SQL Tower Tour (2 of 3)
2025-08-09 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-11-08 10:00 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Are you curious about what happens in the tower at an airport? Would you like to increase your knowledge of how air traffic is managed at the San Carlos airport?
The KSQL Air Traffic Manager has offered to host small groups of pilots to meet the tower controllers and take a tour of the San Carlos tower. During the tour you will get to see firsthand how the tower controllers update the ATIS, keep track of planes arriving and departing, as well as use radar to help manage the flow of traffic around San Carlos class Delta airspace.
The tours are approximately 20-25 minutes in length. Registration is required.

SCFC BBQ
2025-08-09 12:00 - 14:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
SCFC is hosting its second Summer BBQ of the season on Saturday, August 9th! Join us starting at 12pm for an afternoon filled with food, drinks, snacks, sweets, and fun activities for all ages.
Enjoy the sunshine with friends, family, and fellow aviators in the ramp area just outside our main office at 795 Skyway Road, Suite A, San Carlos, CA 94070.
Please RSVP by registering below so we can get an accurate headcount. We look forward to seeing you there!

SQL Pilot/Controller Meeting
2025-08-27 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
San Carlos Flight Center is excited to welcome in the new Tower Manager from KSQL Control Tower. The new team has been fantastic through the recent company transition and we’ve been grateful to have positive control on the field again. We hope you can join us to meet part of the team in person.
Class D airports sometimes get underestimated as the smallest of the tower-controller airports. But pilots and controller here know that we are a very busy training airport with thousands of operations. Please join us for the open conversation about the safety of flight operations at KSQL. What can pilots better understand about controller workload and traffic flow. What can controllers understand about how procedures affect flight operations. Please bring questions that relate to operations at San Carlos Airport to pass to our panel host, or email us your questions in advance at seminars@sancarlosflight.com.
Please note: because of the expected size of the audience, we will be using our full classroom configuration. This will necessarily limit attendance only to those who have pre-registered here on our website.

San Carlos Flight Center is on the southwest side of the airport and there are no transient aircraft parking spots on this side of the field. All Transient Parking is on the other side, adjacent to the SQL Terminal Building. If you plan to fly in for the event, please be aware that we have no parking spots and that you’ll need to walk 0.7 miles around the airport from airport Transient Parking to our offices.

Upwind End of Year Celebration
2025-08-29 18:30 - 20:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
You are invited to join the Upwind Celebration party on Friday, August 29th. Thanks to the generous support from SQL community, the Upwind Summer Scholarship Program completed its 11th year of providing ground and flight training to high-school pilots. Join us to celebrate the continuing accomplishment of the Upwind Program!
Join us to celebrate this year’s amazing recipients. Please RSVP below so we can get a headcount for food and drinks.

Adventures in Crosswinds
2025-08-30 12:00 - 13:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.
Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

Do you remember as a student pilot fearing crosswind landings? Perhaps at some level you still do. Did you find yourself avoiding great airport destinations because of hesitancy around even mild crosswinds? Were you taught to believe that landing in a crosswind is a different harder technique than a “normal” landing?
Dan Dyer and San Carlos Flight Center, the only flight school on the west coast with a crosswind simulator, is committed to training pilots competence in all landings. In this seminar, Dyer will take you step by step through all phases of landings with and without crosswinds, so that you approach every landing the same way. With a bit of practice you will land as easy as stopping your car at a stoplight. It’s part of the flight, no big deal, in fact it will become the best and most fun part of the flight.
Imagine approaching a landing with the same confidence you have with every landing. In fact you now even enjoy the challenge of a crosswind. Don’t miss out on this seminar to be a better pilot.

Dan Dyer is the founder of the San Carlos Flight Center, and has built the motto of Safety, Community, and Adventure for over 12 years. Dan was an instructor for 19 years, accumulated over 4,000 flight hours, and is the Bay Area’s local expert in crosswind landing instruction. He is known for finding simple and innovative ways to explain complex topics and regularly speaks on advanced ground school topics. Find out more about Dan at www.sancarlosflight.com or contact him at dan@sancarlosflight.com

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2019 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Space is often limited so it is important to sign up early. SCFC members may choose to watch the seminar live over the web at home, or recorded at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access.

