San Carlos Flight Center

Destination Palm Springs
2026-02-25 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Palm Springs, known for its days of sunshine, has been a unique Californian getaway for years. As a city nestled within the famous Coachella Valley and on the outskirts of the Mojave Desert there is something for everyone. From national parks to hiking and golf, your visit will be worthwhile.
San Carlos Flight Center invites Private Pilot Fei Fang to discuss what pilots flying to Palm Springs need to know. New destinations, especially long cross-country flights, challenge pilots to expand their skills and adapt to different scenarios. In this seminar, Fei will summarize flight planning into the Palm Springs Area at both PSP and UDD airports. Whether it is navigating around towering peaks and LA airspace, flying over vast deserts, or flying in unique airspace (TRSA anyone?) There are unique flight planning considerations to consider. She will conclude by highlighting the different amenities within the area and things to do.
If you ever considered venturing to Southern California, the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs await you for a challenging but yet rewarding long cross-country from the Bay Area.
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.

Women in Aviation @ SCFC February Meeting
2026-02-28 11:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Join Women in Aviation for our monthly meeting at 11am on February 28th! This month we invite guest speaker Joanne Higginbotham to share insight on the history of Pan American Airlines, and her personal experience as the daughter of a pilot. Any and all are welcome! Snacks will be provided.

Weather Services Workshop
2026-03-07 12:00 - 13:30 | 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.

Plane Spotting in the Bay Area
2026-03-14 12:00 - 13:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Are you an aviation enthusiast who enjoys looking at and photographing airplanes, but doesn’t know how to start? San Carlos Flight Center invites guest speaker Alin Gonzalez to help you on your plane spotting journey. Alin will cover the equipment you should use, the places to go in the Bay Area, and answer any questions you may have.

Towards the end, Alin will share his experience posting plane spotting content on social media,
accumulating over 150,000 followers, and go over the advantages and disadvantages of creating an aviation social media account. If you have ever considered aviation photography, watching aircraft operations up-close, or starting an aviation social media, this event is for you.

EAA Chapter 20 Young Eagles @ SCFC
2026-03-21 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-18 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-20 09:00 - 12:00 | 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.

Private Pilot Checkride Stories
2026-03-25 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
For most pilots, the first checkride is the most intimidating one. It can be a nerve-wracking experience decoding the ACS and sitting through the glare of the designated pilot examiner. With thorough preparation and an understanding of the process, you will feel more at ease.
San Carlos Flight Center invites a round-table of three newly-minted Private Pilots to share their journey in becoming a pilot. In this seminar they will each provide their own overview of their training experiences, how they prepared for their checkrides, some pitfalls to avoid, and how they worked with their instructors to ensure they were ready for the practical test. This is a great opportunity to hear from multiple perspectives, giving you the insight you need as you approach your big day.
Join us to hear more about the checkride experience, how to prepare, and have an insight into the first step of becoming a certificated pilot.

Upwind Wine and Cheese Party and Silent Auction
2026-03-27 18:30 - 20:30
It’s that time of year again!
The Upwind Foundation and SCFC invite you to a fundraising Wine and Cheese Soiree on Friday, March 27th at 6:30 pm. All are welcome! This year the party is at Hiller Museum.
We will celebrate the summer of fundraising, complete our silent auction, and as a special treat, we will meet the winners of the 2026 Upwind Scholarship. Join us to celebrate with the winners and their families.
Please RSVP below so we can get a headcount for food and drinks.
View the Online Auction Site

Women in Aviation @ SCFC March Meeting
2026-03-28 11:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Join Women in Aviation for our monthly meeting at 11am on March 28th! This month we are planning aviation themed board games and trivia. Food will be provided. Anyone and everyone is welcome!

What’s Happening at the Airport? An Update from the KSQL Airport Manager
2026-04-01 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Change is inevitable. That includes the San Carlos airport. Changes are coming to the airport and we have invited Michael Byrne, Airport Manager to provide an update to the community about near-term and long term changes planned for the airport.
Some of the changes that you have noticed include key card access for many of the airport entrances. Come learn about the reasons for this change along with some of the other plans for renovation of some of the facilities at the airport.
If you are a pilot that operates at San Carlos you will want to attend this special event to hear about the latest updates to the airport.

