2024-04 IMC Club SQL
2024-04-17 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
NOTE: Since this event will involve active discussion, it will be held over Zoom and not broadcast via Livestream. Please RSVP by 12pm on Apr 17th to receive Zoom meeting info via email before the event starts.

Most pilots like analyzing scenarios and trying to answer the age old question of what would I do in that situation? Imagine if you could also hear the opinions of other pilots or get feedback on your approach to a situation. Well, that is exactly what the IMC Club provides.
Join the local EAA Chapter 20 IMC Club meeting to review a scenario and share in the discussions with fellow pilots. You will get an opportunity to hear other pilots’ analysis as well as the group critique of various solutions.
Whether you are a newly minted instrument rated pilot and anxious to learn from others or you are a seasoned pilot with experience to share, the IMC Club is a welcome home for both.
Learn more about IMC Club at http://www.eaa20.org/about.html

Brian Eliot is San Carlos Flight Center’s Assistant Chief Pilot and resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

About San Carlos Flight Center:

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.

EAA Young Eagles @ SCFC April 2024
2024-04-20 09:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
SCFC is hosting EAA Chapter 20 for their Young Eagles event on April 20th.
Learn more about Young Eagles from the EAA’s website.

Flying in San Diego's Airspace
2024-04-24 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Description coming soon

Under the Cowling Workshop
2024-04-27 12:00 - 13:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
A&P Charles Rudolf will share a unique perspective on airplane engines and systems, including details of the fuel, ignition, induction and more in this in-person workshop.
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?
Are you ready to take your airplane systems knowledge to the next step? San Carlos Flight Center invites A&P Charles Rudolf for a unique perspective on airplane engines and systems. In this in-person seminar, you will learn the details of the fuel, ignition, induction and more.
This in-person seminar will be conducted using a Cessna 172 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.
About San Carlos Flight Center:
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.
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.

What Pilots Need to Know About Drones: Regulations, Safety, and Coexistence
2024-05-01 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
They are out there! No, not UFOs, but drones. Drones are and will continue to be sharing the same airspace with manned aircraft. Having a good understanding of where pilots may encounter drones will prove valuable.
San Carlos invites Travis Michels, Flight Test Engineer at Skydio, to share the current state of drone operations and what the rapidly evolving future will look like. He will detail where drones can fly under the various FAA regulations and more importantly how pilots can stay safe. He will also review a few drone/aircraft accidents.
Face it, the industry is evolving rapidly in this area and pilots need to keep informed. All pilots in the Bay Area will benefit from an insider view of the current state and future of drone operations.
Travis Michels learned to fly in Colorado at a young age taking the checkride as soon as he turned 17. For fun, Travis started flying drones in High School and in college he helped found the Colorado State University Drone Center. He spent 4 years there conducting various research projects and teaching drone courses. After graduating, Travis joined Amazon’s Drone Delivery program as a flight operator. Recently, he moved to the Bay Area and joined Skydio, the largest US Drone Manufacturer based in San Mateo where he works as a Flight Test Engineer.
About San Carlos Flight Center:
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.
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.

** Postponed ** A Day in the Life of SQL Tower ** Postponed **
2024-05-08 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
What, you want me to do the radio and fly? To a student pilot, radio communication is a task that seems daunting. Interpreting the meaning of what is being said on the radio is not easy. The language seems terse and there is often a pressure to not mess up when it is your turn to talk.
SCFC has prided itself on effective radio communication and has presented many safety seminars on radio communications. In this seminar, we will listen and decipher a days worth of radio communication at San Carlos. We will highlight common as well as uncommon messages to bring a deeper understanding of radio communication to the pilot community.
If you have been looking for opportunities to improve your radio pedigree/IQ, this is a seminar that you will want to attend.
Capt. Bennett Taber is a check airman and training captain with over 20 years and 16,000 hours of air charter experience throughout the western United States. His first 500 hours of flying were conducted in Alaska. Captain Taber manages flight operations and charter sales for Dreamline Aviation in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a Dreamline Training Captain in Beech King Air aircraft.
About San Carlos Flight Center:
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.
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.

