lamp
Sporty’s Pilot Shop, known for its catalogs full of aviation products and supplies, has a Wright Bros. Collection catalog full of aviation-themed gift products for aviation enthusiasts. You’ll find metal and wooden signs, propellers, aircraft models, clocks and other home décor, like the exclusive taxiway light lamp. Built to FAA specifications, the 16-inch lamp is identical to the taxiway lights used at Sporty’s home airport: Clermont County Airport in Batavia, Ohio. The marker cone is made of steel, powder-coated in aviation-approved yellow. sportys.com/wrightbros
also an option to get a fully detailed interior that shows your aircraft’s instrument panel, seating configuration, colors and other fine details. factorydirectmodels.com
Parts turned into art
Lance Lockhart, a captain with Southwest Airlines with history flying the Beech 1900 and Beech 99, uses his pilot
perspective to create pieces Personalized Aircraft Model that capture the emotional
connection between art and flight. He turns reclaimed aviation parts into art and functional pieces, from key chains made with sheet metal to a PT6 engine turbine coffee table to a wing
turned into a bar on wheels for the home or patio. Lockhart makes American flags using sheet metal from repair skins and can customize the stars to be King Air cutouts. One of his most popular gift items is a 12-inch handcrafted collage featuring any three- letter airport code cut out
of fuselage skin mounted on Three-letter Airport Code Collage reclaimed wood alongside
Taxiway Light Lamp
Metal Sign Example
aircraft parts.
etsy.com/shop/WyldebyrdArt
Personalized Wooden Propeller
Detailed desktop model
Pilot-owned and operated for over 25 years, Factory Direct Models offers 17-inch custom desktop models using manufacturer blueprints and your photographs of the aircraft to cover every intricate detail. Your model will have your paint scheme and tail number, and there’s
8 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
Engine Turbine Coffee Table
NOVEMBER 2017