SCFC Says Goodbye to 795
2026-04-04 11:30 - 13:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Our time at 795 Skyway Road, Suite A is fast approaching an end. The building is scheduled for demolition soon and our last day in this building is April 9th. While we are looking forward to the new facility that will replace it, there are many memories associated with this location. Numerous members joined the club for the first time in this building, milestones such as first solo and practical tests have been celebrated in this building, and countless seminars and events have been hosted here. There are a lot of memories.
Join us for a Goodbye Party Saturday April 4th. We are going bid goodbye to the building. Share you memories and be here to take part in inscribing your name/memory on a piece of the building that we will bring to our new office.
We will have food, drink, snacks, sweets, and a trivia contest for everyone. Please RSVP by registering below so we can get an accurate headcount. We look forward to seeing you there!

POSTPONED - Shrimp Boats and Corridor-Cakes: How Airspace Got Like This
2026-04-15 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
This seminar is postponed while we wait for our temporary seminar venue. Stay tuned for updates on when it will be rescheduled.
Modern pilots know airspace in terms of the alphabet system: class A, B, C, D, E, and G. Those labels are a relatively recent facade on a beast whose unnatural evolution was written in blood and bitterly contested.
AGI/IGI Sal will reconstruct the National Airspace from cloud clearances in the forties to the “all-weather positive control concept“ in the fifties to today’s ADS-B requirements. Over one hundred years, personal liberty clashes with public safety and separation technology is tragically outpaced by aircraft performance.
Throughout the talk, Sal will discuss online government archives that you can use to solve your own regulation mysteries. If you have an interest in history or want to know how we got to the current airspace rules, join us for this insightful presentation.

Under the Cowling Workshop
2026-04-25 09:00 - 10:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
CFI Herb Patten is inviting ground school students 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.

Women in Aviation @ SCFC March Meeting
2026-04-25 11:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Join SCFC Women in Aviation in welcoming Candace Covington, Senior Director of Aviation at Adobe to speak about her experience! The meeting will be from 11am-12pm and food will be provided. Any and all are welcome!

Shrimp Boats and Corridor-Cakes: How Airspace Got Like This
2026-05-06 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Modern pilots know airspace in terms of the alphabet system: class A, B, C, D, E, and G. Those labels are a relatively recent facade on a beast whose unnatural evolution was written in blood and bitterly contested.
AGI/IGI Sal will reconstruct the National Airspace from cloud clearances in the forties to the “all-weather positive control concept“ in the fifties to today’s ADS-B requirements. Over one hundred years, personal liberty clashes with public safety and separation technology is tragically outpaced by aircraft performance.
Throughout the talk, Sal will discuss online government archives that you can use to solve your own regulation mysteries. If you have an interest in history or want to know how we got to the current airspace rules, join us for this insightful presentation.

SQL Tower Tour (1 of 3)
2026-05-23 09:30 - 10:00
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.

