Gifts for Pilots and Aviation Lovers

When to order

For delivery before Christmas within the EU, order from me by these days:

• prints by Tuesday 8 December, the fine-art print in 80 × 120 cm by Thursday 3 December
• the calendar by Thursday 3 December
• the signed edition by Tuesday 24 November

Germany gets a few extra days, and Finland, Greece, Malta, Romania and Cyprus have earlier dates. Outside the EU, the last order dates run from Thursday 12 November to Friday 4 December, depending on the country and what you order. Every date is on the Shipping page. Within the EU the parcel contains no prices, so it can go straight to the person it’s for. For the tips from other shops, their own delivery times apply. I checked their prices on 29 October 2026.

In the smallest size, a cockpit fits on any desk. There are seven photos to choose from, four from the flight deck and three from the window seat. The sheet fits a standard 20 × 30 cm frame.

See all seven

Not sure which type your pilot flies? Then go for the calendar. It shows twelve cockpits from nine aircraft types, from the Airbus A319 to the Boeing 747-8. It’s printed on heavy matte paper, 30.5 × 43 cm, about A3. It ships to every EU country and 17 more, though not to the UK or the US at the moment.

See the calendar

This one is for the German speakers among you. I’m biased, because I wrote it. Its 192 pages and around 120 pictures cover records, oddities and questions like this one: what does Ernst Mach have to do with aviation? The sixth edition came out this year.

See it at the publisher

A board game for exactly two: together you land an airliner, one of you as the pilot and the other as the co-pilot. The dice do the steering. Sky Team won the Spiel des Jahres, Germany’s Game of the Year award, in 2024, and a game takes about 20 minutes. With this gift, you get to fly along.

See the game

If you like your aircraft drawn rather than photographed, take a look at Studio11. Behind it is the Dutch designer Njord Zonneveld, who also designs real aircraft liveries. He caught my eye on Instagram, and I have one of his posters at home. The Swissair 747-300 over the Matterhorn comes unframed at 50 × 70 cm, a standard European frame size. For Secret Santa, a €4 sticker does the job, such as the one with the former Royal Netherlands Air Force KDC-10 tanker. Studio11 ships from the Netherlands, so order early.

See the poster · See the sticker

My tip for anyone who flies for a living: a photo from the cockpit of the type they fly themselves.

• A320 family: “Blue Hour Final”, final approach into Baku in an A321
• A350: “Thrust”, the captain’s hand on the thrust levers
• Boeing 777: “Golden Approach to Tokyo”, evening sun in a 777 Freighter
• Boeing 787: “Dawn Encounter”, nose to nose with an A340-600 before sunrise
• And for everyone who picks the window seat first at check-in: “Golden Departure”, “Cleared After Rain” and “Alpine Pass”

As a fine-art print, each photo costs €69 at 40 × 60 cm and €129 at 60 × 90 cm. If their type is missing, try the calendar, which also has a 737 and the 747-8.

See all cockpit prints

I’ve known Ben since I moved to Frankfurt. He’s one of my best friends and just as aviation-mad as I am, except that he flies the Boeing 777 as a first officer. With Nancy, who works as a flight attendant, he builds the aircraftwindows furniture in a workshop near Frankfurt Airport.

On the key holder, each key clicks into an airline-style seatbelt buckle, just like buckling up on board. To release it, lift the flap. Every safety demonstration has shown you how. With three buckles it costs €99.95, with two €79.95. Shipping is free to the EU, the UK, Switzerland, the US and Canada.

See the key holder · the two-buckle version

Next to it goes Ben’s coat rack with five window shapes and six hooks, 56 cm long. The brushed aluminium with its rivets recalls the skin of an aircraft. In the photo it holds uniform jackets, but winter coats are allowed too. It costs €99.95, the small one with two window shapes €64.95.

See the coat rack · the small one with two window shapes

Behind acrylic glass, colours look deeper and lights brighter. The print is made in Germany and arrives ready to hang, so you won’t need a frame. It costs €199 at 40 × 60 cm, €379 at 60 × 90 cm and €599 at 80 × 120 cm. In the small 20 × 30 cm size, each photo costs €89.

Choose a print

Ben’s wall bar is made of 2 mm aluminium and looks like an aircraft window. Behind it sits a compartment of fir wood. Your bottles get a window seat. Depending on the finish it costs €329 or €349, and in the photos the wood is flamed and oiled.

See the wall bar

“Positive Climb” shows a night take-off in an Airbus A320neo from runway 25C in Frankfurt. I took it from the jump seat, the observer seat behind the pilots. There are only 25 prints at 80 × 120 cm, and I check, number and sign each one myself. For Christmas, order by Tuesday 24 November. A fine-art print costs €385, behind acrylic glass it’s €1,350. It ships within the EU only, with delivery included.

See the signed edition