San Carlos Flight Center

GSR: Aircraft Engines and Systems (no livestream)
2023-12-06 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | San Carlos Flight Center, Select a Country:
NOTE: There will be no live stream on Wednesday, December 6th, due to a network maintenance in our area. We will still have in-person audience and a recording will be made available for Web Members later in the week.
Seminar Description:
Are you master of the systems in your aircraft? Do you understand the differences between the ignition system vs. the electrical system? When was the last time you refreshed your knowledge of engine principles or the induction system? If it has been a while or you just need a refresher, this is the place to be.
San Carlos Flight Center invites CFI Michael Dutton to talk about aircraft engines and the other systems used on most small general aviation aircraft. In this seminar, learn details about the ignition systems, electrical systems, carburetors vs. fuel injectors, constant speed propellers, and associated common failures that all pilots need to know. A competent pilot starts with a full understanding of their aircraft. In this seminar, Michael will give you the foundation you need.
Join us for this seminar to further your understanding of piston engines and common systems onboard single engine piston aircraft.

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 seven 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.

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 are able to access most of 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.

Q&A with Hayward ATC
2023-12-02 12:00 - 13:30
Hayward airport presents a number of unique pilot challenges. Its proximity to the Oakland airport is only one of them. The overlying Bravo and Charlie airspace combine with some unique surface operations to catch the uninformed pilot off guard.

San Carlos Flight Center welcomes Sean Mackey, the FAA’s Air Traffic Manager for Hayward Airport, to discuss how pilots can operate safely at and around KHWD. Sean will review important local procedures to help pilots avoid pilot deviations and comply with the noise abatement procedures. As manager, he is uniquely positioned to answer all of our pilot questions about Hayward operations.
If you are looking to get a deeper understanding of Hayward Airport operations or you just have a burning question to ask an FAA control tower manager, mark your calendar to attend this session. This is likely going to be a popular seminar so come early to get a good seat.

Sean Mackey is the FAA’s Air Traffic Manager for Hayward Executive airport. Sean was previously based at Buchanan Field Airport (CCR) and has the unique perspective of also being a Private pilot with tailwheel experience and an Instrument rating.

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.

How to Ace your Flight Review
2023-11-29 19:00 - 20:30
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.

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?
CFI Dave Brenner 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.

Dave Brenner, CFI, is a flight instructor at San Carlos Flight Center. His experience as a teacher and passion for aviation led him to become a flight instructor. Dave is recognized for his teaching abilities and enjoys making sure that his students are well-prepared for their aviation adventures.

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.

Full Moon Flyers: Hollister (Seabrisa's Eatery)
2023-11-27 17:00 - 23:30
Join us for our this month Full Moon Flyers dinner on November 27! We will be flying down to Hollister and dining at Seabrisa’s Eatery. This a great opportunity to grab some night hours while enjoying some great food!
On the way down, soak in the gorgeous sunset over the coastal mountains before descending into Hollister Airport. Make sure to remain clear of the San Jose final approach course, and consider talking to NorCal Approach to have an extra set of eyes looking out for you. Park in transient parking, and then walk across the street to the local airport restaurant – Seabrisa’s Eatery! A local favorite for many pilots in the area, they’re known for their unique flavors and vegetables grown from many of the local farms. Please meet at the restaurant by 7PM.
After dinner, renew your night currency at Hollister or fly a few laps at SJC! With big runways, it’s easy to make the landings to a stop-and-go, and you’ll enjoy the challenge of flying alongside jet traffic.
Everyone is welcome to join us, so please RSVP below and we’ll see you at the event.

POSTPONED – GSR: Aeromedical Factors
2023-11-18 12:00 - 13:30
Due to a last minute scheduling issue, todays seminar has been postponed.
Please consider watching one of our previous presentations from our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

IFR Plate Analysis
2023-11-15 19:00 - 20:30
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.