SQL Tower Tour (2 of 3)
2026-05-23 10:00 - 10:30

SQL Tower Tour (3 of 3)
2026-05-23 10:30 - 11:00

4-Day Monument Valley and the American Southwest
2026-05-28 - 2026-05-31 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Experience the ultimate adventure with the FlyOutGroups Tour of the Southwest. This 4-day trip will feature flying to the best of the Southwest United States posing unique challenges with stunning awards.
Start with a delicious lunch at Catalina Island (AVX), followed by a breathtaking approach into San Diego Lindbergh Field (SAN), a large yet accommodating Class Bravo Airport. After landing, go where you desire whether that’s exploring the San Diego Skyline, visiting the gorgeous and vibrant Balboa Park, or stepping onto the USS Midway. Take in the sights on the way to lunch at Sedona Arizona (SEZ) where you will be greeted by the vast amount of large red rocks unique to this area. Finish your day by heading to the stunning Meteor Crater and spend the night at a private airport in Monument Valley, where you’ll experience unparalleled views of the surrounding landscape. Starting with a tour of a Meteor Crater followed by a breathtaking visit to the Grand Canyon. After sightseeing, land at Harry Reid Las Vegas International Airport (LAS), making for two Class Bravo Airports. End your night with some fun in the vibrant culture of Las Vegas.
On Day 4, we’ll make our way back home via Bishop and Mammoth, posing the unique challenge of mountain flying with gorgeous views of the surrounding Sierras.
Fly in comfort in any of our Cessna 172s, 182s, or the 206. If low wing is your ride, use the trip to get experience to count toward a checkout in the the Piper Dakota with one of our experienced instructors. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to explore the beauty of the Southwest from a unique and exciting perspective. Stay tuned for more information on our website.
Deposit:
$500 deposit, per person (not per plane). This is a deposit towards aircraft rental and instructor time. This deposit is non-refundable within 2 weeks of the event. Please call the SCFC Front Desk at (650) 946-1700 to make your deposit.
Registration:
Registrations are not open yet. Check this page for more information in the coming weeks.
Questions:
If you have any questions, please contact the FOG Coordinator, Herb Patten, via email at herb@sancarlosflight.com

Weather Services Workshop
2026-05-30 09:00 - 10:30 | 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.
This seminar is in-person. There will not be a live stream.

Women in Aviation @ SCFC May Meeting
2026-05-30 11:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Join SCFC Women in Aviation for a presentation about Women’s History in Aviation and participate in a water color activity. Materials and food will be provided

Any and all are welcome!

SCFC Special Ops Information Session
2026-06-06 10:00 - 11:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
The summer is here and we are beginning to pull together our Special Ops team of volunteers to help with event planning, creative projects, office support and other ways to be involved in aviation and support the Flight Center.
If you’re interested in helping the flight center through the Special Ops program, email SCFC’s Chief Pilot Dan Dyer (dan@sancarlosflight.com) to let us know you’re coming.

I Just Got ForeFlight, Now What? A Beginners Guide to ForeFlight
2026-06-13 12:00 - 13:30 | 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 Herb Patten, SCFC’s Assistant Chief Pilot, 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.

Herb Patten is a CFII and teaches both the Private Pilot and Instrument Ground School at San Carlos Flight Center. Herb has been recognized three times by AOPA as a Distinguished Flight Instructor.
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.

Flying in the Pacific Northwest and Canada
2026-06-17 19:00 - 21:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
The Pacific Northwest is a hub of aviation industry and innovation, and what better way to experience this cosmopolitan region than in the air? However, with a major international airport, multiple military bases, an international border, and rapidly shifting weather patterns, flying in this airspace isn’t easy to navigate.
San Carlos Flight Center invites CFI Herb Patten to delve into Seattle Airspace, flying across the US/Canada border, and different ways a Bay Area Pilot can reach the region. This seminar will break up the complex area into smaller areas so it can be interpreted and flown easily for any pilot hoping to fly in the region. In addition, we will also discuss proper procedures for cross-border flying, as well as how to handle some of the unique challenges of flying in the region, such as terrain and weather. Finally, they will highlight how to fly from the Bay Area to the Pacific Northwest VFR.
If you are hinting at flying to Seattle or Vancouver in the near future, this seminar will help you get there efficiently and safely. It is also a great primer for those attending our FlyOutGroup trip to Seattle and Canada in July.
Herb Patten is a Senior Instructor at the San Carlos Flight Center, a CFII, an FAA-certificated advanced and instrument ground instructor, and past SCFC Chief Pilot. He is an instrument-rated commercial pilot who has flown over 3,500 hours to more than 140 different California airports. He teaches instrument and private pilot ground school at San Carlos Flight Center and 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 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.

