Gifts for a jet obsessed 8 year old?

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Terrible_Log3966@reddit

You could see if you can get him some comic books featuring them. If they're age appropiate ofcourse. If he's a bit older, an airforces monthly / combat aircraft subscription could be nice!

I started reading Biggles Books. But I don't know how well they translate to today's youth (also they're books from the 1930's and some of the language / terms used reflect thoughts of the time)

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ForkzUp@reddit

I too remember the adventures of Biggles and Algy. Pip, pip, old chap!

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qualityinnbedbugs@reddit

Flightwall. My son has one, it’s a light board that shows planes that are overhead

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EcstaticSplit5659@reddit

Si vives en una ciudad con aeropuerto, ir por los lados de la pista de aterrizaje y verlos de cercs

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toybuilder@reddit

A photo poster or event a mounted artwork of fighter jet might be fun.

I sent you a message, OP, about this particular piece that I have. But you can also find military jet posters and stickers...

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No-Host8640@reddit

Second this. Nothing beats an air show for up close and loud.

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Napoleon_B@reddit

I haven’t seen Jane’s Aviation books mentioned.

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Darryl_444@reddit

Tiny Combat Simulator game on PC.

Plus a PC game controller.

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ScooterMcTavish@reddit

Maybe a different idea - how about a 3D printer? He can print his own jets. Price may be less than you think

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It looks like you're in the NoVa/DC area. How about a gift certificate to the store at the Udvar-Hazy Center, which he'd use in person when you take him there. It's one of the great jet collections on earth, with a Space Shuttle, a Concord, a Blackbird, and more. https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center

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ukulele87@reddit

Giving a gift certificate to an 8yo is insane, isnt it?
Or just cultural difference?

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alphageekdad@reddit

What makes it insane? Gift certificates can be for about any amount; most of our kids could have been trusted at 8 yrs old with $20 - esp for something they were passionate about!

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ukulele87@reddit

Thats why i was asking, perhaps its a cultural diff.
Gift certificates are overall shit tier over here, its not about the value of it, its about basically dont giving a fuck about what you are gifting, not everything its about monetary value.
Specially as a child, i still have memories of certain gifts i recieved as a kid, and yeah, a 100$ bill its economically superior, but thats not the point.

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alphageekdad@reddit

Understand - there’s less of a “thought behind it” and “passing on the responsibility for decision” to the receiver of the gift.

That said, I remember being told I could buy whatever book I wanted at what was then the Air Force Museum - I wore the cover off of it - and still have it. I think I was about 8 when I picked it up!

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ukulele87@reddit

Yeah that doesnt strike me as bad, as actually handing an 8yo a gift card.
While the effect might be the same, it has a different quality to it IMO.

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donttouchmymeepmorps@reddit

Highly second this, my parents took me to Udvar Hazy when I was about 8 and it was amazing, rocked my little world. Getting a lego space shuttle at the gift shop was truly the cherry on top.

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anannanne@reddit

The “remove before flight” tags are popular amongst our local AV geeks.

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ClawhammerJo@reddit

You should look into getting him some models to build. I loved building airplane models when I was 8 years old. He can hang the finished models from the ceiling in his room.

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SimonBumblefuck@reddit

If Crunchyroll had high quality streams of Area 88 that'd be a no brainer. YouTube has the rips and/or shop the used DVDs. I'd still get my kid a Crunchyroll sub to watch Space Battleship Yamato, which is full of flight scenes.

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LeeRyman@reddit

If not a book, maybe one of those cutaway posters of their favourite aircraft?

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WntrWltr@reddit

If you're in the states, Barnes and Noble always has these large aircraft photos books with specs and stuff in them in the sale area. My parents used to get those for me and even if I didn't understand it all, the photos and illustrations were amazing.

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abbot_x@reddit

Yes, I'd go with basically any coffee table book. I loved these as a kid.

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white-knuckled@reddit (OP)

yesss that's the kind of thing I am looking for. We actually did have a barnes and noble recently re-open in DC and poking through there might be the perfect solution, at least for a book anyway! Thanks. A big glossy illustrated book with lots of pictures and facts is exactly what I'm looking for.

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jumpy_finale@reddit

https://dk.com/en-us/products/9780744027457-aircraft?_pos=1&_psq=aircraft&_ss=e&_v=1.0

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LoganSound@reddit

I have specifically seen those at the Potomac Yard Barnes and Noble

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imref@reddit

if you are in DC, have you taken him to Udvar-Hazy?