Instrument approach plates pack an extraordinary amount of information into a very small space. However, if we can learn to categorize the details into those necessary for effective *planning* separate from those necessary for effective in-flight *briefing*, we can make even the first glance at a complex procedure less overwhelming.
In this seminar Daniel Stellini, CFII and United Airlines pilot, will guide us through a thorough analysis of the approach plates at one unique local airport, placing that discussion within the larger context of planning for and executing an IFR flight. Our recurring Approach Plate Seminars take an intensive look at a variety of approach procedures. No two sessions are alike and over the year we will try to cover all the varying nuances of instrument approaches.
Although tailored to instrument pilots and students, VFR pilots will find approach plates helpful in safely locating an unfamiliar airport especially at night. Similarly, both VFR and IFR pilots will benefit from this seminar as many concepts that will be discussed and information that will be reviewed are applicable to pilots of all ratings and operations.

Daniel Stellini is a CFII and a United Airlines pilot with extensive experience from Cessnas to Boeing 777’s. He is committed to developing safe and competent pilots, and is a Gold Seal Flight Instructor. In his freetime, he likes playing music, and teaching others how to become better pilots.

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.

No Moon Flyers
2023-11-12 19:00 - 23:00
Every month, our Full-Moon Flyers goes on a night cross-country on the brightest night of the lunar cycle. It’s a great way to ease back into night currency. But when was the last time you did a night flight when it was really, really dark. On a night with no moonlight?
Join the SCFC Flight Instructor team on Sunday, Nov 12th at 7:00pm for a night flying experience designed to take pilots to local airports known for night illusions and tricky approaches. They could be hard to recognize because of limited ground lighting, or because the airports themselves tend to create landing illusions on final approach.
This will be a unique one of a kind training experience you won’t want to miss if you want, especially if you haven’t flown at night since you were a student pilot. Sharpen your night skills and you’ll have them to use two weeks later when you bring your friends along to the Hollister Full-Moon Flyers event.
The No-Moon Flyers training is space limited, so sign up now to reserve your spot with one of our instructors here at the flight center. Secure your spot by calling the front desk at (650) 946 – 1700 or send an email to info@sancarlosflight.com.

FOG Lunch: Petaluma
2023-11-12 11:00 - 14:00
This month, we will be trying out the newly reopened restaurant at Petaluma Airport (O69)! Located right on the field, Two Niner Diner recently reopened serving a wide variety of breakfast, brunch, and lunch options. This event will be on Sunday, November 12.
Enjoy the views of San Francisco and Marin Headlands on the way up. You can even do a Bay Tour! This is a great and exciting way for student pilots to gain valuable experience and hours. You can even land at different airports on the way back to practice your skills!
After landing in Petaluma, we will park in transient parking near the airport terminal building. Please plan to meet at the Two Niner Diner by 12 noon.
Everyone is welcome to join us, please RSVP and we will see you there!

IFR Currency – The Devil in the Details
2023-11-08 19:00 - 20:30
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.

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, 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 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.

Shelter Cove Trip Recap
2023-11-04 12:00 - 13:30
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.

Shelter Cove (0Q5), is perhaps the most remote and hidden airport in California, with cliffs on one side of the town, and the Pacific Ocean on the other three sides. The one-runway airport is located at the center of Shelter Cove’s small commercial district, where visitors can find restaurants, shops, and access to other local attractions.
SCFC invites Private Pilot Thomas Woneis to recap his recent flight North up the coast to Shelter Cove. He will talk about his cross-country flight planning and route selection to remain clear of terrain and special use airspace, and what it is like operating at the small airport. With any cross-country flight, planning for weather and emergencies takes on special importance and Thomas will discuss his approach in conversation with CFI Dan Dyer.
If you are planning a day-trip or weekend-trip to Shelter Cove, or just curious about flying to airports along California’s Lost Coast, come attend this seminar!

Thomas Woneis, has 80 flight hours and passed his private pilot checkride in August of 2023. When he is not flying, Thomas enjoys golf and hiking.

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.

Flying Safely At Night
2023-11-01 19:00 - 20:30
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.

On November 5th, 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 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.

