This is a demo store. No orders will be fulfilled.

A photo of Chris McGonegle

Chris McGonegle

Chris caught the aviation bug at the age of seven when he was able to sit in the cockpit of a 737 between flights, thanks to his aunt working at a large airline. Countless balsa wood flyers and multi-stage rockets later, he enrolled in the Aviation Technology Program at the University of Cincinnati and successfully turned a fascination into a career. “One of my most memorable flights was flying my dad to a local airport with a restaurant just off the ramp known for their generously portioned ribs. I’ll never forget that day with passenger #1.” As the Director of Search Marketing at Sporty’s, Chris is tasked with managing online advertising and search engine optimization but he still loves to search for new products.

New product recap: second quarter 2023

At the conclusion of every quarter, we like to reflect on some of the more notable products that joined Sporty’s offering. Here are the top ten new products we’re excited to offer to our customers from the second quarter of 2023, from backup radios to digital CFI instruction.

Read more

Posted in PIREPs

New product recap: first quarter 2023

At the conclusion of every quarter, we like to reflect on some of the more notable products that joined Sporty’s offering. Here are the top ten new products we’re excited to offer to our customers from the first quarter of 2023, from tow bars to a brand new around-the-ear headset.

Read more

Posted in PIREPs

Which ReliefBand is right for me?

Reliefband generates a proprietary pulse that stimulates the median nerve, which is located on the underside of the wrist. These signals travel throughout the body's nervous system to the part of the brain which controls nausea, retching, and vomiting. The signals have a rebalancing effect, normalizing nerve messages from the brain to the stomach and reducing symptoms. But which of the three options are best for me? 

Read more

Posted in PIREPs

New product recap: fourth quarter 2022

At the conclusion of every quarter, we like to reflect on some of the more notable products that joined Sporty’s offering. Here are the top ten new products we’re excited to offer to our customers from the fourth quarter of 2022, from cold weather apparel to a new handheld com radio.

Read more

Posted in PIREPs

What pilots need to know about charging plugs, batteries, and cables

Portable electronic devices have become more and more common on the GA flight deck since the turn of the century. From early GPS navigators gaining popularity in flight bags to a company offering a mini computer with a touchscreen that could make phone calls in mid-2007, these devices have improved safety as well as convenience when we fly. As we enjoy the leading edge of technology, though, it’s important to have a basic understanding of how to keep them charged. This article will cover electronic device charging 101, including plug types, cables, and new options like Power Delivery.

Read more

Posted in PIREPs

Sporty's Instrument Rating Flight Sim Training Guide

Complement your Instrument flight training or challenge yourself as a digital pilot with the Instrument Rating Flight Sim Training Guide from Sporty's Pilot Shop. This guide includes an introduction covering how best to use this guide with an at home simulator as well as keyboard shortcuts to help make you a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 power user. It includes 22 lessons featuring clickable links directing the user to Sporty's Instrument Rating Course to view how a maneuver or approach is executed before digitally flying.

Read more

Posted in Courses and Flight simulator

Fly the ALIA eVTOL in X-Plane 12

Ever wanted to pilot an eVTOL aircraft that has the capability to transition to a pusher propeller? Well now you can with X-Plane 12 and the digital ALIA eVTOL from BETA Technologies. With the latest version of X-Plane 12 the ALIA is included in the fleet of digital aircraft bringin the total to 23. Rated for a 250 nautical mile range and the ability to take off and land on a helipad, you'll quickly find yourself touring areas of your hometown that wouldn't necessarily be approachable from an airplane.

Learn more at Flight Sim Update, our free website packed with tips, videos, and product reviews: https://flightsimupdate.com/

Read more

Posted in Flight simulator

How to install Sporty's Honeycomb Bravo Profiles with X-Plane 12

The Honeycomb Bravo is one of the most popular flight sim pieces on the market. The challenge is making sure that our hardware configuration is understood by X-Plane 12, which can be a tedious task each time we make a lever change. For that reason, Sporty’s provides preconfigured airplane profiles for X-Plane 12 that will make the transition between different aircraft seamless.

Read more

Posted in PIREPs and Flight simulator

New product recap: third quarter 2022

At the conclusion of every quarter, we like to reflect on some of the more notable products that joined Sporty’s offering. Here are the top ten new products we’re excited to offer to our customers from the third quarter of 2022, from charging accessories to a new training course.

Read more

Posted in PIREPs

What aircraft are included in the new X-Plane 12?

The team at Laminar Research has long been working on improving the X-Plane platform and just recently the newest version debuted, X-Plane 12. Everything from wake turbulence produced by wide body aircraft to supersonic flight has been critiqued and fiddled with until it was ready for the community. But what good is a flight simulator if you don’t have great aircraft to fly? Enjoy a quick review of the aircraft changes from X-Plane 11 to X-Plane 12.

Read more

Posted in PIREPs and Flight simulator