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white-knuckled@reddit (OP)

most definitely. We're overdue for a return and we'll do that, but I'm looking for some durable goods for now! Toys, books, creative things i'm not aware of, etc.

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dpaanlka@reddit

Same I had tons of these as a kid.

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FloridaFlamingoGirl@reddit

Seconding this, when I was a kid I knew an autistic boy who would carry a book like this around and constantly read it

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Roguste@reddit

I can likely trace my affinity for 747s entirely to books like this while I was growing up lol.

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kroq2112@reddit

Flying lessons

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YitzhakRobinson@reddit

This is a link to the USS Midway Museum’s online store - they have some really cool things!

https://muzemerch.com/collections/uss-midway-museum

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BandicootOnly4598@reddit

IMO, the best version of Jane’s for an 8yo is Jane’s. I had it growing up and loved it. Also, since you’re in the area, you may want to check out DC/RC, which takes modeling to the next level with radio control aircraft. They’ve got an awesome field in Germantown, and their big picnic is on June 13. I joined as a kid, and it basically set me up for my career in aviation. That’s where I learned that you don’t actually have to grow out of an airplane obsession…

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surSEXECEN@reddit

Ditto. I wore out the pages in the Jane’s book.

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Cake-Over@reddit

Where do you live? You'd be surprised how many museums and displays there are around the country. You should have no problem getting a recommendation from this sub.

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white-knuckled@reddit (OP)

We live in the District of Columbia so we are spoiled with at least two really great options for actually seeing planes and jets up close at the two air and space museums here.

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Worldly_Government@reddit

Udvar Hazy does a fly in every June that’s pretty neat. Mostly general aviation but they’ll tow a jet from Dulles. When I went out one year they had military helicopters and I got to meet an astronaut so that was cool.

https://airandspace.si.edu/whats-on/events/innovations-flight

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arguix@reddit

ahh, that solves that. I grew up in Maryland, so those 2 were mine.

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GroundbreakingShip78@reddit

More an experience than a gift but the flight simulators at the Smithsonian, if they still have them, are great as well for something different.

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CapOk575@reddit

US Space and Rocket aviation camp! At 8, you could go as a family. At 9, there’s an option for a week long camp. My son absolutely loved it. Once he was older, he also did the naval aviation camp at Pensacola.

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UglyLikeCaillou@reddit

Is that the same one I would see commercials for like circa 90s - early 2000s?

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CapOk575@reddit

Maybe. They also have space camp - which I also highly recommend. It’s in Huntsville, AL.

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UglyLikeCaillou@reddit

Coulda been that one! Always wanted to do that growing up. OP should consider

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CapOk575@reddit

They have adult camps as well!

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CalendarOpen1740@reddit

A good idea. Toys are played with for a while then broken and forgotten. The boys still remember the stuff we took them to do forty years later.

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kid_entropy@reddit

You can find titanium compressor blades from jet engines in on eBay. I use one from a T-38 as a fob on my key lanyard.

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Horatio-Leafblower@reddit

Even and old coy of Janes from Facebook

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Chuckle_Flukk88@reddit

https://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/ Try a look into this since he's into Military Jets, etc. Good luck!

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Crash_Bandicooter69@reddit

Model airplane. Skill level 1 for beginners/kids

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No_Grav3ity@reddit

Aviationtags.com would be a great place as well. Instead of books it's possible to find some retired aircraft with unique badges

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planes2026@reddit

The company who created it, PlaneTags.com. Over 250 different aircraft.

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FieldMarchalQ@reddit

Grew up with these Belgian-French comics and also available in English:

https://www.amazon.com/Buck-Danny/s?k=Buck+Danny

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Python_07@reddit

I purchased DK’s Big Book of Airplanes for my first child around that age. DK has quite a few aviation related big picture books as well as more detailed as they grow. They were always off the shelf. As others have mentioned try a Barnes and Nobel if you have one.

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Still-Union-2528@reddit

Spirit is liquidating A320s. You could probably pick one up for right around $8M.

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firestar268@reddit

A jet engine fan blade maybe?

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kremlingrasso@reddit

Idk if Cobi sells in the US https://cobi.com/ (they are polish) but they are basically filling the niche where lego isn't willing, military stuff. They are reasonably priced, tons of models, easy to assemble (they are less complex then lego relying on a few larger pieces on crucial surfaces to get the planes properly look like their real counterparts)

Their only downside really are the weird figures but you can just throw them away and buy lego ones on PaB.