Full Moon Flyers: Half Moon Bay (Mezza Luna)
2023-10-28 19:00
On October 28th, make the quick hop over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Half Moon Bay for dinner. The flight is quick from points around the Bay Area but is much faster and less stressful than navigating the traffic on Highway 92. This is a perfect flight to take friends and family on, as it affords stunning views of the local coastline, beaches, and mountains in such a short flight.
After landing, taxi to the small ramp on the southeast side of the airport (located southeast of the taxiway that takes you to Runway 30). Secure your aircraft, and we’ll walk through the gate to meet at Mezza Luna at 7 PM, one of the best restaurants in the town. Enjoy an Italian dinner, complete with classic favorites like pasta and freshly-caught seafood.
While October is often a good time to visit Half Moon Bay, low fog and clouds may prevent VFR traffic from participating. If this is the case, we will alter our destination to Livermore. The FOG coordinator will advise those who registered if a change is needed.
Please RSVP below so we can inform the restaurant of our headcount. We hope to see you in Half Moon Bay on October 28th!

In-Person Workshop: Under the Cowling
2023-10-28 12:00 - 13:30
This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. This is an in-person only seminar, there will be no live stream or video recording.
Interested in some of our other presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

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 Tim Davis 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.

Tim Davis is an A&P and aircraft mechanic at San Carlos Flight Center. A Bay Area native, he worked as a Quality Analyst for Electronic Arts and Blizzard Entertainment before completing aircraft maintenance training at City College of San Francisco and earning his A&P certificate.

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.

2-Day Mountain Flying Training Trip
2023-10-28 - 2023-10-29
This two-day training trip is designed to help California pilots gain experience with popular routes and airports in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. While the primary goal is education, many participants use the flight time to work toward high-performance endorsements, C182 checkouts, mountain checkouts, or G1000 avionics checkouts.
Trip Highlights
– Learn to fly safely over mountainous terrain
– Learn about high-elevation airport operations
– Experience some of California’s highest and trickiest airports safely
– See the beauty of the Sierras and stay overnight in South Lake Tahoe

There is a $500 per person non-refundable deposit to ensure interest. This deposit will be applied towards aircraft and instructor time. All pilots will be paired with an SCFC CFI in an SCFC Aircraft.
Aircraft rental and instructor time will be billed upon completion of the trip. The above is simply a breakdown of expected costs.

Contact the SCFC Front Desk at (650) 946-1700 to sign up for the trip.

Seminar Postponed: ADS-B Three Years Later
2023-10-25 19:00 - 20:30
This seminar has been postponed.
Interested in watching some of our previous seminars? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.
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.

GSR: Pressure and Density Altitude
2023-10-21 12:00 - 13:30
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.

Pilots love altitude. So much that we’ve created a bunch of different kinds of altitude: true altitude, absolute altitude, indicated altitude, assigned altitude, and many more. Two of the most important and least understood are pressure altitude and density altitude. Many pilots might not have a complete understanding of pressure and density altitude. Are they even real altitudes at all?
In this seminar, SCFC CFI Travis Bender introduces and explains the terms “pressure altitude” and “density altitude” and demystifies their meanings. Although the word “altitude” is used, these are clearly not measures of altitude. In fact, they are measures of atmospheric pressure and density just converted into units that pilots can understand. Confusing at first, yes, but once understood they serve a valuable purpose in determining aircraft performance. Although few things are as important to a pilot as knowing the performance capability of the aircraft before taking to the skies, measuring the critical factor – atmospheric density – is not something that pilots can do directly. Instead we use rules of thumb, conversion factors, and our best understanding of how elevation, pressure, temperature, and humidity are interrelated.
Pilots of all levels need to improve their understanding of these concepts. If you’ve ever opened your aircraft POH to the performance section and felt humbled, this seminar is for you.

Travis Bender is a CFI and CFII who learned to fly at San Carlos Flight Center. He has recently joined the team as a Staff Instructor at 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.

IFR Circling Approaches
2023-10-18 19:00 - 20:30
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.

Circling approaches present high workload and can be hazardous. Nevertheless, they are a fact of IFR life, particularly at smaller airports because of surrounding terrain or the high cost of approach development. Are you ready to handle the challenge?
San Carlos Flight Center invites Herb Patten, CFI, to explore the “Circle to Land” instrument approach. In this seminar Herb will review the design criteria that cause an approach to be titled for circling only, when circling minimums are excluded from a chart, when you can land straight in from a circling approach, and when you can circle from a straight-in approach. It’s also crucial not to forget discussing chart notes, circling restrictions, and formulating a landing plan based on the approach path and runway layout. Finally, we will examine the critical execution of the circling missed approach maneuver.
All instrument rated pilots need to be familiar and confident with these procedures. You will never know when you are faced with this situation. Join us, and re-familiarize yourself with this unique procedure.