Pacific Northwest Flying - Lessons Learned
2025-09-03 19:00 - 20:30
The Pacific Northwest is filled with countless picturesque sights and landmarks, and the Bay Area Fly Out Group (FOG) recently experienced that on an amazing flying trip through Orgegon, Washington and British Columbia. The trip included amazing destinations such as Boeing Field, San Juan Islands, Vancouver BC, Victoria, Portland International and Shelter Cove. During this seminar you’ll learn from our pilots first hand experience of how to navigate in this amazing part if the United States but also how to efficiently cross the border into Canada.
San Carlos Flight Center invites pilots Jerry Birn, Fei Fang, and Chris Haire along with CFI Travis Bender and Herb Patten to discuss some of the highlights from the trip which include traversing the Siskiyou Mountains, operating in busy airspace, flying safely with changing weather, crossing the border into Canada, landing at Vancouver, and the application of true cross-country flight planning. Any pilot can benefit learning from their experience.
Please join us for a recap of this trip with picture and video highlights, and insights from the pilots that attended.

Small Plane, Big Airport – Flying into Bravo Airports
2025-09-06 12:00 - 13:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
As a pilot, you probably learned at an airport centered around General Aviation, filled with small trainers and an occasional jet. Maybe you encountered a larger Class Charlie during your training, where you shared the taxiways with various business jets and airliners. However, many GA pilots shy away from Bravo and large international airports. At first glance, these airports may seem restricted to large multi-engine aircraft; however, you’re still able to land a Cessna at these airports!
SCFC invites Senior Flight Instructor, Travis Bender, to share what he has learned flying Cessna 172 and 182s into Bravo airports like San Francisco and Honolulu, as well as international hubs like Vancouver and Victoria. Travis will cover what it is like to plan a general aviation flight to a major hub, revealing the hurdles and operational hoops you might encounter. He’ll then walk through various arrival and departure procedures to expect, while also highlighting the unique features at large airports you might have only heard about in ground school.
You’ll walk away with the knowledge needed to feel confident operating at busy Bravo and Charlie fields. For those aspiring to fly jets for a career, this seminar is also a great primer for learning about airport operations.
Travis Bender is a Senior Flight Instructor at San Carlos Flight Center. He earned his primary certificates right here at SCFC and now conducts training for student pilots through Flight Instructors, as well as high-performance checkouts, instrument training, and mountain training. Prior to instructing, Travis worked in sustainable procurement for a large Silicon Valley company.

Lessons Learned from a Career in the Sky
2025-09-10 19:00 - 20:30
Great aviators are shaped by the lessons they learn from others. Every flight brings new challenges, and the most experienced pilots have faced them time and again. By listening to their stories and insights, we can all grow into better, safer pilots.
San Carlos Flight Center is proud to welcome retired Captain Bennett Taber, who brings knowledge from more than 35 years of experience in the skies. In this seminar, Captain Taber will reflect on key learning moments from his professional career, share best practices, and discuss how every pilot can strive for excellence. He will highlight the importance of attention to detail, its impact on flight operations, and the value of mastering the basics.
There is only so much one can learn from the classroom and our routine flying. Join us to learn how to fly your best from a seasoned aviator.
Capt. Bennett Taber was a check airman and training captain with over 35 years, 30,000 landings, and well over 19,000 hours of air charter experience throughout the western United States. His first 500 hours of flying were conducted in Alaska. Captain Taber managed flight operations and charter sales for Dreamline Aviation in the San Francisco Bay Area and was a company Training Captain in all models of Beech King Air aircraft.

EAA Chapter 20 Young Eagles @ SCFC
2025-09-20 09:00 - 11:45, 2025-10-18 09:00 - 11:30, 2025-11-15 09:00 - 11:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
SCFC is hosting EAA Chapter 20 for their Young Eagles event, with volunteer pilots offering flights for young people aged 8-17.
Learn more about Young Eagles from the EAA’s website.

Don’t Fear the Ramp Check
2025-09-24 19:00 - 20:30
A ramp inspection is defined as surveillance of an airman, operator, air agency, or aircraft, which may include conducting maintenance record inspections sufficient to show compliance with 14 CFR during actual operations at an airport or heliport. Ramp inspections may result when the inspector:

Observes an unsafe operation in the traffic pattern or on the ramp.
Receives notification from air traffic control (ATC) of an unsafe operation.
Observes obvious discrepancies that may affect the airworthiness of the aircraft.
Conducts routine surveillance activities.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Stephen D. Rowell, Safety Team Program Manager/Airworthiness from the San Jose FSDO to discuss of what items and documents will be inspected and reviewed during a Ramp Inspection on your aircraft.
If you’re properly prepared, an FAA ramp check should be a routine procedure. Knowing what to do, what not to do, and what is expected of you should help reduce your anxiety about them.