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h7734@reddit

I own dozens of aviation books, and I think that this DK book is the best general interest book:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Aircraft/DK/9780744027457

It has tons of information on all types of aviation subjects, lots of color illustrations. It's entry level, easy to read, but I learn something new every time I look at it.

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SupermouseDeadmouse@reddit

Take him to an airshow!

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brown_wagon@reddit

I just found a matchbox 767(?) at Meijer. Almost bought it for myself, lmao

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Gor-Gor_Returns@reddit

I was into Jane's when I was 8, just sayin.

Is this a jet specific obsession or would he appreciate a discovery flight? Maybe a trip to one of the bigger airshows that line up with his birthday?

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gsmitheidw1@reddit

Airfix kits, 8 is a good age to get into them

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arguix@reddit

visit a location with jets. ( air show, airport, museum ). look into a ride on a jet, although unsure what cost, so maybe not, but certainly museum

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jillofallthings@reddit

You're in the DC area, so have the two big museums right there. There's also NAS Patuxent River not too far south. Should be an air show this month, and there's also the Pax River museum about the history of aviation in the area. The flight line has aircraft you can walk up to and under, and many weekends there are vets there that would love to chat with a fellow aircraft enthusiast. Most days you can also watch aircraft from the base flying around without needing a special event.

The Smithsonian has a few series of coffee table type books with gorgeous photos of aircraft, and some of my favorite books are just blueprints and cross-section drawings of jets.

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Dolapevich@reddit

Instead of toys, he can start doing water rockets which might lead to sugar rockets.

Or get a wood plane kit. Down here at AR we usualy start with a balsa wood planes.

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zed_patrol@reddit

Maybe a B-15 bomber jacket reproduction. There are some out there that are almost affordable.

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Ok-Juice-1062@reddit

Discovery flight

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osuaviator@reddit

Get him a nomex flight jacket and reach out to some squadrons. Tell them your kid’s story, I guarantee they send him patches and all kinds of swag.

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_jr56_@reddit

I had these sorts of books as a plane-obsessed kid, still buy the new editions as a 20-something, also still obsessed… by Jim Winchester

https://www.amazon.com/Military-Aircraft-Visual-Encyclopedia-Winchester/dp/1782744878

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Pitiful-Tooth-6420@reddit

Flight wall!!

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protekt0r@reddit

You can find knock off Lego sets on Amazon that are aviation related. I did a Blackhawk last year and it was bad ass.

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Av8Xx@reddit

kids flight suit. Just google, they sell them all over pilot shops. You could also find a book and batons so he could practice marshalling. https://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Marshalling-Signals-Kids-Technology/dp/1683219759

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n8texas@reddit

How about a Lego-like F-18? It would give him a project / goal, perhaps something you can work on together.

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shrunkenhead041@reddit

Find the old Time Life Flight series on ebay

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Grabowsky73@reddit

If I were a jetfighter-obsessed 8 yo, I would be totally thrilled to have an actual, real piece of fighter pilot headgear. Helmets are quite pricey, but there are these MIG caps:
https://ebay.us/m/NyTOc6

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Cant_Work_On_Reddit@reddit

Depending on where you are there’s probably some air shows semi-nearby that are always really kid friendly (though a good idea to bring ear plugs)

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wearthedaddypants2@reddit

I was lucky as a kid and got to visit the Pima Air and Space museum in Tucson, it's still one of the coolest places I've ever been. That and the photo books with descriptions and specifications were what hooked me.

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UglyLikeCaillou@reddit

Spirit gotta have a plane for sale on the low.

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Redcorns@reddit

Has he ever played flight simulator? Might be the right age to get into that?

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Texas_Kimchi@reddit

https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Military-Aircraft-Martin-Bowman/dp/0861240545

These books started my obsession with Jets. Those old school late 80's early 90's photo books of jets and military equipment is incredible.

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Cake-Over@reddit

Those trinkets or tags made from the skin of an aircraft.

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vortex_ring_state@reddit

You could get him a starter 3D printer to allow him to print jets on his own. It allows him to keep his current interest but expand/broaden into another one to see if they also enjoy that. I don't have kids so I am unsure if it is age appropriate.

Alternative, get them a piece of a jet. Lots of engraved options on the internet. Not sure how interesting it is to an 8 yr old though.

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ProjectNo864@reddit

There are many encyclopedia like books for kids and older about planes, jets aviation. You can look through some at libraries, and book stores. Take the kids to museums, got to Airshows.