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.

FOG Lunch: Sacramento Executive
2023-10-15 12:00
This month, come along with FOG on a lunch trip to Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC)! Inside the airport’s main terminal building lies Aviator’s Restaurant, a neat aviation-themed cafe serving all-day breakfast and lunch fare. The prices are very reasonable, and the seating allows you to view movement on the airport ramp below.
Sacramento is a great cross-country destination, and this flight is a good opportunity to complete the requirements for the next rating you’re working on. Grab your CFI and gain experience flying into a new airport. Instrument students also can utilize a variety of practice approaches into the airport, with an ILS, RNAV, and VOR approach.
Interested in going? Sign up below so we can get a headcount for food, and we’ll see you in Sacramento at 12:00 PM on October 15th!

Planning a Flight with ForeFlight
2023-10-14 12:00 - 13:30
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.

ForeFlight is a useful application that allows pilots to perform many flight planning tasks such as course planning, calculating flight time and fuel consumption, and obtaining a weather briefing. Living in a digital age, pilots should learn to use tools like this to enhance their overall flight planning process.
San Carlos Flight Center invites Travis Bender, CFI, to walk-through how to use ForeFlight to plan a cross-country flight. Travis will demonstrate how to accurately plot checkpoints, determine airplane performance values, and show how pilots can use ForeFLight to meet the requirement to be familiar with “all available information concerning a flight.” The seminar will start with a sample flight mission so that participants can follow along in real-time using ForeFlight on their own device.
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 CFI and CFII who learned to fly at San Carlos Flight Center. He has recently joined the team as a Staff Instructor at 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.

Private Pilot Checkride Stories
2023-10-11 19:00 - 20:30
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.

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. Have you prepared, studied, and reviewed what’s required of you on checkride? Are you ready to fly on your own? And can you be the safe, competent pilot that we all aim to be?
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, 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.

Imran Idzqandar (panelist) has 87 flight hours and passed his private pilot checkride in July of 2023. When he is not flying, Imran enjoys photography, tennis, rock climbing
Jerry Natoli (panelist) has 190 flight hours, received his private pilot certificate in June of 2023 and is beginning training for his instrument rating. Jerry enjoys spending time on his bike, traveling, visiting family and volunteering when not flying.
Jim Ren (panelist) has 132 flight hours and obtained his private pilot certificate in June. When he is not flying, Jim works as a software engineer and enjoys rock climbing, backpacking, and karaoke.
Herb Patten (moderator) is the Chief Pilot at 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 Airport User Meeting - Hosted by Serco
2023-10-10 15:00 - 16:00
This meeting is open to all SQL users and tenants.
We will be joined by SQL Airport Management, SQL Tower controllers, and FAA representatives to discuss staffing issues at SQL Tower.
Please RSVP below so we can have an accurate headcount. This meeting is in-person only and will not be livestreamed or recorded.

California Mountain Flying Trip Recap
2023-10-07 12:00 - 13:30
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.

This summer, FlyOutGroup pilots took part in a multi-day training event to the Sierra-Nevada Mountains with stunning views while learning to fly safely at high elevation. Pilots faced many challenges on this journey including navigating challenging terrain and weather conditions. In this seminar, you’ll hear first hand from a pilot that completed the journey along with the CFI that provided the training. They will share the details of the trip and what was learned from this mountain flying adventure.
San Carlos Flight Center invites Private Pilot Garrett Held and his CFI Brian Eliot to discuss some highlights from their training trip in the mountains. The seminar will include discussions on travel experiences and practical training topics such as mountain flying, high-altitude conditions, route changes, and cross-country flight planning. The details of the upcoming trip will be shared so you can understand the details of the next amazing experience.
If you are interested in learning about mountain flying or joining the next Mountain Flying Training Trip, join us for a trip recap and preview of this exciting adventure.

