Training > I want to buy some cool aviation stuff as a student. What is the best buy?

The RFC Groundschool kit you bought when you started flying includes all the tools you will really need to learn to fly. These following items may be useful to you, or you may just want to spend a bit more money on aviation than you are already spending in the air. Here are some thoughts on wise ways to spend this money.

Knee boards: kneeboards are useful for staying organized while doing a cross-country and provide a writing surface to keep track of needed information. The cheapest and most practical kneeboard is actually a full-size clipboard. The big wooden thing with a large clip on one end? You can buy one at a stationary store for a few dollars. They provide a large surface, a large clip which will hold everything you need securely, a rough surface on the bottom so it won't slip, large enough that if it happens to fall off your lap you can pick it up and they don't cut circulation to your foot.
If you want a "real" kneeboard, go for the simplest metallic one.

Headsets: if you are tired of using club headsets, don't really want to know who kissed the microphone last and would like to own a piece of aviation technology, the best buy is the Avcomm AC-454 PNR headset. It offers the same features as the more expensive AC900, is light, has a built-in PTT button (the ones in the airplane never fail, but...). Simple construction makes it very reliable; you can adjust the tension in the articulated arm holding the microphone and avoid drooping microphones. And if you want to upgrade later to an Active Noise Reduction headset for you, this makes a very decent passenger headset.

Headset bag? Mountain Equipment Co-Op (www.mec.ca) sell their Small Carry-All Shoulder Bag (product 4004-126) which makes a great bag. $19 as of this writing, it has pockets for logbook, licence, maps, pencils... Check to make sure your headset will fit.

Winter flying, night flying?
The "space pen" advertised in many catalogs has ink that stays liquid down to -20 C, will write upside down (in case you want to write your memoirs while in a spin). Very useful to write in a log book after a night winter flight.

The ideal light for night flying? Many LED headlights are available now  which have both white and red lights.  Most hardware stores sell them or Mountain Equipment Coop is another good bet.  You should not expect to pay more than $20 to get a good one.  Headlights are ideal for inside the cockpit while flying, while LED flashlights are great for doing the pre-flight inspection.  Also, LEDs are very long lasting, so unlikely to burn out during a flight.  As Michael Brown our night flying seminar instructor asks:  "if you were flying at night and your aircraft's  electrical system failed, how much would you be willing to pay at that moment for a flashlight and a hand-held radio?"