Women in Aviation @ SCFC, September Meeting
2025-09-27 11:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
The SCFC Women in Aviation September meeting is taking place in the SCFC Classroom on Saturday, September 27th from 11am-12pm. Join us and guest speaker Suzie Garcia-Duer as she speaks on her role as Director of SCFC Maintenance. Enjoy donuts and an icebreaker game to follow!
All are welcome, but please RSVP below so we can gather an accurate headcount.

Landing Secrets Revealed
2025-10-01 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
In some ways, learning to fly is largely about learning to land. Pilots of small planes need to perform at least one safe landing on nearly every flight. It’s the type of skill that is learned once and then perfected for the rest of a pilot’s life. How are your landings? Would you like to hear a few secrets to landing that can help you improve your landing ability?
Join SCFC Chief Pilot Dan Dyer for a discussion about landing philosophy and some insider tips on landing stemming from his thousands of hours of instruction in nosewheel aircraft. Learn about the two halves of the flare, the actual role of the pilot (you may be surprised!), how important it is to look good, and the critical importance of time spent at altitude playing with the horizon. This presentation may be of value to student pilots working on learning to land for the first time, but it also may offer insights to experienced pilots and CFIs looking to take their landing ability to the next level.
Dan Dyer is the founder and Chief Pilot of San Carlos Flight Center, and has built the motto of Safety, Community, and Adventure for over 12 years. Dan was an instructor for 19 years, accumulated over 4,000 flight hours, and is the Bay Area’s local expert in crosswind landing instruction. He is known for finding simple and innovative ways to explain complex topics and regularly speaks on advanced ground school topics. Find out more about Dan at www.sancarlosflight.com or contact him at dan@sancarlosflight.com

Hangar Hofbrau
2025-10-04 11:00 - 14:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
SCFC is hosting an October themed event “Hangar Hofbrau” on Saturday, October 4th! The last BBQ was an overwhelming success so you don’t want to miss this special event.
Hangar Hofbrau will be hosted in SCFC’s large maintenance hangar. Think beer, bratwursts, and pretzels. Feel free to wear your lederhosen. We will also have on display a number of cool airplanes from the airport.
Join us starting at 11 am for a day filled with food, drinks, snacks, sweets, and fun activities for all ages.
Enjoy the sunshine with friends, family, and fellow aviators in our maintenance hangar and the ramp area just outside our main office at 795 Skyway Road, Suite A, San Carlos, CA 94070.
Please RSVP by registering below so we can get an accurate headcount. We look forward to seeing you there!

Flying the Bay Tour
2025-10-08 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Want to learn more about operations at local Bay Area Airports? Click here to watch a similar seminar available for Members on the Members Only Seminar Library.

Flying in the San Francisco Bay area is spectacular, a real privilege for local pilots. The Pacific Ocean, a dramatic coastline, beautiful hills, and many famous landmarks. As pilots, we are afforded a rare bird’s eye view that we long to share with our friends and family.
So what exactly is a “Bay Tour”? What airspace is present along the Bay Tour, and what new implementations will require pilots to take into account? Join Senior CFI, Michael Dutton to examine the airspace, explain the “Bay Tour” and how a pilot can accomplish one in the safest, simplest, most enjoyable manner.
In this seminar, he’ll review the various overlapping airspaces in the area, the territories for each local ATC facility, and the routings most commonly used by Flight Center pilots and suggested by ATC. You’ll learn what options are available to you even if SQL ATIS has the phrase “San Francisco is not taking surface area transitions.”
This is a thorough discussion of the regulations and procedures used in flying a San Francisco Bay Tour through Class B and C airspace. If you are new to the Bay area, want to imagine the different sights you’ll see, or just want to improve your understanding of local airspace customs and procedures, please join us for this popular seminar.