Garrett Held is an instrument-rated private pilot with a little over 200 hours. He initially earned his private pilot in 2001 at San Carlos Airport and stopped flying shortly after, he started flying again in 2021. When not flying he works in computer security for a large financial technology company.
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.

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.

Sightseeing in Los Angeles for Pilots
2023-10-04 19:00 - 20:30
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.

Los Angeles is a great destination for SF Bay Area pilots. From its beautiful beaches to landmarks and large skyscrapers, there is a lot for GA pilots to see and do. The surrounding area is home to an extensive and dense airspace system full of transition routes, and airspace corridors which can be a challenge the first time they are encountered. As pilots we have the luxury of seeing sights from the air; but have you ever considered putting your SF Bay Tour mastery skills to the test with a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles?
In this seminar, SCFC invites back Dave Kramer, a commercial pilot and advanced ground instructor, who has traveled extensively in the Los Angeles area, to cover the safe and correct ways to transition the busy Los Angeles Class B airspace while on a sightseeing tour. He will discuss how to stay away from heavy LAX traffic, special use airspace, and stay situationally aware in the LA Basin. Dave will share his stories of transiting through Los Angeles airspace and how to see some amazing Los Angeles landmarks from the sky.
If you are planning to join the FlyOutGroup for their upcoming trip to Southern California, we encourage you to begin your research into this complex airspace. You’ll be better informed and more confident flying over some of Los Angeles sights. Don’t miss out on this unique learning opportunity.

Dave Kramer MD, is an instrument rated, tailwheel, complex and high performance endorsed commercial MEL pilot as well as a basic and instrument ground instructor with an interest in weather. He has been flying since 2012, has over 2100 hours of which over 1500 have been in the IFR system. He also enjoys long cross country flying, night flying and flying in the LA 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 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.

Math for Pilots: Volume 1
2023-09-30 12:00 - 13:30
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.

Of all the skills required to be a safe pilot, few people would put mathematics very high on the list. But being able to calculate speeds, fuel amounts, weight and balance locations, allows the pilot to stay on top of critical performance information. There’s no calculus, set theory, derivatives, or other advanced math concepts, so all that is really needed is a solid ability to do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
So why do some student pilots struggle with the math? We’ve invited Advanced Ground Instructor Dan Dyer, to present some tips on surviving the harder math encountered on the way to a Private Pilot certificate. He’s picked two areas that students often stumble with, and has created a presentation to walk us through surviving the calculations without getting lost or making mistakes. One of the areas of trouble is interpolation, which is often needed to use airplane performance charts and some weather forecasts. The other is a lack of understanding of the power of dimensional analysis and its use for cross-county flight planning calculations. Dimensional analysis is a focus on units and unit conversions, and can unlock even the hardest flight planning challenge. Additionally, Dan will emphasize taking things slowly and writing everything down as a way of avoiding the simple mistakes that most people make on the FAA Knowledge Test.
If you love math, and the powerful tool it gives us to understand the universe, we hope you tune in. If you hate math, and are looking for ways to squeak by enough to become a safe pilot, we hope you tune in. It should be an interesting look at a tiny, oft-feared area of knowledge on the path to becoming a pilot.

Dan Dyer is the founder of the San Carlos Flight Center, and has built the motto of Safety, Community, and Adventure for over 8 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 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.

Full Moon Flyers – Nut Tree (VCB)
2023-09-29 19:00 - 21:00
A unique destination, Nut Tree Airport (VCB) in Vacaville is located right next to a major shopping and dining center. A former amusement park, the Nut Tree area is now home to numerous dining options, making it a great place to travel to and satisfy all kinds of appetites.
On Friday, September 29 at 7 PM, let’s meet up at the Nut Tree airport and walk to the dining area. The flight is easy, but picking a restaurant is the hard part, with options ranging from BBQ to pizza, ramen to vitamin bowls, and sushi to Mexican food. Once you’ve secured the airplane at transient parking, walk to the south side of the hangars to the west, through the gate, and then follow the pathway to the shopping and dining center.