2024-05 IMC Club SQL
2024-05-15 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
NOTE: Since this event will involve active discussion, it will be held over Zoom and not broadcast via Livestream. Please RSVP by 12pm on May 15th to receive Zoom meeting info via email before the event starts.

Most pilots like analyzing scenarios and trying to answer the age old question of what would I do in that situation? Imagine if you could also hear the opinions of other pilots or get feedback on your approach to a situation. Well, that is exactly what the IMC Club provides.
Join the local EAA Chapter 20 IMC Club meeting to review a scenario and share in the discussions with fellow pilots. You will get an opportunity to hear other pilots’ analysis as well as the group critique of various solutions.
Whether you are a newly minted instrument rated pilot and anxious to learn from others or you are a seasoned pilot with experience to share, the IMC Club is a welcome home for both.
Learn more about IMC Club at http://www.eaa20.org/about.html

Brian Eliot is San Carlos Flight Center’s Assistant Chief Pilot and resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

About San Carlos Flight Center:

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.

SQL Tower Tour (1 of 3)
2024-05-25 09:30 - 10:00 | San Carlos Flight Center
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. US Citizenship is required due to FAA restriction.
About San Carlos Flight Center:
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.
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.

SQL Tower Tour (2 of 3)
2024-05-25 10:00 - 10:30

SQL Tower Tour (3 of 3)
2024-05-25 10:30 - 11:00 | San Carlos Flight Center

Weather Services Workshop
2024-06-01 12:00 - 14:00 | 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.
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.
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 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 2,500 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 2023, 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.

2024-06 IMC Club SQL
2024-06-19 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
NOTE: Since this event will involve active discussion, it will be held over Zoom and not broadcast via Livestream. Please RSVP by 12pm on Jun 19th to receive Zoom meeting info via email before the event starts.

Most pilots like analyzing scenarios and trying to answer the age old question of what would I do in that situation? Imagine if you could also hear the opinions of other pilots or get feedback on your approach to a situation. Well, that is exactly what the IMC Club provides.
Join the local EAA Chapter 20 IMC Club meeting to review a scenario and share in the discussions with fellow pilots. You will get an opportunity to hear other pilots’ analysis as well as the group critique of various solutions.
Whether you are a newly minted instrument rated pilot and anxious to learn from others or you are a seasoned pilot with experience to share, the IMC Club is a welcome home for both.
Learn more about IMC Club at http://www.eaa20.org/about.html

Brian Eliot is San Carlos Flight Center’s Assistant Chief Pilot and resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

About San Carlos Flight Center:

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.

SCFC Summer Kickoff BBQ 2024
2024-06-22 12:00 - 14:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
With the start of summer approaching, the San Carlos Flight Center invites all of its members and their families to join us for our Summer Kickoff BBQ. Join us for an afternoon full of food, drink, snacks, sweets, and activities for everyone.
Enjoy a fun time under the sun with your friends, family, and fellow aviators outside our main office at 795 Skyway Road, Suite A, San Carlos at 12 PM!
Please RSVP by registering below so we can get an accurate headcount. We look forward to seeing you there!

-Team SCFC

2024-07 IMC Club SQL
2024-07-17 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
NOTE: Since thils event will involve active discussion, it will be held over Zoom and not broadcast via Livestream. Please RSVP by 12pm on Jul 17th to receive Zoom meeting info via email before the event starts.