When the power went out at Night
2026-06-24 19:00 - 20:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Flying at night brings spectacular views and usually calmer weather making it an enjoyable experience. At the same time, night flying adds risks that need to be managed. What happens when the flight doesn’t go as planned? What are some considerations when flying at night?
Herb Patten, Senior CFI at San Carlos Flight Center will share an experience from a recent night flight where things didn’t go exactly as planned. During the flight, a malfunction occurred which caused a loss of electrical power. Herb will describe at what point in the flight he encountered the failure and then share the response and decision making process that followed. He will share the actions that in hindsight were good decisions along with key learnings of what he would have done differently.
Join us for this seminar for a discussion of how the issue presented itself, what were the factors that lead up to the failure, immediate steps that were taken followed by developing a set of contingencies and finally the root causes of the failure.

Herb Patten is a CFII and teaches both the Private Pilot and Instrument Ground School at San Carlos Flight Center. Herb has been recognized three times by AOPA as a Distinguished Flight Instructor.
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.

Women in Aviation @ SCFC June Meeting
2026-06-27 11:00 - 12:00 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Join SCFC Women in Aviation in welcoming Ash Ahuja.
Growing up around air force bases in India, Ashwini “Ash” Ahuja once dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a fighter pilot or a test pilot, but after becoming paralyzed at age of 11, that dream changed. A sport pilot since 2013, he has done coast-to-coast flying and hopes to inspire other aspiring pilots who use wheelchairs to take to the skies.
The meeting will be from 11am-12pm and from 12pm to 1pm there will be an opportunity to view Ash’s airplane on the ramp. Food will be provided. Any and all are welcome!

Workshop: Cross-Country Planning
2026-06-27 12:00 - 13:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
As pilots, we must know how to accurately plan for a cross-country flight. Join us for this in-person workshop at San Carlos Flight Center for a hands-on and scenario based learning experience. Senior CFI Herb Patten will show attendees the important elements of successful cross-country flight planning and walk you through your planning of a flight. Throughout the workshop Herb will incorporate various situations and challenges, and provide direct support.
The Cross-Country Flight Planning workshop will be based on a trip between two Bay Area airports. This is an interactive workshop with participants working in small teams to successfully plan a flight and create a navigation log that could be used to make the flight. It’s as real as we can make it, while students work through preflight planning decisions and factor in weather and fuel requirements.

Join us in-person if you would like some practice with the flight planning process including using faa.gov to look up NOTAMS and TFRs, reviewing airport information available in the AFD and other sources, creating nav logs, determining fuel requirements, performing weight and balance calculations.
Due to the nature of the workshop, this is an in-person event. No live stream will be available.

NO SAFETY SEMINAR on July 4th
2026-07-04 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
As a result of the 4th of July holiday weekend, there will be no SCFC seminar on Saturday, July 4th.
Enjoy the 4th of July and feel free to watch any of our recorded videos.
-SCFC Seminar Team

Radio Communication for IFR
2026-07-11 12:00 - 13:30 | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
Beginning instrument training brings new challenges including new radio procedures. Flying through in the many airspaces of California requires a high degree of situational awareness and sophisticated radio skills. And yet, radio communication is rarely taught as a specific subject during private pilot training. Usually, new pilots just absorb what they hear on the frequency around them, both good and bad. Although some radio techniques are covered in training, rarely do instrument pilots get the time devoted to demystifying this often-confusing subject.
San Carlos Flight Center invites senior CFI Herb Patten to show how to perfect your communication and phraseology. They will cover radio phraseology from the basics through advanced ATC services with emphasis on practice approaches as well as full IFR communication. Learn how to make radio communication easier and safer for all pilots.
If you are interested in becoming better at your radio, you don’t want to miss this seminar.
Herb Patten is a Senior Instructor at the San Carlos Flight Center, a CFII, an FAA certificated advanced and instrument ground instructor, and past SCFC Chief Pilot. He is a instrument-rated commercial pilot that has flown over 2,500 hours to more than 130 different California airports. He teaches private pilot ground school at San Carlos Flight Center, and 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 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.