Michael Dutton is a CFI, and CFII in fixed wing, with private pilot privileges in helicopters. He’s been flying and working at San Carlos airport for over ten years, first working for the Flight Center before moving on to Airport Operations and now as Flight Instructor. His past work experience also includes time with NASA and San Carlos Airport administration.

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

Jeppesen vs. FAA Instrument Plates
2025-10-15 19:00 - 21:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
IFR pilots must have a thorough understanding of the charts they use. Pilots who have been flying IFR for years may be familiar with Jeppesen IFR Charts. Instrument students and newer IFR pilots may be more familiar with Aeronav, published by the FAA. Both of these providers of charts offer their own ways of relaying information.
San Carlos Flight Center invites Senior Flight Instructor, Travis Bender, to lead a discussion between FAA and Jeppesen charts and their application and use in IFR conditions. While the charts may look very similar at first glance, Travis will dive into the differences between the two and how you can effectively use each. Jeppesen charts’ advantages include ease of access to information and more details, but at a premium cost, while the FAA charts offer a free resource available to everyone.
Join us to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of both of these chart providers, and make a more informed decision on which to use whilst flying IFR.
Travis Bender is a Senior Flight Instructor at San Carlos Flight Center. He currently holds a CFI/CFII certificate and earned the majority of his certificates here at the Flight Center. Prior to instructing, Travis led sustainable procurement efforts for a large Silicon Valley technology company.

IFR Departure Procedures - Postponed until 11/12
2025-10-22 19:00 - 20:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
IFR departures are one of the most poorly-understood and under-taught topics in IFR flight. The process of getting safely from the surface, avoiding surrounding obstacles, to the safety of the en route IFR structure, all while operating at maximum performance configuration, lower speeds, and high pitch attitudes can be daunting. IFR airports can have many different departure procedures. Do you know which one you can expect?
In this safety seminar, CFI Herb Patten will review the selection of instrument departure procedures. He will provide a publication roadmap to these procedures and review the critical safety items, as well as what to typically expect in common practice. This program is a must for pilots working on their instrument rating, or working to stay current with instrument departures.

Women in Aviation @ SCFC October Meeting
2025-10-25 11:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
The SCFC Women in Aviation October meeting is taking place in the SCFC Classroom on Saturday, October 25th from 11am-12pm. We will be decorating pumpkins and playing an aviation-themed introspective game! Snacks will be provided.

Flying Safely At Night
2025-10-29 19:00 - 20:30
On November 2nd, Daylight Savings Time will end, and with it comes early nightfall. For those of us who work a regular 9-5 schedule, early nightfall means an increase in night flying time. How current are your night skills? Maybe it’s time to focus on what is different between day VFR and night VFR flight.
Obviously, less ambient light adds challenges for anything requiring eyesight. This includes preflight inspection, taxi safety, obstruction avoidance, IMC recognition and avoidance, cockpit resource management, and a number of other things. Most familiar to pilots is probably the differences in landing. The sight picture of a normal approach to a runway is very different with reduced external visual cues from night. Flashing lights can help or hurt pilot attention and recognition.
So should night flight be avoided? Not necessarily. Night flight brings with it reduced ATC workloads, often calmer winds, cooler temperatures that help performance, and the ability to spot traffic from farther off. Your decision about flying at night can be aided by attending a Night Flying Refresher seminar like this one.

Herb Patten is the Assistance Chief Pilot at the San Carlos Flight Center, a CFI and an FAA certificated advanced and instrument ground instructor who teaches private pilot ground school at San Carlos Flight Center. He is a commercial pilot with an instrument rating, has flown over 4,000 hours in more than 150 different California airports. He is the current chairman of the Upwind Foundation, famous for its Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. In 2024, Herb was named a Distinguished Flight Instructor by AOPA.

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

Under the Cowling Workshop
2025-11-01 09:00 - 10:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
CFI Herb Patten ground school student into the SCFC maintenance hangar for a closer look at airplane engines and systems, including details of the fuel, ignition, induction and more in this in-person workshop. This is your chance to look “under the cowling” in a way that goes deeper than your common preflight inspection.
As a pilot, you learn about airplane engines and systems from the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. That information is supplemented by details from your specific Airplane Flight Manual. So what more do you need to know? You crank the starter and everything works. But how does it work and how do the various systems such as the fuel, induction, and ignition work together to keep the engine flying? Ever wonder how the fuel flows from the tank to the cylinders? Or what happens when the air intake filter becomes blocked? Or what are the purposes of those tubes coming out of the bottom of the engine?
This in-person seminar will be conducted using a Cessna training plane with the engine cowling removed so you can get an up-close appreciation of the components of a typical, small single-engine airplane. Space is limited so don’t delay in signing up for this unique experience. You will walk away with a new depth of knowledge that most pilots don’t have.