Most pilots like analyzing scenarios and trying to answer the age old question of what would I do in that situation? Imagine if you could also hear the opinions of other pilots or get feedback on your approach to a situation. Well, that is exactly what the IMC Club provides.
Join the local EAA Chapter 20 IMC Club meeting to review a scenario and share in the discussions with fellow pilots. You will get an opportunity to hear other pilots’ analysis as well as the group critique of various solutions.
Whether you are a newly minted instrument rated pilot and anxious to learn from others or you are a seasoned pilot with experience to share, the IMC Club is a welcome home for both.
Learn more about IMC Club at http://www.eaa20.org/about.html

Brian Eliot is San Carlos Flight Center’s Assistant Chief Pilot and resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

About San Carlos Flight Center:

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 (July)
2024-07-27 09:30 - 11:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
A&P Charles Rudolf will share a unique perspective on airplane engines and systems, including details of the fuel, ignition, induction and more in this in-person workshop.
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?
Are you ready to take your airplane systems knowledge to the next step? San Carlos Flight Center invites A&P Charles Rudolf for a unique perspective on airplane engines and systems. In this in-person seminar, you will learn the details of the fuel, ignition, induction and more.
This in-person seminar will be conducted using a Cessna 172 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.

San Carlos Tower Tour - Saturday, August 3rd 9:30
2024-08-03 09:30 - 10:15 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
This is the sign up page for the 9:30 San Carlos Tower Tour for pre-approved non-US Citizens. This is 1 of 2 sign up pages.

San Carlos Tower Tour – Saturday, August 3rd 10:15
2024-08-03 10:15 - 11:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
This is the sign up page for the 10:16 San Carlos Tower Tour for pre-approved non-US Citizens. This is 2 of 2 sign up pages.

2024-08 IMC Club SQL
2024-08-21 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
NOTE: Since thils event will involve active discussion, it will be held over Zoom and not broadcast via Livestream. Please RSVP by 12pm on Aug 21 to receive Zoom meeting info via email before the event starts.

Most pilots like analyzing scenarios and trying to answer the age old question of what would I do in that situation? Imagine if you could also hear the opinions of other pilots or get feedback on your approach to a situation. Well, that is exactly what the IMC Club provides.
Join the local EAA Chapter 20 IMC Club meeting to review a scenario and share in the discussions with fellow pilots. You will get an opportunity to hear other pilots’ analysis as well as the group critique of various solutions.
Whether you are a newly minted instrument rated pilot and anxious to learn from others or you are a seasoned pilot with experience to share, the IMC Club is a welcome home for both.
Learn more about IMC Club at http://www.eaa20.org/about.html

Brian Eliot is San Carlos Flight Center’s Assistant Chief Pilot and resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

About San Carlos Flight Center:

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.

Upwind End of Year Celebration
2024-08-30 18:30 - 20:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
You are invited to join the Upwind Celebration party on Friday, August 30. Thanks to the generous support from SQL community, the Upwind Summer Scholarship Program completed its 10th 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.

2024-09 IMC Club SQL
2024-09-18 19:00 - 21:00
NOTE: Since thils event will involve active discussion, it will be held over Zoom and not broadcast via Livestream. Please RSVP by 12pm on Sep 18 to receive Zoom meeting info via email before the event starts.

Most pilots like analyzing scenarios and trying to answer the age old question of what would I do in that situation? Imagine if you could also hear the opinions of other pilots or get feedback on your approach to a situation. Well, that is exactly what the IMC Club provides.
Join the local EAA Chapter 20 IMC Club meeting to review a scenario and share in the discussions with fellow pilots. You will get an opportunity to hear other pilots’ analysis as well as the group critique of various solutions.
Whether you are a newly minted instrument rated pilot and anxious to learn from others or you are a seasoned pilot with experience to share, the IMC Club is a welcome home for both.
Learn more about IMC Club at http://www.eaa20.org/about.html

Brian Eliot is San Carlos Flight Center’s Assistant Chief Pilot and resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

About San Carlos Flight Center:

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.

SCFC Open Hangar and BBQ
2024-09-28 12:00 - 14:00
Recently, Team SCFC completed our move into the hangar next door, centralizing all of our maintenance operations. On Sep. 28, come check out our new hangar and join us for a BBQ!
We invite everyone for an afternoon filled with food, drinks, and fun! The BBQ will be at our hangar, but you can come in through our main office at 795 Skyway Road, Ste. A.
Don’t forget to RSVP so we have an accurate headcount! See you on Sep. 28 at 12 noon!