After your meal, treat yourself to Fenton’s Ice Cream, which is known for its one-of-a-kind creations and flavors, and is a popular place for residents of Solano County. Grab ice cream for the walk back, or enjoy dining on their patio.
The airport is lit at night, and it’s easy to pick up flight following with Travis Approach. Need to work on your night landings? Concord, Napa, and Oakland are within a fifteen-minute flight away.
Like other FOG events, RSVP on our website, and please indicate if you can take passengers to allow student pilots and other aviation community members to participate. Hope to see you there!

Cross Country Flight Planning Workshop
2023-09-27 19:00 - 20:30
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.

As pilots we must know how to accurately cross-country flight plan. Join us for this in-person workshop at San Carlos Flight Center for a hands-on and scenario based learning experience. Chief Pilot 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.
We encourage any student pilot working on their cross-country flight planning or rusty pilot to attend this workshop.

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.

How Flight Sim Training Improved My Radio as a Pilot
2023-09-23 12:00 - 13:30
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.

Speaking on the radio with ATC embodies a lot of a pilots workload. Sometimes pilots like to speak too much while transmitting on frequency, leading to frequency congestion, confusion, and can overall be an annoyance. As pilots we should be direct, clear, and professional with our transmissions. SCFC pilot Rowan Young has an interesting story about how his time training to be a controller on VATSIM, the virtual air traffic simulation network, actually improved his understanding and ability as a pilot.
As you may imagine, real life air traffic controllers go through extensive radio and procedures training. It turns out the same is true for people training to be virtual air traffic controllers on VATSIM. Over three years, Rowan studied the basics of airspace, airport and enroute procedures, LOAs, and detailed procedural training for all of Northern California and Oakland Center. Under supervised training, he was able to work up to controlling Oakland Center. Now, he trains others in ATC procedures in the SF Bay Area.
SCFC has invited Rowan to share what he has learned from virtual air traffic management, and how it informs his ability to use the radio effectively as a pilot. He has tips/references to the AIM on how to become a better pilot on the radio. He will also interactively show crucial examples of how being “lazy” or careless about radio phraseology can lead to confusion. Learn how to spot the confusion within multiple examples of bad phraseology, and ultimately become safer in the skies.

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.

GSR: Weather Services
2023-09-20 19:00 - 20:30
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.

Pilots live or die by the weather we fly in. We fly in a fish tank of air. Understanding whether that air is going to be like the calm, crystal blue waters of the lagoons of Cook’s island or turbulent like an impending Tsunami is part of being a competent pilot. Although weather hasn’t changed since the FAA declared that all weather is a result of heat exchange, weather prediction, forecasting and weather services are constantly evolving.
San Carlos Flight Center invites Chief Pilot Herb Patten to investigate the different types of weather products available to pilots. In this seminar, we will take a look at what’s new on Aviation Weather Center, aka aviationweather.gov. We will explore some recent changes to the prognostic charts, turbulence forecasts as well as some other useful products. We will also explore the replacement for the Area Forecast, the “Graphical Forecast for Aviation,” which offers a wealth of features available for pilots.
Be more weather aware on your next flight, and join us for this safety seminar.

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.

IFR Lost Communication Procedures
2023-09-16 12:00 - 13:30
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.

Instrument Flight Rules are highly regimented. They are designed to keep pilots and passengers safe while flying completely blind through clouds and weather. Altitudes must be maintained, courses have to be tracked tightly, and radio communication must allow air traffic controllers to maneuver planes around traffic and conflicts. But what happens when radios fail?
Although it doesn’t happen often, radio communication equipment can be faulty or inoperative mid-flight, even while a pilot is flying IFR in instrument conditions. For safety, there are very specific rules an instrument pilot must comply with in the event of radio failure, and the rules are far more structured that those for a VFR pilot. The basic rule is to continue with the flight as previously instructed by air traffic control, but the regulations don’t cover every situation and there can be some gray areas. One local DPE recently commented that 95% of instrument applicants fail to answer questions about lost comm procedures, so many of you are likely confused about it too.
Join SCFC Assistant Chief Pilot and IFR expert Brian Eliot as he presents “Lost Comms in IMC”. He’ll clarify the IFR lost communication procedures, and specifically discuss the areas most pilots find confusing. After this seminar, you will find a new comfort in how to handle a lost communication situation even in IMC.

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.

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.

SLCP TEST
2023-09-15 12:00 - 14:00
test