Energy Management - A Different Approach to Flying
2025-11-05 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Pilots think differently than physicists. Physicists approach flying the way they do other studies of mechanical motion, with an understanding of mass, speed, force, work, and energy. Values and relationships accumulated over the years describe the interaction of bodies in motion, in a way that allows scientists and engineers to make predictions about their behavior. Yay, science!
Pilots inside cockpits moving through space are more often concerned with the task of flying, what action of the controls causes the aircraft to climb, descend, turn, or remain straight and level. Our perspective is often focused on our little picture, on the stuff we touch inside the cabin. But much can be gained from taking the big picture look at flying, and especially approach to landing, from the perspective of an energy scientist. This is the Energy Management approach to landing.
In this presentation, join SCFC Founder Dan Dyer as he brings us a big picture overview of how energy is created, consumed, used, and transferred in aviation. How can an understanding of chemical, kinetic, and potential energy inform our skills as pilots? Which flight control most easily transfers energy back and forth between potential and kinetic? Where does the energy go?
A good pilot is always learning. Join us if you want to improve your landings by coming at it from an entirely different angle.

Dan Dyer is the founder of the San Carlos Flight Center, and has built the motto of Safety, Community, and Adventure for over 12 years. Dan was an instructor for 15 years, accumulated over 4,000 flight hours, and is the Bay Area’s local expert in crosswind landing instruction. He is known for finding simple and innovative ways to explain complex topics and regularly speaks on advanced ground school topics. Find out more about Dan at www.sancarlosflight.com or contact him at dan@sancarlosflight.com

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2019 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive.

SQL Tower Tour (1 of 3)
2025-11-08 09:30 - 10:00

SQL Tower Tour (3 of 3)
2025-11-08 10:30 - 11:00

IFR Departure Procedures
2025-11-12 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:

IFR Currency – The Devil in the Details
2025-11-22 12:00 - 13:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
There is a thin overcast layer at 800 at your destination and you are ready to fly the ILS which shouldn’t be too hard with the light IFR conditions, but are you legal? What is that regulation about IFR currency and what are the specifics?
Join Herb Patten, Assistant Chief Pilot at San Carlos Flight Center, for this “Devil in the Details” review of IFR currency. In this seminar Herb will take an in-depth look at the regulations instrument rated pilots must follow to maintain their IFR currency (e.g., six approaches within the last six months). What counts as an approach? What are the requirements for tracking and holding?. What is meant by “holding”? Can these tasks be flown in a simulator?
Don’t let the lengthily-worded regulations confuse you. This seminar should help you “clear the approach” as we clarify some of the ambiguity in the regulations.

Herb Patten is the Assistant Chief Pilot at the San Carlos Flight Center, a CFI and an FAA certificated advanced and instrument ground instructor who teaches the instrument ground school at San Carlos Flight Center. He is a commercial pilot with an instrument rating, has flown over 4,500 hours in more than 140 different California airports. He is the current chairman of the Upwind Foundation, famous for its Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. In 2025, Herb was named a Distinguished Flight Instructor by AOPA.