Colorado Mountain Flying - Lessons Learned
2024-10-09 19:00 - 20:30
The Colorado mountains are filled with countless picturesque sights and landmarks, and the Bay Area Fly Out Group (FOG) recently experienced that on an amazing flying trip throughout the rocky mountains. Colorado brings pilots some of the most challenging terrains to fly around, and toughest airports to land at; and during this seminar you’ll learn from our pilots first hand experience of how to navigate this process.
San Carlos Flight Center invites pilots Jerry Birn, Bob Turcott, Frank Farrell and Stanislav Vitko, along with CFI Herb Patten and Sid Basu to discuss some of the highlights from the trip which include mountain flying operations, high density altitude awareness, positive aircraft control, 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.

Prospective Pilot Workshop
2024-10-12 09:00 - 13:00 | San Carlos Flight Center
Are you interested in aviation but not sure where to begin? Are you looking to find out more about becoming a pilot with a group of others like yourself?
San Carlos Flight Center invites all prospective pilots to attend this workshop to learn about what it takes to become a part of general aviation. This event will explain the steps needed to become a pilot, show you how to read and interpret aviation charts used by pilots, and will provide a hands-on opportunity to see a training airplane and engine up close.
If you have a pilot passion burning inside of you, we welcome you to join us. Admission is free (with prior registration). Lunch is provided.
(This event is a workshop for adults interested in becoming a pilot. Young people are encouraged to join us for a similar event targeted to youth in January.)

2024-10 IMC Club SQL
2024-10-16 19:00 - 21:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
NOTE: Since this event will involve active discussion, it will be held over Zoom and not broadcast via Livestream. Please RSVP by 12pm on Oct 16th to receive Zoom meeting info via email before the event starts.

Most pilots like analyzing scenarios and trying to answer the age old question of what would I do in that situation? Imagine if you could also hear the opinions of other pilots or get feedback on your approach to a situation. Well, that is exactly what the IMC Club provides.
Join the local EAA Chapter 20 IMC Club meeting to review a scenario and share in the discussions with fellow pilots. You will get an opportunity to hear other pilots’ analysis as well as the group critique of various solutions.
Whether you are a newly minted instrument rated pilot and anxious to learn from others or you are a seasoned pilot with experience to share, the IMC Club is a welcome home for both.
Learn more about IMC Club at http://www.eaa20.org/about.html

Brian Eliot is a Senior Instructor at San Carlos Flight Center and their resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

About San Carlos Flight Center:

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, community, and adventure 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.

I Just Got ForeFlight, Now What? A Beginners Guide to ForeFlight
2024-10-23 19:00 - 20:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Students and new pilots are increasingly flying with computer tablets, and using software that replaces paper charts and documents with the digital equivalents. These applications, such as ForeFlight, are extremely powerful and have a plethora of features. For a pilot just beginning to use ForeFlight, the choices and options seem overwhelming. Valuable features and capabilities can go undiscovered.
Join SCFC CFII Travis Bender to highlight some of the important first steps to take after downloading ForeFlight, and how to get started. In this seminar, he will cover a basic introduction to the application including the most efficient ways to use the software. With so many different customizations, subscription plans, and ways to do the same thing, it can be overwhelming for many. Some of these include how to set up performance profiles, weight and balance, how to use geo referenced charts, and set up your electronic logbook. After this seminar you will feel confident in your basic abilities to navigate the application and have the resources to continue to learn from.
ForeFlight can be quite overwhelming with features, however, due to time constraints we are unable to provide technical support to individual audience members.
If you are just beginning to explore the features of ForeFlight and want to deepen your understanding on how to effectively use these great tools, you will want to attend this seminar. Have your tablet handy and discover this powerful tool available for pilots.

Travis Bender is a flight instructor at San Carlos Flight Center who teaches private, commercial, and instrument training. Travis completed all of his primary training at SCFC, and previously worked for a major software company before transitioning to aviation full-time.
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 for the fourth 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.

Approach Plate Analysis - Salem, OR
2024-10-26 12:00 - 13:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
It’s always amazing to see how much variety can come from only a handful of instrument approach navigation systems. This month’s IFR Approach Plate Lunch approaches into Salem, OR are a geometrical seesaw. There’s an ILS approach on one runway and a localizer backcourse approach on the opposing runway, and it looks as though you could just fly back and forth between the two like a seesaw. The missed approach on one is the front course on the other. Not only that, the localizer has a backcourse marker beacon – something we don’t see very often.
On Saturday, October 26th, CFII Brian Eliot will analyze the various approaches into Salem, OR (KSLE) and discuss what is unique or challenging about the approach, along with potential gotchas. Switching from front course ILS to backcourse when going missed can be a real challenge if you aren’t paying attention. The charting and geometry of these approaches make for a fascinating discussion. Join us for the discussion and deepen your understanding of the variety of ILS approaches.
Bring your charts or ForeFlight for reference during the presentation:
IAPs – Instrument Approach Procedures
ILS OR LOC Z RWY 31
LOC Y RWY 31
LOC BC RWY 13
Bring your bag lunch, stop at In-N-Out, or just listen and enjoy the discussion. We hope you can join us.
Brian Eliot is a Senior Instructor at San Carlos Flight Center and their resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.
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.

Right Seat Workshop - Radios and ATC
2024-11-02 10:00 - 14:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
The Flight Center will be hosting a Right Seat Workshop for non-pilot friends, spouses, and significant others who often fly right seat SCFC pilots. Now is the time to alert the people in your life to sign up for this special workshop.
Right Seat Workshops are introductory and intended to demystify aspects of flight for people that fly often as passengers with other pilots. The more they can understand about what is going on in the cockpit, the more enjoyable the flight will be, and the greater your ability to impact the safety of the flight.
The first workshop in the series covers Radio Communication and Air Traffic Control basics from the perspective of non-pilots. The workshop includes group breakout sessions and exercises designed to help you become more familiar with radio procedures and terms. The workshop runs 10:00am to 2:00pm and the cost is $80 for right-seaters sponsored by SCFC members, or $100 for non-members, and lunch is included. Contact the front desk to sign up (650) 946-1700.

Flying Safely At Night
2024-11-06 19:00 - 20:30
On November 3rd, 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 a Senior CFI 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 3,500 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 2023, 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.

How to Ace your Flight Review
2024-11-09 12:00 - 13:00
Is it that time again? Need to do a Flight Review but don’t want to sweat through the details? Do you really need to remember how the E6B works? Perform flight calculations by hand? State FAR verbiage from memory? Can you name the various VFR weather minimums?
In this seminar we will unravel what it takes to make your next Flight Review a walk in the park! This seminar will cover how to prepare for your Flight Review, the three ways to meet legal requirements for completing a flight review, when a Flight Review is required, and the standards you must demonstrate for the knowledge, risks and skills to complete a Flight Review.
The majority of pilots will need to do a Flight Review many times over the course of a lifetime of flying. Join us and be ready to tackle your next Flight Review.

SCFC Welcome Night
2024-11-13 18:30 - 19:30 | San Carlos Flight Center
If you’re recently joined the Club, you may have only met your instructor and one of our Front Desk agents. It’s time to meet some other students and pilots.
Join us on Wednesday, November 13th at 6:30pm for San Carlos Flight Center’s Welcome Night. Every few months, we’ll welcome in our newest members and give you a chance to hear about all the other activities and events going on at the Club. It’s a casual event with food and some activities. The vibe is mostly welcome and get to know each other, and less like a formal classroom presentation (even though we have plenty of those on other nights!). Find out what other students are doing for their training path. Put faces to names of people you see taking up your CFI’s Friday afternoon when you wanted to book.
The event is hosted and run by CFI Travis Bender, who has been a part of SCFC for almost 10 years, starting as a high school kid with a dream, and ending up working the front desk and now teaching. No one better captures the fun and spirit of the Flight Center.
To join us, just register for the event so we can have enough food and drink. Feel free to also bring friends or family who are interested in meeting Club members and finding out why SCFC is such a great place for flying.