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

Chief Pilot Tells All – How to Get a CFI Job
2025-12-03 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
It seems like there are two groups of people who become flight instructors: pilots who love to share the art and skill of flying with new students, and pilots who love to share the art and skill of flying with new students while building hours toward a career in the airlines.
If you’re a new instructor, you may be facing the challenge of finding a school to align yourself with. The industry fluctuates wildly, with sometimes too many instructors and sometimes not enough. In the past year, flight schools have been flooded with new instructors as airlines temporarily shut down hiring, leaving many instructors teaching years past the time they originally thought. So what’s a new CFI to do? How do you get your foot in the door?
We asked SCFC Chief Pilot Dan Dyer to share some of his experiences on the hiring side, to give insights that may help new CFIs better position themselves in the tight job market. He’s been a flight instructor himself for over twenty years and has been hiring instructors at San Carlos Flight Center for thirteen years of that. He’ll review how the Flight Center looks for new instructors, some common deficiencies he’s seen in CFI applications, and help CFI applicants put their best foot forward. How to handle in-person and Zoom interviews? How to come prepared for a flight test? What research to do before you apply, and what to ask for during negotiations.
This is an interesting look behind the scenes of one General Aviation business. It is designed mostly for new instructors, but anyone may find these tips useful in future job searches. Join us for a better understanding of what makes a quality flight instructor.
Dan Dyer is the founder of the San Carlos Flight Center and has built the motto of Safety, Community, and Adventure for over 12 years. Dan was an instructor for over 15 years, accumulated over 4,000 flight hours, and is the Bay Area’s local expert in crosswind landing instruction. He is known for finding simple and innovative ways to explain complex topics and regularly speaks on advanced ground school topics. Find out more about Dan at www.sancarlosflight.com or contact him at dan@sancarlosflight.com
This seminar will be open to all, both in-person and virtually. While we encourage in-person attendance, those watching virtually can join the livestream page at 7 PM PST. You may utilize the “Ask a Question” button and submit questions to the presenter.
San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2024 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

Women in Aviation: Special Talk with Alaska Airlines' Chief Pilot, Kim Gabrelcik
2025-12-06 11:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
SCFC’s Women in Aviation group is excited to invite you to a truly inspiring event as we welcome Kim Gabrelcik, Chief Pilot (SFO Base) at Alaska Airlines, to the Flight Center. This is a fantastic opportunity to hear first-hand from a top leader in commercial aviation—particularly meaningful for anyone interested in attending the airlines or interested in leadership positions throughout their career. Kim will share stories of her career journey, discuss the leadership challenges and opportunities facing female aviators today, and take audience questions at the end.
Why you don’t want to miss this:

Gain insight into how Kim built her career up to the Chief Pilot role at the SFO base of Alaska Airlines.
Learn about what leadership in a major airline looks like and what skills and mindset helped her get there.
Network with fellow women and professionals in aviation, ask your own questions, and get inspired for your next step.
Enjoy a relaxed, welcoming setting with snacks—so bring your appetite and your aviator curiosity.

Anyone and everyone is welcome. Feel free to bring a friend or colleague who might benefit from hearing Kim’s story—in particular if they are studying aviation, instructing, or interested in airline operations.
Please RSVP below so we can plan a headcount for snacks.
Kim Gabrelcik is the Chief Pilot for Alaska Airlines’ San Francisco base, where she leads a team of pilots operating out of one of the airline’s most dynamic West Coast hubs. With a degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a distinguished career spanning multiple flight and leadership roles, Kim has built a reputation for operational excellence, mentorship, and commitment to aviation safety. Throughout her career, she has served as a captain, line-check pilot, and flight operations leader, helping develop the next generation of airline pilots while supporting Alaska’s pilot workforce and high standards of performance. Kim is also deeply dedicated to community outreach and advancing aviation career pathways, particularly for women and young people interested in aerospace. Her leadership, passion for empowering future aviators, and dedication to building an inclusive flight deck make her an inspiring voice within the industry and a role model for aspiring pilots everywhere.

Weather Services Workshop
2025-12-10 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Are you checking the weather before your flight simply by looking at METARs? Have you struggled with trying to get a comprehensive view of weather? Are you looking to get an understanding of ways to conduct a weather briefing?
If you are a student pilot or recent pilot trying to better understand options for accessing weather for a flight then join us for this workshop to learn more about weather briefings. We will use a cross-country flight scenario and walk through the process of gathering relevant weather for a flight. We will show you how to get aviation weather information from www.aviationweather.gov, ForeFlight, 1800wxbrief.com and by speaking to a flight service station weather briefer.
If you want to better understand how all these sources of weather fit in a briefing, join us for this interactive session.
Herb Patten is the Assistant Chief Pilot at the San Carlos Flight Center, a CFI and an FAA certificated advanced and instrument ground instructor who teaches the private pilot and instrument ground school at San Carlos Flight Center. He is a commercial pilot with an instrument rating, has flown over 4,000 hours in more than 130 different California airports. He is the current chairman of the Upwind Foundation, famous for its Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. In 2025, Herb was named a Distinguished Flight Instructor by AOPA.
San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.
